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Infectious Disease in the Aging pp 63–80Cite as

Sepsis

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Part of the book series: Infectious Disease ((ID))

Abstract

Sepsis is an often deadly systemic inflammatory response to infection that occurs frequently among older patients due to multiple risk factors, including immunosenescence, comorbid illness, institutionalization, and instrumentation.

Nonspecific or atypical symptoms are common among older patients with sepsis, and clinicians must have a high index of suspicion for sepsis when patients present with such symptoms.

The diagnostic approach to an older patient with suspected sepsis primarily includes a systematic search for a microbiologic diagnosis.

Though older patients are more likely to die from sepsis than younger patients, older patients often respond to aggressive therapy, including antibiotics, hemodynamic support, recombinant human activated protein C, and supportive measures.

The Surviving Sepsis Campaign recently updated their evidence-based guidelines for the management of severe sepsis, and these guidelines should be applied to the care of older patients with sepsis.

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Suggested Reading

  • Martin, G. S., Mannino, D. M., Eaton, S., et al (2003). The epidemiology of sepsis in the United States from 1979 through 2000. New England Journal of Medicine, 348, 1546–1554.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dellinger, R. P., Levy, M. M., Carlet, J. M., et al (2008). Surviving Sepsis Campaign: international guidelines for management of severe sepsis and septic shock: 2008. Critical Care Medicine, 36, 296–327.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ely, E. W., Angus, D. C., Williams, M. D., et al (2003). Drotrecogin alfa (activated) treatment of older patients with severe sepsis. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 37, 187–195.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

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  1. Division of Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Medicine, Center for Health Services Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232-8300, USA

    Timothy D. Girard

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Correspondence to Timothy D. Girard .

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    © 2009 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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    Girard, T.D. (2009). Sepsis. In: Norman, D., Yoshikawa, T. (eds) Infectious Disease in the Aging. Infectious Disease. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-534-7_6

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-534-7_6

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