If signs of infection aren’t obvious, your doctor may order imaging tests to look more closely at specific organs and tissue. If septicemia is causing you to have breathing issues, the doctor may also look at the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in your blood. The doctor may check your cell and platelet counts and also order tests to analyze your blood clotting. The doctor may want to perform tests on multiple types of fluids to help confirm a bacterial infection. If you need help finding a primary care doctor, then check out our FindCare tool here. The doctor may also look for signs of conditions that more commonly occur along with septicemia, including: low body temperature, which typically only occurs in older adults with the condition.They’ll perform a physical examination to look for:

Physical examĪ doctor will evaluate your symptoms and ask about your medical history. Diagnosis will usually involve a wide range of tests. It can be difficult to find the exact cause of the infection. It can also damage your brain, leading to memory problems.ĭiagnosing septicemia and sepsis are some of the biggest challenges facing doctors. It often results in some level of permanent lung damage. This is a life threatening condition that prevents oxygen in your lungs from reaching your blood. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)Ī third complication of septicemia is acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). You may also need to be put on a ventilator. You’ll need medications to increase your blood pressure. People with septic shock are usually cared for in a hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU).

Toxins released by the bacteria in the bloodstream can cause extremely low blood flow, which may result in organ or tissue damage. One complication of septicemia is a serious drop in blood pressure, which is called septic shock. That’s because they have a weakened immune system and can’t fight off the infection on their own. People with chronic conditions are at a higher risk of sepsis. It’s called severe sepsis if it leads to organ failure, such as kidney or heart failure. This leads to widespread inflammation throughout the body. Sepsis occurs when your body has a strong immune response to the infection. These complications may be fatal if left untreated or if treatment is delayed for too long. Septicemia has a number of serious complications.

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