Sepsis, SIRS, and Septic Shock Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, criteria, diagnostics, and management protocols for SIRS, sepsis, and septic shock.

Sepsis

Life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection.

Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS)

An exaggerated inflammatory response triggered by infection, trauma, burns, pancreatitis, surgery, or ischemia, identified using specific clinical criteria.

SIRS Criteria

A set of clinical criteria where a patient meets at least two of the following: temperature above $38\,^\circ\text{C}$ or below $36\,^\circ\text{C}$, heart rate above $90\,\text{bpm}$, respiratory rate $20$ or above, $\text{PaCO}_2$ below $32\,\text{mmHg}$, and white blood cell count above $12,000$ or below $4,000$.

Bacteremia

The presence of bacteria in the bloodstream, which may be transient, clinically significant, or associated with sepsis, but is not by itself the definition of sepsis.

Septicemia

An older, ambiguous term previously used for bloodstream infection that is generally avoided in precise clinical communication.

Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP)

An indicator of tissue perfusion calculated as $\frac{\text{Systolic} + 2(\text{Diastolic})}{3}$, where any value below $65\,\text{mmHg}$ is clinically concerning.

CAP Mnemonic

A nursing memory aid for essential sepsis care interventions representing Cultures, Antibiotics, Lactic acid, and Fluids.

Lactic Acid

A metabolic byproduct measured in suspected sepsis cases to evaluate severity and tissue oxygenation, where levels above $2\,\text{mmol/L}$ indicate potential hypoperfusion.

Severe Sepsis

A stage of disease progression characterized by sepsis accompanied by tissue hypoperfusion and signs of organ dysfunction.

Septic Shock

The severe end of the sepsis spectrum where profound circulatory and metabolic abnormalities cause persistent hypotension requiring vasopressors despite fluid resuscitation.

Vasopressors

Medications that restore vascular tone and support perfusion pressure in septic shock when fluid resuscitation alone fails.

Sepsis Sniffers

Monitoring technology used by clinical teams to track vital sign changes such as fever, heart rate, and blood pressure to alert medical staff to patient danger.

Crystalloids

First-line resuscitation fluids, such as Lactated Ringer's or normal saline, administered for sepsis-induced hypoperfusion or septic shock.