Septic Shock
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There is a delicate balance for an appropriate immune response to infection. If the response is inadequate than it leads to overwhelming infection and death. If the response is adequate then the infection is controlled and the patient survives. When the host's response to infection is excessive, it leads to sepsis and septic shock (Mayers, 2000). Sepsis is confirmed when two of the following are present along with a confirmed infectious process: temperature >100.4 or <96.7, heart rate > 90 BPM, respiratory rate > 20 breaths per minute or PaCO2 < 32 mm HG, white blood cell count > 12,000 or < 4,000 or the presence of > 10 percent immature neutrophils. Sepsis may then progress to severe sepsis, which is sepsis, associated with dysfunction of one or more organ systems, hypoperfusion, or hypotension. This may then progress to septic shock, which is sepsis with hypotension (systolic BP< 90 or a reduction of 40 mm Hg from baseline) despite adequate fluid resuscitation, and perfusion abnormalities. If this is not corrected it leads to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, which is to presence of altered organ function such that homeostasis cannot be maintained without intervention (Gordon, 1999)...