Medical Definition of Urosepsis

Urosepsis is a medical term that broadly describes urinary tract infections or the more complicated bloodstream infection that stems from them, according to Dorland’s Medical Dictionary. Greenwich Hospital notes that urosepsis is a serious condition occurring after the microorganisms that cause a urinary tract infection spread to the bloodstream.

Causes

• Urosepsis usually develops from a complicated urinary tract infection caused by bacteria, according to the European Journal of Clinical Investigation. The authors note that nearly one-quarter of all sepsis—or, in layman’s terms, blood poisoning—cases are urosepsis, marking it as a serious problem.

Symptoms

• A burning sensation during urination, increased frequency of urination, pain in the side, blood in the urine, fever and decreased blood pressure are indicators of possible urosepsis, according to Wrong Diagnosis, a patient information site. Greenwich Hospital notes that the drop in blood pressure prevents oxygen from getting to critical organs, such as the brain and heart, which could lead to loss of consciousness.

Treatment

• First-line treatment for urosepsis includes powerful antibiotics such as second- or third-generation cephalosporins, quinolones and aztreonam, according to the Merck Manual of Geriatrics, a medical reference. Doctors may also give patients any of the aminoglycosides—drugs derived from bacteria—in combination with ampicillin, another powerful antibiotic. Patients will need a two-week course of drugs to treat the infection.