Blood infection refers to the presence of microorganisms in the blood, mainly fungi and bacteria, such as high fever, decreased blood pressure, increased heart rate and nausea. When the infection is not properly diagnosed and treated, the microorganism can spread to the bloodstream and reach other organs, which can lead to complications and organ failure.
The severity of the infection depends on the infectious microorganism and the body response of the infected person, as people with weakened or ineffective immune systems are more susceptible to this type of infection and treatment is often more complicated.
- Treatment of blood infection is performed in accordance with the microorganism identified by laboratory tests.
- And can be performed with the use of antibiotics or antifungals in accordance with medical recommendation and crop results and sensitivity profile of drug microorganisms.
Blood infection can be noticed through certain signs and symptoms, such as:
As soon as signs or symptoms of blood infection are identified, it is important to see your doctor for evaluation of the symptoms described by the patient and for tests confirming the blood infection so that treatment can be performed.initiated and avoid complications.
Blood infection is severe depending on the microorganism identified in the blood and the body’s ability to respond to the infection.For example, newborns, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have a more severe blood infection.Works.
Some microorganisms have a high infectious capacity, which can proliferate rapidly and spread to the bloodstream, reaching other organs and characterizing septic shock or sepsis, if this infection is not identified quickly and properly treated, there may be organ failure and death.septic shock.
Blood infection can be the result of other infections, such as urinary tract infection, pneumonia or meningitis, for example, that occur after surgery, due to an infection of the surgical wound, or the installation of medical devices, such as catheters and tubes, for example, being considered a hospital infection.Learn what a hospital infection is and how to prevent it.
Diagnosis of blood infection is mainly through laboratory tests and cultures, the main test that is performed to identify microorganisms in the bloodstream is bloodstream, which is usually performed during hospitalization and consists of the extraction of blood by a qualified professional, with the possibility of identifying bacteria and / or fungi in the bloodstream.
The collected blood is placed in a container called a “blood bottle” and sent to the lab for analysis.The bottle is placed in a device capable of providing the right environment for the growth of microorganisms.The bottles remain in the equipment for 7 days for 10 days, however, positive crops are identified within the first 3 days.Once the positivity of the sample is detected, the blood contained in the vial is used to make a blade and can be seen under the microscope to identify the characteristics of the microorganism..
In addition to microscopic identification, a culture is carried out in an appropriate growing environment so that the microorganism can be isolated and then the species and antimicrobials to which this species is sensitive or resistant are identified, so that the best definition can be defined.. Treatment.Find out how the antibiotic is made.
The blood count may also be requested to confirm the infection, which checks the amount of leukocytes, which in case of infection is high, as well as the dose of C-reactive protein (PCR).Other tests may also be requested to confirm the spread of the microorganism in the body, such as uroculture, wound secretion culture, CT and ultrasound.See what your blood count is for and how to interpret it.
In case of suspected blood infection with viruses, serological and molecular tests are performed to identify the virus, its concentration in the blood and thus determine treatment, because the viruses are not identified by blood culture.
Treatment is performed with the hospitalized person and is based on the microorganism identified in the blood, in case of infection by bacteria the use of antibiotics is recommended, which is defined according to the sensitivity profile of the bacteria.The use of antifungals is indicated according to the result of the antiphoniogram.
Medications to raise blood pressure, as well as low doses of corticosteroids and insulin to regulate blood sugar, may also be recommended.