Sepsis Treatment: Medication, Lifestyle Changes, and More

Medication

Septic treatment typically begins with antibiotics for the infection, which may be followed by medication to control blood pressure and other issues. “The major areas to focus on for the initial treatment of sepsis are to restore blood flow to vital organ systems and eliminate the inciting infection,” says Scott Weiss, MD, an associate professor of pediatrics at Thomas Jefferson University and the division chief of critical care medicine at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware.

Antibiotics

• cefepime (Maxipime)
• ceftazidime (Fortaz)
• ceftriaxone (Rocephin)

• ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
• levofloxacin (Levaquin)

If you have mild sepsis, you may receive a prescription for antibiotics to take at home. But if your condition progresses to severe sepsis, you will receive antibiotics intravenously in the hospital. This method helps the medicine get into your bloodstream quicker so it can fight the infection sooner.

Antiviral Medications

Antifungal Medications

Intravenous Fluids

Fluids help increase blood volume and prevent dehydration, which are two contributing factors to low blood pressure. Symptoms of too low pressure include shallow breathing, rapid pulse, clammy skin, and confusion.

Treating low blood pressure is crucial because in this state, it becomes harder for blood to carry oxygen to different parts of the body. Organ damage can occur when your body doesn’t get enough oxygen.

Vasopressor

“For septic shock, vasopressors may be administered to maintain blood pressure within a safe range,” says Eleanor Erwin, MD, a board-certified emergency room physician with Williamsburg Emergency Physicians in Virginia. “Other medications may be tailored to the individual patient's other medical problems.”

Corticosteroids

Surgery

An abscess can form on the skin or inside the body as a complication of another infection. Some abscesses respond to antibiotics. But sometimes doctors must make an incision and drain an abscess or surgically remove an abscess to stop an infection.

Other Treatments

You may require other types of supportive therapy based on the extent of your condition. These therapies vary from person to person.

Blood Transfusion

Dialysis

Hemodynamic Monitoring

Hyperglycemia Treatment

Some people with severe sepsis and septic shock also experience high blood sugar (hyperglycemia). This risk applies to people with diabetes and those without diabetes. It is believed that a combination of stress and inflammation can induce insulin resistance and higher glucose levels. If so, you’ll usually receive insulin intravenously.

Supplemental Oxygen

This therapy helps raise the amount of oxygen the lungs receive and subsequently the amount of oxygen that’s delivered to your blood. There are different ways to receive oxygen therapy, such as through a nasal tube, a face mask, or mechanical ventilation (inserting a tube into the trachea).

Rehabilitation and Therapy

This is also common with kids who get sepsis. “Approximately one-third of children who survive sepsis will continue to struggle after hospital discharge,” says Dr. Weiss. “Common challenges include low physical endurance, decreased attention or ability to focus, anxiety, sleep problems, and emotional lability.”

Your doctor can connect you with resources for ongoing support, such as counselors or physical therapists. “It’s important that families and pediatricians look for even subtle signs of lingering issues and seek help,” says Weiss.

This is also important to prevent future infections. “Properly managing chronic medical problems that can compromise the immune system, such as controlling diabetes or chronic lung disease, is crucial for both avoiding and recovering from a sepsis infection,” says Dr. Erwin.

The Takeaway

• Sepsis is a serious, potentially life-threatening complication of an infection that requires prompt medical intervention to fight the underlying infection and treat any resulting issues, such as low blood pressure.
• Broad-spectrum antibiotics are typically the first-line treatment for sepsis and may be followed by targeted antimicrobials, intravenous fluids, vasopressors, or corticosteroids.
• Other sepsis treatments include surgery to remove infected or damaged tissue, blood transfusion, dialysis, hemodynamic monitoring, hyperglycemia medication, and supplemental oxygen.
• Up to half of those with sepsis develop postsepsis syndrome, with symptoms such as sleep issues, difficulty breathing, and repeated infections; these require ongoing care.

Additional reporting by Sarah Shelton.