Sepsis: What To Do
The body's overwhelming response to infection, damaging its own tissues.
Last revised
It kills quickly, it is treatable when caught early, and it is frequently mistaken for flu in its first hours.
Key takeaways
- Can follow: any infection, including minor ones
- Adult signs: slurred speech, extreme shivering, passing no urine, severe breathlessness, mottled skin
- Most useful single change: Say the word sepsis when you call or attend.
- Commonest mistake: Waiting to see whether an infection settles when someone is deteriorating.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to get help" below apply to you.
Do
- Say the word sepsis when you call or attend
- Seek help urgently for anyone deteriorating quickly with an infection
- Be more cautious in anyone immunosuppressed or recently unwell
Do not
- Waiting to see whether an infection settles when someone is deteriorating
- Assuming a normal temperature rules it out; it can be low
The figures behind the list
Each item above follows from these, published in the guidance named at the foot of the page.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Can follow | any infection, including minor ones |
| Adult signs | slurred speech, extreme shivering, passing no urine, severe breathlessness, mottled skin |
| Ask directly | "could it be sepsis?" |
| Treatment | antibiotics within the first hour of recognition |
Where to go next
- Sepsis, Explained Without the Jargon
- The Sepsis Checklist: What to Do and What to Skip
- Sepsis — the reference entry
- The Evidence on Burns and Scalds, Without the Hype
- Head Injury: What Published Guidance Supports
When to get help
Call 999 for slurred speech or confusion, extreme shivering or muscle pain, passing no urine in a day, severe breathlessness, a feeling of impending death, or skin that is mottled, blue or very pale. In children also: very fast breathing, a fit, a non-fading rash, or unusual floppiness.
Where this comes from
- NICE — Sepsis: recognition, diagnosis and early management
- UK Sepsis Trust
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.