Sepsis

Sepsis is a life-threatening illness. Your body's response to a bacterial infection usually causes it. Your immune system goes into overdrive, overwhelming normal processes in your blood. The result is that small blood clots form, blocking blood flow to vital organs. This can lead to organ failure. Babies, old people and those with weakened immune systems are most likely to get sepsis. But even healthy people can become deathly ill from it.

Everything You Need To Know About Sepsis

Sepsis is a life-threatening systemic response to an infection. This article provides an overview of sepsis, including stages, diagnosis and treatment.

Sepsis Diagnosis

Causes and Symptoms of Sepsis in Newborns

Diagnosis and Treatment of Sepsis in Newborns

Sepsis Prevention

Recovering from Sepsis

Sepsis Epidemiology

Sepsis Pathophysiology

Sepsis at the Molecular Level

Sepsis and Pregnancy

Sepsis: Identifying the Signs and Administering First Aid

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and Sepsis

See more featured articles »

Sepsis Complications and Prevention

The Stages of Sepsis

How Antimicrobial Resistance Amplifies the Burden of Sepsis

Lactate Levels and Sepsis

Sepsis and Influenza

Sepsis History

The Development of a Sepsis Scoring System in a Murine Model

Latest Sepsis News and Research

Existing drug shows potential to revive immune cells in sepsis patients

When the immune system does not function properly, individuals become more susceptible to infections caused by viruses, bacteria, or fungi.

18 Apr 2025

IL-6 emerges as early sepsis indicator in high risk groups

A pioneering study presented today at ESCMID Global 2025 has uncovered the potential of interleukin-6 (IL-6) as a powerful diagnostic biomarker for the early detection of sepsis in high-risk patient groups, including neonates, children and pregnant women.

11 Apr 2025

Genetic test outperforms PSA and MRI in spotting deadly prostate cancer early

A UK study found that using a polygenic risk score to identify men at highest genetic risk of prostate cancer significantly improved detection of clinically important disease. This approach caught aggressive cancers that standard PSA and MRI screening would have missed.

10 Apr 2025

High fiber diet helps protect against dangerous gut infections

A study published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe by Brazilian and American researchers suggests that a diet rich in soluble fiber can protect the intestine against pathogenic bacteria.

9 Apr 2025

Study reveals nursing care gaps in Black-serving hospitals

A new study – just published in Nursing Research – has uncovered concerning disparities in patient outcomes, specifically related to nursing care, within hospitals that predominantly serve Black communities.

4 Apr 2025

New thromboinflammation-on-a-chip model may revolutionize treatment of harmful blood clots

Blood clots are associated with life-threatening conditions such as sepsis, sickle cell disease, heart attack, and stroke.

3 Apr 2025

Study exposes huge levels untargeted antibiotic prescribing

Doctors are prescribing antibiotics for tens of thousands of patients with infections, with little or no consideration of prognosis and the risk of the infection worsening, according to a new study led by University of Manchester epidemiologists.

3 Apr 2025

New AI system enhances nurse-driven patient monitoring and saves lives

An AI tool that analyzes nurses' data and notes detected when patients in the hospital were deteriorating nearly two days earlier than traditional methods and reduced the risk of death by over 35%, found a year-long clinical trial of more than 60,000 patients led by researchers at Columbia University.

2 Apr 2025

Study shows artificial intelligence can improve intravenous nutrition for premature babies

Artificial intelligence can improve intravenous nutrition for premature babies, a Stanford Medicine study has shown.

25 Mar 2025

Understanding the role of iron-dependent ferroptosis in immune suppression

Iron-dependent ferroptosis, a non-apoptotic cell death mechanism, is gaining attention for its role in immune suppression.

24 Mar 2025

New AI model predicts sepsis mortality in the ICU with high accuracy

Sepsis is one of the deadliest conditions in intensive care units (ICUs), triggered by the body's out-of-control response to infection.

24 Mar 2025

Improving sepsis risk assessment using a two-stage transformer model

Sepsis, a life-threatening condition caused by the body's dysregulated response to infection, remains a leading cause of mortality in ICUs worldwide.

17 Mar 2025

New laboratory tool identifies viruses to combat Staphylococcus aureus

A newly developed laboratory tool can, within hours, help to identify specific viruses which can be used to destroy variants of the dangerous pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus.

14 Mar 2025

New approach shows promise for uncovering potential sepsis treatments

The immune system typically can ramp up the body's defenses to clear out an invading threat without issue.

11 Mar 2025

Machine learning models fall short in predicting in-hospital mortality

It would be greatly beneficial to physicians trying to save lives in intensive care units if they could be alerted when a patient's condition rapidly deteriorates or shows vitals in highly abnormal ranges.

11 Mar 2025

WHO study sheds light on global maternal mortality crisis

Hemorrhage – severe heavy bleeding – and hypertensive disorders like preeclampsia are the leading causes of maternal deaths globally, according to a new study released today by the World Health Organization (WHO).

9 Mar 2025

Feeding strategies in preterm infants do not alter brain growth or cognition

Early nutrition in very preterm infants does not significantly impact brain growth or neurodevelopment when following standardized clinical guidelines, despite initial unadjusted associations.

5 Mar 2025

Researchers uncover pathways of bacterial spread in the bloodstream

Bacteremia, or blood poisoning, occurs when bacteria overcome the body's immune defenses.

27 Feb 2025

Older adults and women more likely to develop postoperative infections after heart surgery

One in five older adults gets an infection up to six months after heart surgery - with women far more likely to develop one, according to studies led by Michigan Medicine.

19 Feb 2025