septic shock

[afi06]

Please help me with this I am having a difficult time understanding this:

1.Describe the mechanism for hypotension in the patient with septic shock.

2.What are the major pathophysiological changes associated with sepsis?

3.Explain the physiological reasons for the following assessment parameters found in patients with septic shock

a) decrease LOC

b)Tachycardia

c)Tachypnea

d)fever

e) increased cardiac output

f) Hyperglycemia

g) oliguria

h) warm,dry,flushed skin

[rn/writer, RN]

Please, tell us what you are thinking so far.

These are such broad and general questions, that, short of doing the homework for you, it would be difficult to know where you need help. Take one question at a time and tell us what you do and don't understand about it. Then we can give you more specific assistance.

[flightnurse2b, LPN]

this explains sepsis and septic shock fairly well:

http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec06/ch068/ch068a.html

[afi06]

These questions were asked in school and I just couldn't understand what the teacher was asking and in terms of question 3 those are the s/s present in septic shock

[flightnurse2b, LPN]

"1.Describe the mechanism for hypotension in the patient with septic shock.

2.What are the major pathophysiological changes associated with sepsis?

3.Explain the physiological reasons for the following assessment parameters found in patients with septic shock

a) decrease LOC

b)Tachycardia

c)Tachypnea

d)fever

e) increased cardiac output

f) Hyperglycemia

g) oliguria

h) warm,dry,flushed skin"

These questions were asked in school and I just couldn't understand what the teacher was asking and in terms of question 3 those are the s/s present in septic shock

ok, so for question #1 she is asking you for the physiologic cause of the decreased blood pressure experienced by a pt with septic shock.

question #2 she is asking you to explain the changes that occur in the body as a result of the sepsis.

and question # 3 are common findings in a pt with septic shock. she is asking you to explain the importance of properly assessing for these findings in the pt with septic shock, why they are occuring, and what those findings would alert you to. for example, she wants to know why would you use your assessment skills to monitor for urinary output in this pt why your patient is having scanty urine, and realizing a common problem with septic shock is multi-system failure.

does that help?

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

Question #1 wants you to explain specifically why a patient with sepsis gets hypotension.

Question #2 wants you to describe the pathophysiology of sepsis as it occurs in a step-by-step manner.

In question #3 you are being asked to describe the specific signs and symptoms that occur in 8 different body systems (a through h) when sepsis is present and describe the specific pathophysiology change that causes them. [this is redundant to question #2 and expands on the answer to question #2]

[afi06]

Thank you all for helping me breakdown the questions now I have a better insight to what the questions are asking for.