1. Identify and Eliminate the Infection Source
To initially treat toxic shock syndrome (TSS). eliminate the source of infection. If you are using a diaphragm, cervical cap or tampon and develop TSS symptoms, such as high fever, vomiting, diarrhea and extremely low blood pressure, remove the object immediately and call your doctor. If you have a wound or skin infection that has caused TSS, your doctor may debride the wound. The infected tissue is scraped, brushed or cut away. Your doctor also will remove any surgical packing that could have spurred the infection. When the infection source is removed, and if no complications such as organ failure have occurred, you can expect to recover from TSS in 1 to 2 weeks.
2. Remedy TSS Complications
TSS complications require hospitalization, sometimes in the intensive care unit. Severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhea can produce dehydration, which is treated with IV fluids containing electrolytes and salts. Low blood pressure and shock also require IV fluids. In some cases, medication such as dopamine is used to stabilize blood pressure. When TSS causes severe complications, such as kidney failure, dialysis may be needed to restore kidney function. TSS-related acute respiratory distress syndrome is treated with oxygen, or intubation and ventilation, depending on the severity. With intubation, a tube is inserted into your wind pipe, or trachea, and attached to a ventilator, a machine that breathes for you.
3. Kill Bacteria With Antibiotics
Treatment with the antibiotic clindamycin usually starts immediately, because TSS can escalate quickly and overwhelm the body with toxins produced by staph or strep. When lab tests confirm a specific strain of bacteria, other antibiotics, such as cefazolin or cloxacillin, may be added. If toxic shock syndrome results from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA, which does not respond to cloxacillin or cefazolin, the antibiotics vancomycin, daptomycin, linizolid or tigecycline may be required to eliminate the source of infection.
