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

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

Common antidepressant Fluoxetine protects from sepsis-induced death

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19 Feb 2025

Prozac's surprising immune-boosting effects could lead to new treatments for sepsis

Antidepressants like Prozac are commonly prescribed to treat mental health disorders, but new research suggests they could also protect against serious infections and life-threatening sepsis.

14 Feb 2025

Hospital sink drains found to harbor dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria

We hope to be cured when we stay in hospital. But too often, we acquire new infections there. Such 'healthcare-associated infections' (HAI) are a growing problem worldwide, taking up an estimated 6% of global hospital budgets.

14 Feb 2025

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute launches new center for sepsis research

The Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute is proud to announce the launch of the Center for Sepsis Epidemiology and Prevention Studies (SEPSIS).

11 Feb 2025

Diabetes medications may help lower COPD flare-up risk, study finds

The study reveals SGLT-2is are linked to fewer COPD exacerbations in type 2 diabetes, suggesting a need for further clinical trials to confirm these findings.

11 Feb 2025

Severe infections linked to increased risk of heart failure

Findings highlight the importance of infection prevention measures and personalized heart failure care.

11 Feb 2025

Curcumin-based therapy offers hope against antibiotic-resistant superbugs

In 2017, a tragic incident unfolded in a Nevada hospital. A woman, admitted for pneumonia, tragically succumbed to multiple organ failure and sepsis.

6 Feb 2025

Elevated uric acid levels may contribute to severe malaria outcomes in children

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers and their collaborators in Uganda at the Makerere University School of Medicine have uncovered a significant connection between elevated uric acid levels and life-threatening outcomes in children with severe malaria.

27 Jan 2025

Dying cells trigger a lethal cascade in sepsis

Like a poison pen, dying cells prick their neighbors with a lethal message. This may worsen sepsis, Vijay Rathinam and colleagues in the UConn School of Medicine report in the Jan. 23 issue of Cell. Their findings could lead to a new understanding of this dangerous illness.

25 Jan 2025