With more than 200,000 cases in the United States every year, the life-threatening, infection-driven condition known as sepsis occurs when chemicals released in the bloodstream to fight infection also trigger a “chain reaction” of inflammation throughout the body. This can then cause a flood of changes that damage multiple organ systems and cause organ failure or death.
Infections that lead to sepsis typically develop first in the lung, urinary tract, skin, or gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms include fever, labored breathing, rapid heart rate, low blood pressure, and mental confusion. Various stages of sepsis include severe sepsis and septic shock, and effective treatment of all stages involves antibiotics and intravenous fluids.
To further promote greater awareness and more effective treatment of sepsis in both children and adults, we’ve compiled a quick-hit look at six AudioDigest lectures that touch on this critical condition.
1. Management of Abdominal Sepsis (GS) by Ali Mallat, MD
As dynamic as it is dangerous, sepsis can attack and do deep damage to an array of organs and organ systems. This 19-minute lecture by Ali Mallat, MD lists initial steps in the treatment of patients with abdominal sepsis—outlining the appropriate treatment of oliguria in postoperative patients with abdominal sepsis. Dr. Mallat notes that intra-abdominal infection is the second-most common cause of severe sepsis in patients today. Topics such as prognostic factors, initial care, intraoperative care, damage control surgery, and resuscitation are discussed in detail.
Listen to Dr. Mallat talk more about effective management and treatment of abdominal sepsis.
2. The Critically Ill Neonate: Evaluating for Sepsis (PD) by Matthew A. Saxonhouse, MD
While sepsis is primarily a condition that afflicts older Americans (and most often in hospital settings), it also affects children. This in-depth, 51-minute lecture by Matthew A. Saxonhouse, MD dives into detail on how to diagnose a critically-ill neonate, manage suspected bacterial sepsis in children, and select appropriate treatment for a child with suspected herpes simplex virus. The critical talk helps listeners identify and appropriately transfer infants to an institution that can effectively manage and save their lives. This lecture also provides compelling case studies on these critical sepsis-centric topics.
Listen to Dr. Saxonhouse talk more about relevant and critical topics like perinatal (HSV), enteroviruses, urea cycle defects, laboratory studies for IEMS, congenital heart disease, and heart disease in neonatal cases.
3. An Evidence-Based Overview of Sepsis Management in the ED (EM) by John C. Perkins Jr, MD
Sepsis ranks as the single costliest condition for the U.S. healthcare system, and data demonstrates that a full 50% of in-hospital deaths occur from sepsis. When it comes to emergency department (ED) cases of sepsis, earlier and more aggressive identification and resuscitation not only saves lives, but reduces costs and opens hospital beds. This 55-minute lecture by John C. Perkins Jr, MD dives into this critical situation, shedding light on sepsis-related costs ($24 billion in 2013 compared to just $4 billion in 1997), demographics (two-thirds of all cases are in adults aged 65 years and older), and more.
Listen to Dr. Perkins talk more about in-hospital mortality, interventions for resuscitations, and other hot-button sepsis ED topics.
4. 2021 NEJM Journal Watch Audio General Medicine: December Week 4 (EM): New Surviving Sepsis Guidelines
Like all medical conditions, the treatment of sepsis is essentially “governed” by a set of rules, regulations, and guidelines. This 46-minute collection from NEJM Journal Watch Audio General Medicine dives deep into an array of topics related to New Surviving Sepsis Guidelines. Listen to additional insights on timely topics such as initial fluid bolus, resuscitation, balanced crystalloid solution, vasopressor administration, physical, cognitive, and emotional follow-ups, and more.
Listen to the collection from NEJM Journal Watch Audio General Medicine.
5. 2021 NEJM Journal Watch Audio General Medicine Volume 32, Issue 8, Part 3: COVID-19/Appendicitis/Sepsis
Always a rich source of discoveries, advancements, and developments in medicine and healthcare, NEJM Journal Watch Audio General Medicine also took a closer look at sepsis in relation to other relevant and serious medical conditions. Listen to just over 11 minutes of additional insights on timely topics such as predictors of “Long COVID-19,” appendicitis, and more.
Listen to this summation series narrated by Carole Wyland and Tom Linden, MD.
6. Sepsis Update (EM, HP, IM), by Adam J. Singer, MD
Finally, this 27-minute lecture by Adam J. Singer, MD provides a detailed, digestible summary of both sepsis and septic shock—while also educating the listener on the proper delivery of early-goal-directed therapy for critically-ill patients. The talk also discusses Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores, which help identify patients who are at-risk for deterioration to severe sepsis. Some of the updates addressed here include the elimination of the terms SIRS and Sepsis 3.
Listen to Dr. Singer talk more about related, hot-button topics such as lactate, vasopressors, and antibiotics.
Learn more with an AudioDigest CME/CE Platinum Membership
When listened to in full, we trust that these sepsis-focused lectures will provide helpful definitions and overviews of cutting-edge diagnosis, management, treatment, and case studies regarding this challenging and all-too-common condition. Remember, early intervention is absolutely necessary when dealing with critically ill sepsis patients.
These are just some of the lectures you can listen to and earn CME credits from with an AudioDigest CME/CE Platinum Membership. Platinum Membership gives you unlimited, anytime, anywhere access to the entire AudioDigest lecture library—with deep insights within your specialty included among the 5,000-plus evidence-based audio lectures.
Each CME/CE-approved lecture is also accompanied by a detailed written summary with educational objectives, faculty disclosures, acknowledgments, suggested reading, and pre-and post-tests. You earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for each lecture that you complete.
