Septic Shower

Specializes in General Surgery.

A doctor used the term "septic shower" when talking with me about a patient and their presenting symptoms. She tried to explain it as:

  • Not "true sepsis" or bacteremia
  • The bodies reaction to the removal of some form of infection—incision and drainage for example
  • The accumulation of immune factors at the site being released into the body upon removal or washout of the infection

I've never heard of this prior. Any other nurses ever heard of this term?

Pt information:

  • Hypotensive, diaphoretic, UOP WNL, all VS WNL with the exception of SBP and DBP as both were low (average of 87-93sbp go 38 - 50 dbp). WBC WNL.
  • All labs WNL. Pt co of fatigue/nausea/chills.
  • Weakness standing, extreme pain @ LLE, had to beg MD for venous duplex and sure enough had a clot, pt started on Heparin gtt.

Original reason for admission was left groin wound vac secondary to hematoma/infection sp hernia repair.

What Members Are Saying (AI-Generated Summary)

Members are discussing the term "septic shower" used by a doctor to describe a patient's symptoms, with some users sharing their own interpretations of the term based on their medical experience. There is debate about the accuracy of the doctor's explanation and the specific medical definition of "septic" in relation to infections and immune responses.

2 Answers

Specializes in Critical Care.

As far as medical terminology goes, "Septic" is not particularly well defined, although based on the generally agreed upon definitions the doctor explaining it to you was not correct.

"Septic shower" usually refers to a release of either pathogens themselves (bacterial/fungal vegetations, etc) or their byproducts where they follow bloodflow to another part of the body, these individual particulates that are released are usually referred to "septic emboli". By definition, these emboli must be the pathogens or the products of pathogens to be called "septic", that's what the word means. There must be an infectious pathogen for there to be sepsis, otherwise it's SIRS. Sepsis is SIRS plus a causative infection.

I've heard of this term before, but definitely not in the way this doc used it.

When I used to work infusion nursing, "septic shower" was what happened when one unknowingly flushed an infected central line and inadvertently dumped all of those pathogens into the blood stream at once. The ensuing immune response to an overload (versus a removal) of pathogens can be fatal.

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