Sepsis, also referred to as septicemia, is a bacterial blood infection. Under normal circumstances, the body's white blood cells rid the blood of bacteria, but sepsis may occur if the white blood cells are overwhelmed by an unusually large amount of bacteria. Persons with sepsis may experience fever, chills, rapid breathing and irregular heartbeat, loss of appetite. Many times, sepsis develops at the same time as infection in another part of the body, such as a respiratory, skin, or gastrointestinal infection. Sepsis may also coincide with or precede meningitis, an infection of the central nervous system. In severe cases, sepsis can lead to infections of the brain and the heart, and subsequent death.

Multiple organ dysfunction syndromes and sepsis are the leading causes of death in intensive care units. In the United States, sepsis is the number one cause of death in noncoronary ICU patients, while recent data from the Centers for Disease Control indicate that sepsis is the eleventh leading cause of death overall. The morbidity rates associated with sepsis range from 28% to 50%, and this rate, coupled with the fact that 2 out of every 100 persons admitted to the hospital will develop some form of sepsis, making prevention and timely treatment critical.

The skin is one of the main sites of infection leading to sepsis. Normally, the skin serves as a barrier against all manner of viral and bacterial threats, but any cut or other open wound can allow a bacterial infection that can cause sepsis to develop. These include surgical sites, points of entry for intravenous lines, and sites of skin breakdown such as decubitus ulcers or bedsores. Sepsis prevention can in part include monitoring the skin for the development of bedsores, and taking steps to prevent bedsores from developing. If sepsis develops in a patient who was improperly monitored or treated, the medical professionals in charge of administering care may be held liable.

Sepsis can kill patients who otherwise might have recovered fully from their original injuries or illnesses. In a wrongful death suit related to sepsis, the family must show that the individual's death was due to sepsis, and that the development of that disease was the responsibility of the medical professionals entrusted with their loved one's care.

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