SIR ROBERT MUIR, SEPSIS AND SCOTTISH HEALTHCARE
From: http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-and-do-the-sepsis-six-4/, Accessed: 17/11/2015
From: https://visualsonline.cancer.gov/details.cfm?imageid=2230, Accessed: 17/11/2015
From: http://theearthchild.co.za/9-reasons-to-think-twice-before-taking-antibiotics-ever-again/, Accessed: 17/11/2015
Septicaemia
Treatment
Septicaemia management is commonly referred to as 'sepsis six' a combination of three treatments and three tests that should be carried out within an hour of sepsis diagnosis.
Treatments:
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Broad spectrum antibiotics
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Intravenous fluids
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Oxygen
Tests:
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Identify causative agent through blood culture
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Asses severity of sepsis through lactate and haemoglobin tests
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Monitor kidney function by keeping record of urinary output
Fast action is essential to give the patient the best chance of survival. Interestingly, the method for detection of causative agent has not changed since Muir wrote about septicaemia in 1924 - blood culture tests are still conducted.
The treatments are prescribed to help the body deal with the huge immune challenge it is facing, and early diagnosis of septicaemia is key. Broad spectrum antibiotics are administered in the hope that they will tackle the causative agent, as blood culture results take too long and would delay treatment. The body's oxygen requirement increases with immunological challenge, and the provision of extra oxygen aims to offset this. Fluids are intravenously administered to increase blood volume and improve circulation - vasodilation is a key component of the immune response.