CARE FOR CRITICAL PATIENTS WITH SEPSIS

Abstract

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response caused by an infection, being one of the leading causes of death in intensive care units. Therefore, the nurse's assistance is fundamental for its prevention and treatment. The research method of this article is a literature review. The research was conducted by articles and books using databases such as Scielo, PUBMED, Instituto Latino Americano de Sepse, among others. After a thorough reading, the most important data were compiled, and the results were structured into five chapters: conceptualizing sepsis, incidence and mortality rates of sepsis, surviving sepsis campaign, nursing assistance in the diagnosis and care of sepsis. According to the study, sepsis has one of the highest mortality rates, reaching 65% of deaths per year in Brazil. This is because healthcare professionals may fail to identify the clinical signs of the disease due to symptoms similar to other pathologies when screening a patient with suspected sepsis. Consequently, they may fail to make correct diagnoses and apply the sepsis management protocol indicated by ILAS in hospital institutions. The nurse, being the professional who has the most contact with the patient, should be able to identify symptoms suggestive of sepsis early and apply care as soon as possible to reduce deaths from the disease, according to the literature. However, it is essential for the nurse to understand the concept of sepsis, its pathophysiology, signs, and symptoms, to make a nursing diagnosis and apply interventions early in case of suspected sepsis, reducing the mortality rate due to sepsis.