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Meaning & use

sepsis

noun·Advancedmedical

Last updated

UK/ˈsepsɪs/
US/ˈsepsɪs/

Meaning

  1. noununcountablemedical

    a serious illness caused by the body's extreme reaction to an infection, which can damage organs.

    Grammar: Uncountable; used without 'a' or 'an'. You can say 'a case of sepsis' but not 'a sepsis'.

    Patterns

    • develop sepsis
    • die from sepsis
    • treat sepsis

    The patient developed sepsis after surgery and was moved to intensive care.

    Sepsis can lead to organ failure if not treated quickly.

    Doctors are trained to recognize the early signs of sepsis.

Common combinations

develop sepsis
He developed sepsis after a severe infection.
sepsis infection
The sepsis infection spread rapidly through her body.
treat sepsis
They treated the sepsis with strong antibiotics.
septic shock
Sepsis can progress to septic shock, which is life-threatening.

Synonyms and how they differ

blood poisoning
An older, less precise term for sepsis; it is not used in modern medical contexts.
infection
A broader term for any invasion by germs; sepsis specifically refers to the body's severe reaction to infection.

Word family

septic adjective
infected with harmful bacteria; relating to sepsis
asepsis noun
the practice of keeping things free from germs
antiseptic noun
a substance that kills germs on the skin

Commonly confused: sepsis or asepsis? sepsis or septicemia?

sepsis vs asepsis

Asepsis means cleanliness to prevent infection, while sepsis is a severe infection-related illness.

sepsis vs septicemia

Septicemia is the presence of bacteria in the blood, which can lead to sepsis; the terms are sometimes used interchangeably but are not identical.

Practice

The patient was diagnosed with ______ after showing signs of a severe infection.

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