What in medicine is as enigmatic as sepsis? While the initial term was first used in poems by Homer, its definition, diagnosis, and treatment continue to evolve. Those who have been practicing for at least five years have witnessed at least one major change in this elusive term. Unfortunately, best practices and how PAs are evaluated on these practices is a continuous moving target. To demystify sepsis, this presentation will discuss how clinicians have arrived here, the current understanding, and current best practices. Through a series of patient scenarios, the faculty will dispel recent, yet now debunked diagnosis criteria, and treatments. This presentation will also help PAs stay up to date on key performance measures to ensure continued, high-quality, billable patient care. Come learn about the current state of sepsis, as it will inevitably change again soon!

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be able to:

• Summarize the evolution of sepsis diagnosis and treatment
• Define uncomplicated infection, sepsis, and septic shock using pathophysiologic clues and clinical criteria
• Evaluate patient scenarios for key measures and best practices in the identification and treatment of sepsis
• Identify current go-to antimicrobials for common septic patient scenarios