Nursing 4400A/B Lecture 10: Week 10 Reading Notes
16 Dec 2015
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Document Summary
Older patients are at increased risk for sepsis and it may be more difficult to diagnose clinically in this age group. Babies and immunocompromised patients are also at increased risk. Inflammation is the body"s response to insults that arise from chemical, traumatic, or infectious stimuli. The inflammatory cascade is a complex process that involves humoral and cellular responses and complement and cytokine cascades. Following an insult to the body, local cytokines are produced and released into the circulation to promote a local response. Growth factor stimulation and recruitment of macrophages and platelets occur. The goal is homeostasis; however, if homeostasis doesn"t occur from the local response to inflammation, the result is a systemic inflammatory reaction. Sepsis can occur in people of all ages, but it"s more prevalent in older patients. In one nationwide study, it was found that patients older than age 65 accounted for.
