September is Sepsis Awareness Month, so host Sarah Lorenzini is throwing it back to one of the earliest Rapid Response RN podcast episodes with guest Yesha APRN. This episode tells the story of a patient with sepsis, and it’s one of Sarah’s favorite episodes because it exemplifies all of the classic signs and symptoms of sepsis as well as the important role the nurse plays in caring for septic patients.

Last week, you learned about fluid resuscitation and the potential harm of fluid overload in the treatment of sepsis. In this episode, you’ll hear how Sarah and Yesha’s patient responded to fluid boluses and what made them advocate for a different treatment approach.

Sarah then goes deeper into the pathophysiology of sepsis, indicators of sepsis using SIRS criteria and the qSOFA score, and more indicators any nurse can test without a tool. You’ll also find out how to treat a patient with sepsis, which diagnostics to run, and what you can do to promote a return to homeostasis in your patient.

Tune in to learn the signs and symptoms of sepsis and septic shock, and how to facilitate early detection. Plus, hear Yesha’s takeaways from this patient story that will benefit all nurses in their treatment of sepsis!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Yesha’s nursing journey and updates on her career
• How Yesha’s patient presented and his response to fluid administration
• What made her decide to call a rapid response nurse, Sarah
• Sarah’s assessment of the patient and how they treated him
• The pathophysiology of sepsis
• SIRS criteria and qSOFA score for prediction of sepsis
• What happens in the “septic inflammatory cascade of awfulness”
• How to detect sepsis early
• Treatment and management of a sepsis patient

Read the article, “Fluid selection & pH-guided fluid resuscitation” by Dr. Josh Farkas, here:

https://emcrit.org/ibcc/fluid/

Mentioned in this episode:

Rapid Response and Rescue Intro Course

CONNECT

Coming Soon! Rapid Response Academy: The Heart and Science of Caring for the Sick

Click here to learn more about the community that Sarah is building: