Which signs may indicate sepsis requiring urgent evaluation and transport?

• A. Hypotension or tachycardia with fever, altered mental status, flushed or cool skin, and poor perfusion.
• B. Fever alone.
• C. Normal vital signs with mild headache.
• D. Pain at the injury site only.

Answer: (A)

Sepsis is a systemic response to infection that can quickly progress toward organ dysfunction, so EMS looks for signs that infection has become widespread and is affecting tissue perfusion. When you see fever accompanied by a fast heart rate, and there is altered mental status along with skin findings that reflect poor or fluctuating perfusion (such as skin that is cool or unusually flushed), these signs suggest the body's response is affecting multiple systems and may be progressing toward septic shock. That combination means urgent evaluation and transport are needed to obtain definitive care, including antibiotics and fluids, as soon as possible in the hospital setting.

Fever alone can occur with many conditions and does not by itself indicate sepsis. Normal vital signs with a mild headache is not consistent with a systemic infection driving organ dysfunction. Pain confined to an injured area is localized and does not show a systemic infection.