plural sepses
ˈsep-ˌsēz 
: a potentially life-threatening, systemic response of the immune system that results from the spread of pathogenic agents (such as bacteria or viruses) and their toxins to the bloodstream from a localized infection (as of the lungs), that involves both inflammatory and immunosuppressive activity, that is marked especially by fever, chills, rapid heart rate and breathing, fatigue, confusion, increased blood coagulation, hypotension, impaired microcirculation, and organ dysfunction, and that may progress to septic shock
Note: The primary cause of sepsis is pneumonia with secondary causes commonly including infections of the abdominal cavity and urinary tract.
compare septicemiaExamples of sepsis in a Sentence
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In a typical year, at least 1.7 million adults in the U.S. develop sepsis, and nearly 270,000 die from the infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
—
Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 4 Nov. 2024
All said that the doctor at the second hospital should never have sent Crain home when her signs of sepsis hadn’t improved.
—Lizzie Presser and Kavitha Surana, CNN, 3 Nov. 2024
Nevaeh Crain, 18, developed sepsis after suffering a miscarriage on the day of her baby shower in 2023.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
But a hospital refused to treat her for more than 20 hours, leaving her to die eventually from sepsis.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
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Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 4 Nov. 2024
All said that the doctor at the second hospital should never have sent Crain home when her signs of sepsis hadn’t improved.
—Lizzie Presser and Kavitha Surana, CNN, 3 Nov. 2024
Nevaeh Crain, 18, developed sepsis after suffering a miscarriage on the day of her baby shower in 2023.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
But a hospital refused to treat her for more than 20 hours, leaving her to die eventually from sepsis.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sepsis
Dictionary Entries Near sepsis
Cite this Entry
“Sepsis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sepsis. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
sepsis
noun
sep·sis
ˈsep-səs
plural sepses
ˈsep-ˌsēz
: a potentially life-threatening, systemic response of the immune system that results from the spread of pathogenic agents (as bacteria or viruses) and their toxins to the bloodstream from a localized infection (as of the lungs), that involves both inflammatory and immunosuppressive activity, and that is marked especially by fever, chills, rapid heart rate and breathing, fatigue, confusion, increased blood coagulation, hypotension, impaired microcirculation, and organ dysfunction, and that may progress to septic shock
Note: The primary cause of sepsis is pneumonia with secondary causes commonly including infections of the abdominal cavity and urinary tract.
compare multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, septicemiaLove words? Need even more definitions?
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