1. Clean Cuts Right Away
A sepsis infection in the blood is very often a result of cuts that remained unclean and untreated. When a wound first appears, it is important that it be cleaned using alcohol, iodine, sterile saline and clean uncontaminated bandages. It is also a good idea to use antibiotic creams to keep wounds covered and prevent overexposure to air. This will kill infection-causing bacteria and stop them from getting into the wound and traveling into the blood.
2. Avoid Using Contaminated Needles
Control exposure to contaminated intravenous needles (IV). Sepsis, as well as a host of other serious medical conditions, can often occur as a result of sharing a needle during IV drug use. Always use fresh needles for any injection to avoid infection. Anyone else using needles regularly, such as insulin dependent diabetics, should always use a fresh needle for each new injection as well.
3. Receive Regular Check-ups
Patients with pre-existing medical conditions that can have adverse affects on the immune system should receive regular check-ups from their doctors to ensure they are not in any present danger of developing sepsis. Patients taking immune-system reducing drugs such as those those who have received organ transplants should also talk to their doctors about the dangers of sepsis and look for active ways to control or prevent its development.
4. Treat Other Infections
Almost any infection can spread to the blood and become sepsis. It's important for patients with illnesses like pneumonia or cellulitis to receive medical attention in order to prevent the spread of the infection. There is also the possibility of developing sepsis after surgery, so doctors will typically prescribe antibiotics to help bolster your immune system.
5. Report Symptoms to a Doctor
Symptoms of sepsis include fever or low body temperature, decreased mental faculty (erratic behavior, lethargy), difficulty urinating, pallid skin, heavy breathing and an increase in heart rate. These are symptoms that are common to a lot of different illnesses, but they should be reported to a doctor for diagnosis no matter the circumstances.
