Listen in as Megan Doble, DNP, FNP-C, AGACNP-C, reviews the basics of sepsis and the latest recommendations on managing patients with sepsis. 

By remaining up to date on the latest research and recommendations, nurses can recognize subtle clinical changes that are the precursors to sepsis and best advocate for patients. 

Dr. Doble discusses:
*Current definitions related to sepsis
*Sepsis pathophysiology
*Patient care recommendations

The take home message is recognizing sepsis as a medical emergency, as early recognition and treatment can prevent death. 

References:
Evans, L., Rhodes, A., Alhazzani, W., Antonelli, M., Coopersmith, C. M., French, C., Machado, F. R., Mcintyre, L., Ostermann, M., Prescott, H. C., Schorr, C., Simpson, S., Wiersinga, W. J., Alshamsi, F., Angus, D. C., Arabi, Y., Azevedo, L., Beale, R., Beilman, G., Belley-Cote, E., … Levy, M. (2021). Surviving sepsis campaign: international guidelines for management of sepsis and septic shock 2021. Intensive care medicine, 47(11), 1181–1247. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-021-06506-yv

Levy, M. M., Evans, L. E., & Rhodes, A. (2018). The Surviving Sepsis Campaign Bundle: 2018 update. Intensive care medicine, 44(6), 925–928. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-018-5085-0   

Rhodes, A., Evans, L. E., Alhazzani, W., Levy, M. M., Antonelli, M., Ferrer, R., Kumar, A., Sevransky, J. E., Sprung, C. L., Nunnally, M. E., Rochwerg, B., Rubenfeld, G. D., Angus, D. C., Annane, D., Beale, R. J., Bellinghan, G. J., Bernard, G. R., Chiche, J. D., Coopersmith, C., De Backer, D. P., … Dellinger, R. P. (2017). Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock: 2016. Intensive care medicine, 43(3), 304–377. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-017-4683-6

Singer, M., Deutschman, C. S., Seymour, C. W., Shankar-Hari, M., Annane, D., Bauer, M., Bellomo, R., Bernard, G. R., Chiche, J. D., Coopersmith, C. M., Hotchkiss, R. S., Levy, M. M., Marshall, J. C., Martin, G. S., Opal, S. M., Rubenfeld, G. D., van der Poll, T., Vincent, J. L., & Angus, D. C. (2016). The Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3). JAMA, 315(8), 801–810. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2016.0287

Transcript

For more sepsis resources, visit Focus On: Sepsis. 

In healthy patients, most fluids are confined in three spaces of the body: the intravascular space (in the blood vessels), the intracellular space (in the cells), or the interstitial spaces. The interstitial spaces are the small spaces between cells that are not contained within blood vessels. In normal situations, fluid moves between all three spaces to maintain fluid balance. Third-spacing occurs when too much fluid moves from the intravascular space into the interstitial or “third” space.

Reference:
Holcomb, S. (2009). Topics in Progressive Care: Third-Spacing: When Body Fluids Shifts. Nursing in Critical Care, 4(2). doi: 10.1097/01.NURSE.0000325345.22694.44

In this episode, Cardiovascular Nurse Practitioner Valerie Dziados, MSN, CRNP, ANP-C, AGACNP-C explains what mean arterial pressure (MAP) is, why it is an important piece of clinical information, what to expect in terms of treatment, and some easy methods of how to calculate MAP.

Learn more and see examples in the blog post, Calculating the Mean Arterial Pressure. 

In this interview, Myrna Schnur, MSN, RN and Megan Doble, MSN, CRNP, FNP-C, AGACNP-C discuss the history of trendelenburg positioning, their experiences, and what the current research recommends. 

Read more in Why Don't We Use Trendelenburg? 

Jessica Emmons, is a recent Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) program graduate who, like many of us, has quite an interesting story to tell of her journey into nursing and to her latest career stop, as a nurse anesthetist. Jessica began her adult life as an accountant and when she was looking for a change, others in healthcare described nursing as an “enviable world.” During her 12 years as an emergency room nurse, Jessica also worked as a vascular access nurse, where she experienced significant autonomy and decision-making responsibility. As she developed her leadership skills and was sought after for more responsibility, she realized that remaining at the bedside was important to her. She shadowed a colleague in the operating room and had a “wow experience” that drew her to becoming a CRNA.

  
Read more about Jessica here!