Early recognition and management of sepsis during pregnancy and puerperium / 中华围产医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Sepsis and septic shock are obstetric emergencies, which bring clinical issues for obstetricians to pay attention to, such as early identification and emergency intervention before transferring the patients to intensive care. Physiological changes during pregnancy and puerperium result in difficulty in identifying the clinical features of sepsis. Simple bedside screening tools can be used for early identification and screening for possible sepsis. If initial sepsis screening is positive with suspected or evidence of infection, regardless of the presence of fever, further evaluation of organ damage is required for the diagnosis of sepsis. Bundle therapy should be initiated within 1 h after the identification of sepsis For pregnant women or puerpera with suspected or confirmed sepsis, bacterial culture (blood, urine, respiratory tract, and other body fluids) and serum lactate level detection should be conducted promptly, moreover, empirical broad-spectrum antibiotics given within 1 h are recommended; For patients with sepsis complicated by hypotension or organ hypoperfusion, it is recommended to administer 1-2 L crystal solution as soon as possible for liquid resuscitation; For those with persistent hypotension and/or organ hypoperfusion despite fluid resuscitation, vasopressors are recommended to maintain mean arterial pressure ≥65 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), with norepinephrine as the first-line vasopressor. When sepsis is suspected or confirmed, the focus of infection should be actively sought to effectively control the source. Termination of pregnancy should be considered individually and comprehensively on the basis of obstetric indications, gestational age, and maternal and fetal conditions, but not depend on sepsis alone. If intrauterine infection is confirmed, pregnancy should be terminated immediately. Cesarean delivery usually requires general anesthesia for pregnant women with sepsis and intraspinal anesthesia is relatively contraindicated. The diagnosis and treatment of sepsis in pregnancy and puerperium should be individualized in accordance with the corresponding guidelines.