Sepsis – symptoms, treatment & the impact on the brain.

Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection. It happens when your immune system overreacts to an infection and starts to damage your own body’s tissues and organs.

The main symptoms of sepsis include (but are not limited to):

• Acting confused, slurred speech or not making sense.
• Blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue. On brown or black skin, it may be easier to see on the palms of hands, or soles of feet.
• A rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it (the same as meningitis).
• Difficulty breathing, breathlessness, or breathing very fast.

Yes. If you have a suspected infection and are experiencing any of the above symptoms, you should go to A&E immediately. Symptoms can worsen very quickly as your immune system goes into overdrive, setting off a series of reactions. Treatment is time critical.

A widespread inflammation from sepsis can cause swelling, blood clotting, and can reduce your blood pressure, which  restricts blood supply to vital organs, eventually starving them of oxygen.

Early treatment of sepsis is not complicated or expensive. You should be given antibiotics within one hour of arriving at hospital, along with IV fluids, and supplemental oxygen (if appropriate).

The UK Sepsis Trust developed the ‘Sepsis Six’ – A set of six tasks to be completed within one hour of diagnosis. These are:

1. Administer oxygen.
2. Take blood cultures.
3. Give IV antibiotics.
4. Give IV fluids.
5. Check serial lactates.
6. Measure urine output.

Depending on the severity of your symptoms, you may need other tests, including:

• Treatment in an intensive care unit.
• Use of a ventilator.
• Surgery to remove areas of infection.

As symptoms of sepsis can be like those of other conditions, it is a diagnosis that can be missed, causing delays in treatment.

If not treated quickly, sepsis can lead to multiple organ failure and sometimes death. It can also cause ischaemic damage to limbs and extremities, leading to the need for limb amputation.

Sepsis can cause acute and long-term brain dysfunction, including sepsis-associated encephalopathy and cognitive impairment. This can lead to changes in consciousness ranging from confusion to delirium, or even a coma.

Brain dysfunction due to sepsis is often overlooked, despite its high incidence. Comprehensive neurological examination is essential for diagnosing this, and should be performed daily. The relationship between sepsis and brain dysfunction is still a developing area of research, and more effective treatments are being actively explored.

Early diagnosis and treatment of sepsis is crucial. A delay or misdiagnosis can be as a result of negligence, and result in the worsening of the condition or even death.

If you have been misdiagnosed, or there was a delay in diagnosis and treatment, then you may be able to pursue a clinical negligence claim. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact our team below.

You can find more information about Sepsis in our guide here.

There are also a number of organisations like The UK Sepsis Trust which provide useful information, guidance, and support for sepsis survivors and relatives.

You can contact the Trust via their online form or by calling 0800 389 6255 to find out more.