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Suggest Treatment For Sepsis
Question: Is there a maintance treatment for sepsis for a few months afterwards and if so what would you use as a treatmeantment if the source is still unknown.
XXXX
XXXX
Brief Answer:
No maintenance treatment
Detailed Answer:
Hi, thank you for using Healthcare Magic.
Having had septic shock must have been a very frightening experience. I can understand why you are still scared now. Not to worry: you have been treated successfully and are now at least 6 weeks out, according to previous questions. I am presuming that your doctors did the blood cultures and sensitivities, diagnosed which bacteria were causing it, and treated you with the antibiotics it was susceptible to for the appropriate amount of time. Were blood cultures rechecked and confirmed negative after treatment? This would help to reassure you.
There is no maintenance treatment for sepsis. The source is sometimes never identified and any treatment relies on identifying the causative microbe and treating it with the right antibiotics. It sounds like your doctors did try to identify the source and I assume they ruled out such things as a heart valve infection or bone infection which require prolonged treatment. If all this has been done and you are doing okay at this point, there is no need to continue worrying about it.
Hope this answers your query. If you have further questions, I would be happy to answer them.
Regards,
No maintenance treatment
Detailed Answer:
Hi, thank you for using Healthcare Magic.
Having had septic shock must have been a very frightening experience. I can understand why you are still scared now. Not to worry: you have been treated successfully and are now at least 6 weeks out, according to previous questions. I am presuming that your doctors did the blood cultures and sensitivities, diagnosed which bacteria were causing it, and treated you with the antibiotics it was susceptible to for the appropriate amount of time. Were blood cultures rechecked and confirmed negative after treatment? This would help to reassure you.
There is no maintenance treatment for sepsis. The source is sometimes never identified and any treatment relies on identifying the causative microbe and treating it with the right antibiotics. It sounds like your doctors did try to identify the source and I assume they ruled out such things as a heart valve infection or bone infection which require prolonged treatment. If all this has been done and you are doing okay at this point, there is no need to continue worrying about it.
Hope this answers your query. If you have further questions, I would be happy to answer them.
Regards,
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
OH my God, no he has not retested anything, i feel like i know more at this point than he does. I need facts options answers and to know I'm not just a #. Thank your so much for your helpful input.
Thanknyou,
XXXXX
Thanknyou,
XXXXX
Brief Answer:
Tests would be done during your hospitalization
Detailed Answer:
Hi,XXXX The tests I am talking about would not be done now. They would have been done during the hospitalization. Cultures from different areas such as the urine and sputum would have been done at the very beginning to look for the source. I would have expected a chest x-ray, probably an echocardiogram, and possibly other imaging studies. These too would have been done early on. If the doctors told you they could not identify a source, then they would have had to have taken these steps.
A confirmatory blood culture would have been done towards the end of your hospitalization prior to discharge. There might have been earlier cultures to confirm your response to therapy. You could ask your doctors about that, or get a copy of your hospital records (admission and discharge summaries) that I could look at to confirm. Again, if it's been 6 weeks and you've been home and doing well, you don't need to worry about it. Testing for a source at this time would not be productive as you have received treatment and the bacteria are now gone. If you are still concerned and not getting answers from your doctor, please upload a copy of your hospital admission and discharge summaries, and I would be happy to review them.
Tests would be done during your hospitalization
Detailed Answer:
Hi,XXXX The tests I am talking about would not be done now. They would have been done during the hospitalization. Cultures from different areas such as the urine and sputum would have been done at the very beginning to look for the source. I would have expected a chest x-ray, probably an echocardiogram, and possibly other imaging studies. These too would have been done early on. If the doctors told you they could not identify a source, then they would have had to have taken these steps.
A confirmatory blood culture would have been done towards the end of your hospitalization prior to discharge. There might have been earlier cultures to confirm your response to therapy. You could ask your doctors about that, or get a copy of your hospital records (admission and discharge summaries) that I could look at to confirm. Again, if it's been 6 weeks and you've been home and doing well, you don't need to worry about it. Testing for a source at this time would not be productive as you have received treatment and the bacteria are now gone. If you are still concerned and not getting answers from your doctor, please upload a copy of your hospital admission and discharge summaries, and I would be happy to review them.
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
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