Septic shock
Fabian Dupont is a freelance writer in the medical department. The human medicine specialist is already doing scientific work in Belgium, Spain, Rwanda, the USA, Great Britain, South Africa, New Zealand and Switzerland, among others. The focus of his doctoral thesis was tropical neurology, but his special interest is international public health and the comprehensible communication of medical facts.
More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.Septic shock is a critical, life-threatening condition that leads to death in the majority of cases. In the final stage of blood poisoning (sepsis), this event occurs with an extreme drop in blood pressure, in which the heart can no longer adequately fill the greatly enlarged blood vessels with blood. The result is an undersupply of vital organs, including the brain.
ICD codes for this disease: ICD codes are internationally recognized codes for medical diagnoses. They can be found, for example, in doctor's letters or on certificates of incapacity for work. R57
Septic shock: course
A septic shock occurs only in connection with a previous blood poisoning (sepsis). This means that there is a pathogen that has reached the patient's bloodstream and against which the immune system has not been able to defend itself sufficiently. Many vital organs are damaged by small blood clots and as a result of the inflammatory reactions throughout the body.
The messenger substances of the immune system also widen the blood vessels in an attempt to continue to supply all organs and body tissues with an abundant supply of blood. A reaction that overwhelms the heart to this extent, because at the same time large amounts of blood sink into the periphery of the body. In septic shock, for example, there is a sharp drop in blood pressure that quickly becomes life-threatening.
Risk factors
Certain groups of people are particularly at risk of sepsis or septic shock. In general, this affects all people whose immune system is not completely healthy or people who are exposed to large amounts of pathogens. People at particular risk include patients with:
- Diabetes mellitus
- Urinary tract disorders
- Catheters, implants, stents or prostheses
- recent surgery
- Immunodeficiency (HIV / AIDS)
- Blood cancer (leukemia)
- long-term use of chemotherapy drugs, antibiotics or cortisone preparations
- Very young and very old patients
Septic shock: prognosis
Septic shock is a medical emergency and requires intensive care. A variety of treatment approaches are necessary. The patient is artificially ventilated (intubated) and attempts are made to maintain blood pressure with vasoconstricting agents and infusions. By eliminating the source of the infection, doctors try to help the patient's body fight the infection. Nevertheless, around 60 percent of all patients die from this disease. The prognosis worsens because most patients already had a weakened immune defense before the septic shock. (see “Causes and Risk Factors” of Septic Shock).
Septic shock is a life-threatening illness that requires intensive medical care as quickly as possible. People who survive a septic shock often suffer long-term damage, for example due to an insufficient supply of particularly sensitive organs.
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