Sepsis: how to spot atypical symptoms

When sepsis nurse Yvonne Young’s son experienced pain in his knee and groin, she told herself there must be another explanation. It couldn’t be sepsis, could it?

The signs were atypical. But Yvonne, assistant director of nursing for sepsis at UL Hospitals Group in Ireland, listened to the nagging doubt in her head and took her son to the emergency department.

Her instincts were correct – her son ended up staying in hospital for ten days as he recovered from sepsis, and remained on antimicrobials for three months.

On the latest Nursing Standard podcast episode, Yvonne and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust lead sepsis nurse Clare Hird discuss atypical sepsis presentations with Nursing Standard features editor Alistair Mason.

They talk about how sepsis can present in vulnerable patient groups, and some cohorts in which it can easily be missed, including older patients and individuals with learning disabilities.

And Yvonne shares what she learned from the ‘terrifying’ experience of having her 10-year-old son hospitalised with the condition.

For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast

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