Septicemia / Sepsis - Complications

Complications

Sepsis can result in serious complications like shock and multiple organ dysfunction.

Complications of septicemia/ sepsis include:

• Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS): The patient may develop difficulty in breathing followed by respiratory failure.
• Septic shock: Sepsis can result in low blood pressure. If the blood pressure does not improve with intravenous fluids, the condition is called septic shock. Patients with septic shock often do not survive despite treatment.

• Decrease in heart function
• Kidney failure
• Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC): This is a serious complication in which multiple clots are formed within blood vessels.
• Muscle weakness: Muscle weakness may occur due to development of polyneuropathy.