Signs and Symptoms | sepsis-watch

Symptoms of Sepsis?

This is probably the most important things you need to know!

I want first to give you the very basic signs and symptoms you need to commit to memory. These were given to me by Dr. Tom Ahrens of Saint Louis.

REMEMBER: TPR ( as nurses call it ).

They stand for:

Temperature

Pulse

RESPIRATION

If you have any kind of infection, flu or injury and you have:

Temperature above 101 degrees or below 97 degrees

Pulse above 90 bpm

Respirations above 20 breaths per minute (bpm)

YOU NEED TO CALL YOUR DOCTOR or GO TO THE ER and TELL THEM, " You Are Concerned about Sepsis. Can you check me for it".

I would suggest print the above and post on your refrigerator.

I also coined a mneumonic, a memory aid using letters, after Erin's death to help lay people know the signs and symptoms of sepsis: U C The Bugs Run Home. You can use it for yourself, to measure how ill you are, or for your loved ones around you. You may need to teach others about what to check for, also. Use either thr first one here or this but, KNOW SEPSIS!

Many people who survive sepsis say that when they became ill, they felt the sickest they ever felt before: like the worst flu they ever had, the worst sore throat, and so on. Many say that all they wanted to do was go to bed and try to sleep it away. Of course, feeling that bad doesn't always mean you have sepsis because these symptoms can be signs of other illnesses. But, if you have had any kind of infection, like a urinary tract infection, the flu, or in a cut, or if you have swelling or redness, plus two or more of the signs listed below, you need to get medical attention as soon as possible. You need to say to everyone in the hospital or your doctors office, "I am concerned about sepsis." Ask, "can you test me for sepsis?" Be respectfully persistent! Speak up! Ask questions!

I can not stress how important it is to ask questions and share your deep concern.

U C The Bugs Run Home

Take the first letter of this statement to outline the list of sepsis symptoms.

U = Urine output low

C = Confusion, chills, losing conciousness

T = Temperature - it could be high (a fever), over 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38.5 Celsius), or lower than normal, below 97 degrees (36 Celsius)

B = Blood pressure - it could be high (hypertensive) or low (hypotensive)

R = Rash on your skin; rapid Respirations - above 20 breaths per minute

H = Heart rate - over 90 beats per minute

Please write this down. Post it on your refrigerator. Share it with your friends and loved ones. Please get the Sepsis Watch App to everyone you care about.

You have an 80% chance of survival if you have sepsis that is recognized and treated within the first hour. Every hour of delay in appropriate treatment decreases your chance of survival and increases the chances of you losing some or all of your limbs - if you do survive. Every hour of delay of not getting antibiotics and fluids increases your chance of dying by 8%. So if you wait 6 hours your chance of surviving is only 30%.

Go to this link for information how to take these measurements. Tools needed are; thermometer, blood pressure cuff and watch with seconds displayed.