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clinical practice

Continuing Professional Development: The role of the paramedic in sepsis management

02 February 2018
Features
02 February 2018
Volume 10 · Issue 2

Abstract

Overview

Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening complication of an infection and involves a complex array of inflammatory responses. Sepsis is usually caused by bacterial, viral, or fungal infections that are likely to develop into pneumonia, abdominal infections and kidney infections. Sepsis has gained increasing publicity in recent years and is now a strong focus of clinical education following the launch of the ‘Surviving Sepsis’ campaign. Paramedics need to understand the pathophysiological process associated with sepsis, and how these may present in patients.

After completing this module, the paramedic will be able to:

You and a colleague are called to a 43-year-old male who is confused. On arrival, he is refusing admission to hospital despite your advice and the advice of his family and a GP. Inside the premises, a family member informs you that the patient has not been out of the house recently and has been lying in bed being uncooperative. The police attended at the request of the family. On examination of the patient, you find him lying on his side, refusing to engage with his family or the police. You ask him what is wrong and he informs you that there is nothing wrong and to leave him alone.

You notice that he is fully dressed under the bed sheet and that there is a large lump on his left lower leg, under his tracksuit bottoms. The family informs you that it is his TAG surveillance device, applied 1 week earlier by the police.

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