The human body is often known as a miraculous machine, thanks to the multiple mechanisms fitted into it. If any of your bodily functions varies from the expected, there are immediate counter actions taken by the body to bring it back to normal. So if you have a fever, your body will produce antibodies to fight the disease-causing germs and if you have an infection, your body will release chemicals to heal it.

As long as these chemicals heal the infection, it’s good. But if your body starts reacting to these chemicals and that reaction goes out of control, it leads to a medical condition called Sepsis. This condition can be potentially fatal and hence a thoroughly planned out nursing care plan for sepsis is a must. The condition may aggravate to such a situation where the blood pressure falls abnormally low sometimes even causing death. This aggravated condition is known a Septic Shock.

Although anyone anywhere can be prone to sepsis, there are certain parameters that make individuals more vulnerable. Some of these parameters are

• The individual is either very young (less than 1-year-old) or very old (more than 65 years). Since young children are susceptible to this disease, a nursing care plan for neonatal sepsis is a specialized field of nursing
• Pregnant women can be prone to Sepsis
• People who have chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart-related problems, etc.
• People who are either hospitalized or have just been discharged from a hospital

Since the root cause for Sepsis is an infection, anybody having an infection with a weakened immune system is highly vulnerable. Like many other life-threatening diseases, early detection and treatment with antibiotics and huge quantities of intravenous fluids improve the patient’s chances of recovery. The infection can be caused due to any reason. However, some of the most common reasons for infections, as observed by those providing nursing care for sepsis patient, are

• Infection due to pneumonia
• Any infections related to the digestive system including stomach infections, intestine infection or even colon infections
• Any infections related to the excretory system including kidney or bladder related infections
• Any infections in the circulatory system including those related to  

It is very important to identify the symptoms for Sepsis as soon as possible since this helps in administering the proper sepsis care plan at the correct time.

There isn’t a complete agreement in the medical fraternity about the stages of sepsis, however, there is a sizable population believing that the condition can be classified into three stages

Stage 1: This is when the condition is just setting in and has the least complications with symptoms like fever and palpitations

Stage 2: This is slightly more difficult than Stage 1, with symptoms including multiple organ malfunctioning or difficulty in breathing

Stage 3: This is the most advanced stage of Sepsis, involving Septic Shock and life-threateningly low levels of blood pressure

The treatment of sepsis depends on the type of infection, the impact that the condition has had on the health of the patient and also the age of the patient. Since, it can be fatal for newborns, especially those born prematurely, the nursing care plan for neonatal sepsis is an important part of any nursing training.

General treatment is done with the help of antibiotic doses and giving large quantities of fluids to the patient. Some other common treatments that are part of the nursing care plan for sepsis are

1. Kidney Dialysis
2. Intravenous Fluid administration
3. Vasopressors
4. External organ supports like respiratory support
5. Surgery in extreme cases to remove the infected part (like gangrene)

Any nursing care for sepsis patient involves some basic objectives that need to be met, in order to stabilize and revive the patient. These objectives include

1. Ensuring the risk of infection is eliminated or at least minimized like having a nursing care plan for sepsis secondary to UTI
2. Reducing the risk of Septic shock
3. Making sure the tissue perfusion and fluid volume is as per standard
4. Counseling and Guiding the patient and their families on the causes

There are a number of interventions that can be a part of a sepsis care plan. Below is a list of some interventions with the rationale behind each

1. 1. Identifying the cause of any infection – Infection is the root cause of sepsis. Hence, the identification and elimination of the infection can lead to better results. Thus, the nursing care plan for puerperal sepsis has its first step as identifying the infection as its first step, as an example.

1. 1. Minimize the possibility of the infection spreading – This is important since the infection can spread through multiple agents like unwashed hands of health care workers, through infections in the body because of intravenous lines, sneezing and coughing, etc. Enough care should be taken to avoid spreading of the disease.

1. 1. Restrict the usage of invasive devices – As the infection causing bacteria or even viruses can enter the body from the places these devices enter, it is better to avoid their usage as much as possible.

1. 1. Wear protective gear like gloves, gowns, and masks when required – As they say, prevention is better than cure; it is much better to try and remove the possibility of the infection spreading while caring for the patient. Thus, the use of these accessories can help prevent coming in contact with the harmful bacteria.

1. 1. Monitor vital statistics including temperature and blood pressure – As sepsis can be life-threatening and time is of the essence, it makes a lot of difference, if the patient is kept under monitoring for these early signs. Hence, any nursing care plan for sepsis is incomplete without this constant monitoring.

We have a dedicated team of nursing staff trained for attending to sepsis patients who have different symptoms. Thus, whether you are looking for a nursing care plan for puerperal sepsis or you are looking for someone to help you with a nursing care plan for sepsis secondary to UTI, you need not worry any further.

Contact us through phone, email or visit our facility, our staff is always ready to help you out with your queries. When you opt for the services from Care24, you need not worry about anything else, be it the care given, the attention needed, the qualification and training of the staff or even the security of your loved ones. Our team ensures all these for you.