Physiological effects of sepsis
Select any of the terms to reveal further information about the physiological effects of sepsis.
Inflammatory Response and Coagulation Cascade
Micro-vascular injury
Capillary leak, resulting in:
- Loss of fluid from the blood stream (hypovolaemia)
- Oedema
- Drop in blood pressure (hypotension)
- Rise in heart rate (tachycardia) and respiratory rate (tachypnoea)
- Initially bounding pulse, becoming weaker
- Decreasing urine output
Vasodilation
Resulting in:
- Hypotension
- Reduced renal blood flow
Tissue hypoxia
Anaerobic metabolism
Hypovolaemia not only causes poor tissue perfusion but also anaerobic metabolism. This process releases oxygen for metabolism but also lactate causing metabolic acidosis.