Some patients may have multiple episodes of sepsis. Finding the cause is important for effective management.
Defect in host defense:
(1) hypogammaglobulinemia
(2) defect in complement
(3) immunosuppression
(4) neutropenia or defect in neutrophil function
Recurrent or persistent infection:
(1) focus of infection resistant to therapy (abscess, mycotic aneurysm, endocarditis, etc)
(2) colonized implanted device
(3) colonization by or re-exposure to an invasive pathogen
(4) recurrent urinary tract infection, cholangitis, or other infection
Management problems:
(1) poor care of an intravascular catheter
(2) inadequate therapy of an infection
(3) contaminated pharmaceutical
Patient or family problems:
(1) Munchausen syndrome or Munchausen syndrome by proxy
(2) injecting drug abuse
(3) chronic alcohol abuse
