Can UTI Lead To Low BP Levels?

Posted on Wed, 4 Apr 2018

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 4 Apr 2018 Answered on

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 Last reviewed on

Question : My mom was taken to the ER on Wednesday March 28, 2018 couldn't walk and speech was garbled, It was a UTI. She already was in a hospital for Congestive Heart Failure from March 06,2018 to March 24, 2018. She recovered with excellent progress. It was her stay at a rehabilitation center is where she caught a UTI. I noticed when I came to visit her at the rehabilitation center she did not look well, I removed her from the rehab center and the next morning March 28, 2018 she was schelduled to see her doctor at 8:30am. I took her to the ER which is where i was told she had a UTI and her blood culture came back gram negative ecoli in the blood. We are currrently still in the ICU with intravenous antibiotics the infection was so severe. She is also on do but amine to keep her blood pressure up. She is on the antibiotic Rocephrin, and Lasix and fluids. Her white count has come from 26 down to 14 over the last couple of days. Currently her blood culture shows negative of any bacteria.
However, her blood pressuresugar want to drop low, when put back on dobutamine it returns to normal. As of Monday April 02, 2018 5:30pm her heart rate was good. At 6:00pm she started having AFIB where her hart rate stays between 100- 125. Her blood pressure readings 104/66 (71), 97/57 (67), 90/62 (69), 85/58 (65), 95/51 (62), 106/51 (64). High heart rate, Low Blood Pressure, and she has a hard time staying awake. She seems extremely fatigued, or exhausted. She wakes up in spurts and says she is OK no pain but she just can not seem to stay awake. She saysaid I want to stay awake but I feel fatigued. I am thinking to request another blood culture or urine culture, could the UTI infection be still around or is something being overlooked?

Answered by Dr. T Chandrakant (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:

Combination of UTI and cardiac condition

Detailed Answer:

Hi,

You Mother is 73 years and has undergone through the many medical conditions superimposed by UTI.

To answer your specific question whether UTI be still around or something being overlooked:

UTI can cause septicemia and bacteremia which cause low blood pressure and takes time till the septicemia is well settled.

The best part is the White cell count has come down and blood culture is negative now.

The problem is low blood pressure is superimposed by the cardiac condition which in itself may be a primary or contributory cause of the condition and the symptoms that your Mother has.

I am sure that since she is in ICU, all the parameters like a clinical laboratory and other tests are well under observation and well managed. Hence there looks to be no chance of overlooking anything.

Hope I have answered your query.

Take care

Regards,
Dr T Chandrakant, General Surgeon

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar