Bacteremia

Bacteremia – General Information

• The catheters – in the hospitals
• Dental procedures
• Tooth brushing may also be a cause, although a rare one
• Herpes
• Urinary tract infections
• Intravenous drug use
• Colorectal cancer
• It may also appear in gastrointestinal, genitourinary and oropharyngeal surgeries.
• Immune suppression which can be due to HIV infections, for example
• Antibiotic treatment, as these treatments may change the balance of the bacteria in the body
• Prolonged illness
• Sever illness
• Alcoholism
• Malnutrition
• Drug or disease therapy which cause ulcers in the intestine or stomach (such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy).
• Prolonged needle placement
• The use of ostomy tubes in medical disorders which include: gastrotomy, jejunostomy, and colostomy.

Bacteremia – Symptoms

• High fever (over 38,3°C)
• Chills
• Shivering
• Headaches
• Depression
• Delirium
• Low blood pressure
• The skin can look pale, cold and clammy
• Malaise
• Abdominal pain
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Anxiety
• Confusion
• Shortness of breath
• Tachypnea
• Tachycardia
• Hypoxemia
• Diaphoresis
• Hypothermia
• Abscess – a pocket of infection will form at the place of the injury, which is usually filled with pus. The zone around it is red, swollen and painful
• Can appear infections of the underlying layers of the skin
• Cellulitis
• The pain, redness and swelling can appear in any part of the person’s body

This disease may lead to septic shock. The septic shock’s symptoms may include rapid heart beat, rapid breathing rates, decreased consciousness and multiple organ failure.
In the elderly people who develop this disease the high fever may be the only sign of the infection, but they may also experience no symptoms.

Bacteremia – Treatment

• Good personal hygiene
• Good personal hygiene in the periods of viral illness
• Treating at time the bacterial infections

• Amikacin
• Amikin
• Azactam
• Aztreonam
• Cefepime
• Cefizox
• Cefbid
• Cefoperazone
• Ceftizoxime
• Ceftazidime
• Ceptaza
• Cipro
• Ciprofloxacin
• Claforan
• Cleocin
• Clindamycin
• Cubicin
• Daptomycin
• Drotrecogin Alfa
• Flagyl
• Fortaz
• G-mycin
• Imipenem cilastatin
• Jenamicin
• Linezolid
• Linezolid tablets
• Lyphocin
• Maxipime
• Metro IV
• Metronidazole
• Nafcilin
• Nallpen
• Nebcin
• Nebcin pediatric injections
• Primaxin
• Proquin XR
• Protostat
• Rocephin
• Synercid
• Tazicef
• Tazidime
• Timentin
• Tobi solution
• Tobramycin
• Unipen
• Vancocin
• Vancomycin
• Zosyn
• Zyvox
• Warfarin

The type of the antibiotic choose by your doctor depends on the infectious agent and on the severity of the infections. If the patients have a low blood pressure, then medications and fluids are prescribed and administered by the doctors in order to establish the blood pressure, and if the patients also present respiratory distress then a ventilator may be required. If the patients have multiple organ failure then the further organ support may be prescribed, such as dialysis.
In patients who develop a septic shock, the treatment involves:

• Ventilation -  as it increases the amount of oxygen which reaches the internal organs
• Antibiotics
• Intravenous fluids in order to maintain the blood pressure
• A drainage of the affected zone (tissue)