Sepsis
Structured condition card with NCLEX priority cues and nursing action focus.
Infectious Diseasehigh priorityneeds review
Sepsis
Etiology / Pathophysiology
- Dysregulated body response to infection.
- Inflammation causes vasodilation, capillary leak, clotting changes, and organ dysfunction.
Medications
| Class | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Antibiotics by class | Early antimicrobial therapy after cultures when ordered and not delaying urgent care. |
Nursing actions
- Recognize fever or hypothermia, tachycardia, tachypnea, hypotension, confusion, and low urine output.
- Obtain cultures/lactate as ordered and give antibiotics/fluids promptly.
- Monitor perfusion, urine output, oxygenation, and escalation criteria.
Complications
- Septic shock
- ARDS
- AKI
- DIC
- Death
NCLEX cues
- Infection plus organ dysfunction.
- Low BP after fluids suggests shock.
Memory hooks
- Sepsis is infection with bad perfusion and organs.
Labs / Diagnostics
- Lactate
- WBC
- Cultures
- Creatinine
- Urine output
Review notes
- Session-derived study seed. Verify against school materials, ATI/NCLEX review sources, current orders, and facility policy before relying on details.