Clinical presentation
Fever, tachycardia, tachypnea, and leukocytosis in a patient with suspected infection suggests this.
What is Sepsis?
Initial labs for suspected sepsis should include CBC, CMP, coagulation studies, blood cultures, and this metabolic marker.
What is lactate?
The Surviving Sepsis Campaign recommends initial fluid resuscitation of this volume per kg in most patients.
What is 30 mL/kg of crystalloid?
CRP and procalcitonin may be elevated in non-infectious conditions; one must differentiate sepsis from this systemic inflammatory state.
What is SIRS due to trauma, burns, or pancreatitis?
De-escalation of antibiotics should be guided primarily by these results and patient response
What are culture results and clinical status?
Lactate >2 mmol/L in a patient with infection is a sign of this physiologic problem.
Blood cultures should ideally be obtained before starting this critical therapy in sepsis.
What are antibiotics?
When fluids fail to maintain MAP ≥ 65 mmHg, this is the recommended first-line vasopressor.
What is norepinephrine?
Presence of this indicates a higher mortality
What is two or more organ dysfunction?
Severe sepsis can cause this lung complication, characterized by bilateral infiltrates and hypoxemia.
What is ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome)?
A septic patient presents with hypotension and warm, flushed extremities with bounding pulses. This phase of septic shock is likely
What is early (hyperdynamic) septic shock?
A negative blood culture does not rule out sepsis because approximately this percentage of septic patients are culture-negative.
What is 30–50%?
In refractory septic shock, adding this vasopressor may reduce norepinephrine requirements without improving mortality.
What is vasopressin?
This corticosteroid may be considered in septic shock with refractory hypotension and suspected adrenal insufficiency.
Nutritional support in septic patients should be initiated within this timeframe to reduce complications.
What is within 48 hours (preferably enteral feeding)?
Oliguria, altered mental status, and cool extremities indicate this progression of septic shock
What is late (hypodynamic) septic shock?
This biomarker is more useful for guiding antibiotic de-escalation than initial diagnosis.
What is Procalcitonin?
This electrolyte abnormality, often overlooked, is associated with higher mortality in septic shock.
What is hypophosphatemia?
This rare but catastrophic complication of sepsis involves adrenal gland necrosis and profound shock.
What is Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome?
In mechanically ventilated septic patients, this strategy helps prevent ventilator-induced lung injury.
What is low tidal volume ventilation?
A patient presents with purpura fulminans, thrombocytopenia, and coagulopathy. This severe complication of sepsis is likely
What is disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)?
Persistent hypotension despite fluids and vasopressors may prompt testing for this endocrine abnormality.
What is adrenal insufficiency?
This advanced hemodynamic monitoring technique directly measures cardiac output and systemic vascular resistance in critically ill septic patients.
What is pulmonary artery catheterization (Swan-Ganz catheter)?
Sepsis-induced myocardial depression is often reversible within this timeframe if the patient survives the acute phase.
What is 7–10 days?
The SMART and SALT-ED trials compared balanced crystalloids to saline; the main observed benefit was a reduction in this outcome.
What is acute kidney injury (AKI)?