Home > BNSSG ICB > Development Area >

Septicaemia - Draft

Checked: not set yet by Rob Adams Next Review: not set yet

Overview

Septicaemia (Sepsis) is a life threatening condition.

If suspected in the community then 999 should be called to arrrange immediate transfer to hospital (although this may not always be appropriate in patients approaching end of life where a ReSPECT plan is in place).

Sepsis can be difficult to spot but should be considered in all patients with symptoms or signs of an infection.

Risk factors for sepsis include extremes of age; people who are frail, immunocompromised or immunosuppressed; people who have had recent trauma or surgery; people with a breach in skin integrity; and women who are pregnant, are post-partum, or have had a recent termination of pregnancy or miscarriage.

Symptoms or signs may be non-specific and non-localized, such as general malaise, agitation, or behavioural change. The following mnemonic may be a helpful screen in adults:

Slurred speech or confusion

Extreme shivering or muscle pain

Passing no urine (in a day)

Severe breathlessness

It feels like you’re going to die

Skin mottled or discoloured

Quick Links to Tools for primary care

The UK Sepsis Trust has downloadable guides to sepsis in children, adults and pregnancy and are recommended in the NICE sepsis guidelines:

About Sepsis | Sepsis Symptoms | The UK Sepsis Trust

In addition the following quick links to guides are also available:

Adults (aged 16 years or over) - not pregnant - National Early Warning Score (NEWS) 2 (mdcalc.com)
Children <5 - Risk stratification tool for children aged under 5 years with suspected sepsis
Children 5-11 Risk stratification tool for children aged 5–11 years with suspected sepsis
Children >12 Risk stratification tool for adults, children and young people aged 12 years and over with suspected sepsis
Pregnancy or up to 6 weeks post partum - GENERAL PRACTICE | The UK Sepsis Trust - scroll down to appropriate pdf

Resources

Symptoms of sepsis - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

About Sepsis | Sepsis Symptoms | The UK Sepsis Trust

Our NICE Clinical Tools for Healthcare Professionals - UK Sepsis Trust

GENERAL PRACTICE | The UK Sepsis Trust

Sepsis | Health topics A to Z | CKS | NICE

Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Information provided through Remedy is continually updated so please be aware any printed copies may quickly become out of date.