What Is Sepsis and What Does It Mean to Be Septic?

Every year, over 1.7 million Americans develop a dangerous medical condition called sepsis. Sepsis is a serious immune response that can cause long-term harm to patients and, in the worst cases, can be fatal. Sometimes, sepsis is a primary health condition, but it is often a secondary condition that patients develop during other medical treatments.

When patients contract sepsis while receiving medical care, the consequences can be pervasive and severe. In addition to posing an immediate threat to a patient’s health, sepsis and related conditions can cause long-term physical, emotional, and financial harm. Here’s a brief overview of how sepsis can play a role in some medical malpractice claims.

What is sepsis?

You’ll sometimes hear medical professionals refer to patients as “being septic,” but what does septic mean, exactly? Sepsis is a life-threatening medical condition characterized by an overblown immune response to infection. In cases of sepsis, the body essentially goes into overdrive trying to fight off an infection, which causes harm to other vital structures as a result. In short, “being septic” essentially means that your immune response is actively threatening your organs and putting you at an increased risk of serious harm.

What causes sepsis?

As noted above, patients usually develop sepsis in response to some kind of infection. Sepsis is most commonly caused by bacterial infections, but it can be the result of a wide variety of conditions, including:

• Pneumonia
• Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• Kidney or bladder infections
• Skin infections or wounds
• Post-surgical infections
• Viral infections like influenza or COVID-19
• Fungal infections

Sepsis progresses rapidly and can do irreversible damage to vital anatomical structures, making it an incredibly dangerous condition if left unaddressed. Untreated sepsis can lead to organ failure, septic shock, and even death, which is why early recognition and swift intervention are so critical in the treatment and prevention of sepsis and its complications.

What are the symptoms of sepsis?

Sepsis may present differently from patient to patient, but there are a few hallmark symptoms to watch out for, including:

• Increased heart rate
• Low blood pressure
• Fever or extremely low body temperature
• Shaking or chills
• Shortness of breath
• Confusion or disorientation
• Rash
• Severe pain or discomfort
• Urinary issues

Keep in mind that sepsis severity can progress, meaning you need to keep an eye out for any changes signaling the condition is advancing. While the initial stages of sepsis are usually characterized by symptoms like fever and chills, later stages of septic shock may lead to dangerous drops in blood pressure and changes in blood circulation.

If any of these symptoms are present, it’s important to seek medical evaluation immediately. Every second counts in the treatment of sepsis, and early recognition is key to preventing long-term complications or death. It’s particularly crucial to keep an eye out for sepsis symptoms in post-surgical patients or anyone who is elderly or immunocompromised, as these individuals are at an increased risk for developing sepsis.

Can sepsis be the result of medical malpractice?

Research suggests that for every 1,000 hospitalized patients, an estimated 15 will develop sepsis as a complication of receiving health care. While some cases of sepsis occur as a natural response to infection, others may be the direct result of medical negligence or malpractice. When this happens, patients and their families may choose to file medical malpractice claims against the facilities or providers responsible.

A case of sepsis may serve as the grounds for a medical malpractice claim if the injured party can show that their provider:

• Failed to diagnose an infection that would have been easily recognized by another provider
• Delayed treatment after sepsis symptoms begin
• Ignored or misinterpreted lab results indicating an infection
• Failed to administer antibiotics or fluids in a timely manner
• Failed to properly care for a wound or surgical site
• Left a foreign object in a patient’s body during surgery
• Shrugged off a patient’s concerns about possible symptoms of infection or sepsis

Some complications are unavoidable in healthcare settings, and secondary infections are very common in hospitals. However, providers still have a responsibility to prevent and address complications to the best of their ability. If a doctor or other healthcare professional fails to honor this responsibility and a patient develops sepsis or other complications as a result, they may be held accountable for their actions.

How a medical malpractice lawyer can help

Sepsis and its complications can lead to a wide variety of challenges – both personal and financial. Survivors may develop long-term health challenges that require expensive medical interventions and ongoing rehabilitative care to address, leaving many patients struggling to pay their medical bills. Sepsis cases resulting in wrongful death can also lead families to incur an ever-growing array of losses and be the source of long-term emotional trauma.

To help address these losses, many survivors and families choose to work with a medical malpractice lawyer to hold the responsible parties accountable for their suffering. Experienced medical malpractice attorneys can help clients gather evidence to support their claim, negotiate with facilities and their insurers, and even argue their case in court.

Malpractice lawyers can also enlist the services of expert witnesses who can add valuable context to an injured patient’s claims or clarify complex medical concepts before the court. Some malpractice lawyers will partner with economists or care planners to help their clients determine how much compensation is merited in their case. All of these resources combined can help increase the likelihood of a successful claim and ensure victims of medical malpractice receive the damages they need to thoroughly address their sepsis-related losses.

Final thoughts

Sepsis is scary, but it can be prevented or mitigated with the right medical intervention. Preventative measures, proactive monitoring, and swift treatment can all help mitigate the risks of sepsis and its complications and keep patients safe from harm. If, however, a healthcare provider fails to adhere to accepted standards of care and causes serious harm as a result, they deserve to be held accountable for their negligence.

At Ferrara & Gable, we understand how vulnerable patients are when they put their faith in medical professionals. When a healthcare provider or facility falls short of their duty of care, we believe they should answer for their missteps and take responsibility for the harm they cause. That’s why we’ve spent 50 years fighting for victims of medical malpractice in Cherry Hill and the surrounding areas.

If you or someone you love developed sepsis in a healthcare setting, especially in a nursing home, and you suspect medical malpractice may have played a role, contact us to schedule a consultation with a member of our team. We can listen to your story, answer your questions, and help you determine the most appropriate next steps in your case.