In this instructional video, the presenter walks nursing students through the common signs and symptoms of sepsis and explains the underlying pathophysiology that produces each clinical finding. After defining sepsis as an infection‑driven systemic immune response that can cause organ dysfunction, she outlines the three key physiologic changes—capillary leak, vasodilation, and clotting—that reduce organ perfusion. She then links each symptom (tachycardia, tachypnea, hypotension, fever, clammy skin, chills/shivering, altered mental status, and decreased urine output) to these mechanisms, emphasizing the critical‑thinking process needed for exam questions rather than rote memorization. The video also promotes a free cheat‑sheet, references a deeper sepsis pathophysiology video, and includes typical YouTube calls to action for engagement.
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In this video, we are walking through the signs and symptoms of sepsis. After this video, you will know what the common signs and symptoms are and why they happen. So you won't need to memorize a list of symptoms for your nursing school exam, but you will actually be able to understand the critical thinking behind it, because, come on, when was the last time your nursing exam tested you on how well you memorize things? Like, never, right? So that's why we walk through the critical thinking behind it all. So you'll be a lot more confident on your sepsis exam after watching this video. And of course, I have a free cheat sheet for you so you can actually remember all of these things. So be sure to stay until the end of the video and I will let you know where you can snag that. Now hit that subscribe button and click the notification bell and let's dive in. So we'll make a list of the signs and symptoms, symptoms of sepsis first, and then we will do a deep dive into each of them and let you know why each of them occur so you can understand the critical thinking behind it. So the most common signs and symptoms of sepsis are increased heart rate, increased respiratory rate, decreased blood pressure, fever, clammy skin, pain, chills or shivering, mental status changes, things like disorientation and confusion, and decreased urine output. Okay, so now let's walk through why each of these things happens. So to understand why these signs and symptoms occur with sepsis, we need to know first what sepsis is. So we know that sepsis is an infection in the body that leads to the body amounting an immune response, and it can eventually cause organ dysfunction. So that's what sepsis is. And this immune response causes three things to occur. Capillary leak and vasodilation and blood clotting. And all three of those leads to a lack of blood flow to the organs, which causes the organs to be quite unhappy and not function properly. So during sepsis, the organs are not getting the blood flow they need, so they stop working. Now, if you need a deep dive review on the pathophysiology of sepsis, we have a whole video on that, so be sure to check this one out if you need it. All right, so we know that the organs aren't getting enough blood flow that they need because the immune response is causing capillary leak, vasodilation, and blood clotting. So let's go through the symptoms of sepsis and understand really why they happen and the critical thinking behind it. So the first One is an increased heart rate. Now, the number one thing your body craves is balance. Now I'm sure you feel the same way. Balance is good. And when the organs don't get enough blood flow, the heart wants to balance it out and help them get more blood. So what's it going to do? It's going to pump faster, which is why there's an increase in heart rate during sepsis. Now, the organs aren't getting enough blood because of all that vasodilation, that capillary leak and the blood clotting. So the heart tries to get more blood to the organs by increasing that heart rate. Now the same goes for the lungs. Blood carries oxygen. And when the organs don't get blood, they don't get oxygen. And the lungs see that and say, oh, oh, wait, we need more oxygen. Breathe faster, please. Then the respiratory rate increases. So when the organs don't get blood, they don't get oxygen. And the lungs try to balance that by then increasing the respiratory rate and getting more oxygen. Now let's talk about blood pressure. What do you think is going to happen with the blood pressure? Well, let's think back to what happens during the inflammatory response. There's capillary leak and vasodilation. Now, capillary leak is where fluid from the little blood vessel, capillaries moves into the surrounding tissues. So it moves outside of the blood vessel. So fluid is going to move from the blood into the surrounding tissue. So there's not as much fluid in the blood vessels. Now this will decrease blood pressure simply because there's not as much fluid in the vessels as there was before. Now there's also this vasodilation, which means that the blood vessels are dilating, which also causes the blood pressure to drop. So those two factors are going to cause the blood pressure to decrease during sepsis, vasodilation and capillary leak. Now we also know that during the immune response, the body is working harder and harder to get rid of the invaders, those pathogens. So as the body is working harder, it's going to cause the body temperature, temperature to rise. It's like this. What happens when you exercise? Your body temperature goes up and you'll get all sweaty. That's really what's happening here. The body is having to work harder to fight off the bad guy pathogens. So that could lead to things like fever and clammy skin. Now another common symptom of sepsis is chills or shivering, which goes along with that fever. It's like the body can't keep up with itself. So as the temperature rises, you actually feel cooler because your whole body has quite caught up to that higher temperature yet, which causes those chills and that shivering. And now let's talk about mental status changes and decreased urine output. Now do you remember what causes sepsis in the first place? It's a lack of blood flow to the organs because the body is fighting off an invader, a pathogen. So the organs are not getting blood, meaning the brain and the kidneys are not getting blood. And the brain and the kidneys are not going to be very happy about that. Right? So you might see mental status changes and decreased urine output simply because the brain and the kidneys are not getting the blood flow that they need to function so they stop working like they should. Great job my friend. I know this was a lot of information to take in, but you are doing great. Now be sure to print off the free sepsis cheat sheet that we have for you so that you can remember all of this better. Now the link is in the description below for you to get that and if you liked this video, make sure to hit that like button. Leave a comment below and let me know that you loved it. Share it with a friend. And of course click that subscribe button and hit the bell so you never miss a video. And click on one of these videos right over here so you can keep rocking Nursing school. And as always my friend, go become the nurse that God created only you to be. And I'll catch you next time on the Nursing School show. Take care. Bye bye.
