RT Book, Section A1 Gough, John E. A2 Cydulka, Rita K. A2 Fitch, Michael T. A2 Joing, Scott A. A2 Wang, Vincent J. A2 Cline, David M. A2 Ma, O. John SR Print(0) ID 1143142204 T1 Sepsis T2 Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine Manual, 8e YR 2017 FD 2017 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780071837026 LK accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1143142204 RD 2024/10/05 AB Sepsis is generally defined as a suspected or confirmed infection with evidence of systemic inflammation. Severe sepsis is sepsis with evidence of new organ dysfunction thought to be secondary to tissue hypoperfusion. Septic shock is present when cardiovascular failure occurs, reflected by persistent hypotension or the need for vasopressors despite adequate fluid resuscitation. The majority of sepsis cases are caused by gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria; however, sepsis is a heterogeneous clinical syndrome that can be caused by any class of microorganism including fungi, mycobacteria, viruses, rickettsiae, and protozoa. The most likely microorganisms that cause sepsis varies based on possible patient exposure to drug-resistant microorganisms (e.g., due to recent hospitalization or other health care–associated exposure) and the specific anatomic site of suspected infection. Pneumonia, intraabdominal infection, urinary tract infection, and skin or soft tissue infections are the most common infections that precipitate sepsis.