Diagnosis of blood poisoning | Sepsis symptoms

Diagnosis of blood poisoning

In addition to a detailed conversation between doctor, patient and, if necessary, the relatives, a physical examination is mandatory. If blood poisoning (sepsis) is suspected, blood samples are taken and a blood culture is made to detect and identify the pathogen. In the case of blood poisoning, altered laboratory parameters that characterise the inflammation become apparent.

These include an altered blood cell composition, accelerated cell sedimentation rate (BSG) in the laboratory and increased CRP (C-reactive protein), a protein that serves as an inflammation marker. According to the guidelines of the German Sepsis Society e. V. and the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive and Emergency Medicine, the following diagnostic criteria (symptoms) exist: Organ dysfunctions include For a blood poisoning (sepsis) stage I the diagnostic criteria from 1. and 2. must be fulfilled. Stage 2 requires the diagnosis criteria from all three criteria. Septic shock as stage 3 also requires the criteria from 1. and 2. and certain blood pressure values. – Detection of infection: microbiological or clinical

  • SIRS (systemic inflammatory response syndrome) with increased or decreased temperature, rapid heartbeat and respiration, increase or decrease of the defence cells in the blood
  • Acute organ dysfunction
  • Change of consciousness through participation of the brain
  • Reduced number of coagulation cells (thrombocytopenia), poor oxygen supply (hypoxaemia) and an altered pH value as a blood disorder
  • Reduced urine excretion due to a functional disorder of the kidneys

All articles in this series:

  1. Sepsis symptoms
  2. When does multiorgan failure occur?
  3. Diagnosis of blood poisoning