Sepsis in Spanish

What it means

Sepsis is the body's overactive and extreme response to an infection. It is a life-threatening medical emergency: without quick treatment, it can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and even death. Sepsis happens when an infection a person already has triggers a chain reaction throughout the body. Bacterial infections are the most common cause, and the infections are often in the lungs, stomach, kidneys, or bladder. Symptoms can include rapid breathing and heart rate, shortness of breath, confusion or disorientation, extreme pain or discomfort, fever, shivering or feeling very cold, and clammy or sweaty skin. Severe cases can lead to septic shock, in which blood pressure drops to a dangerous level and multiple organs can fail.

Sepsis in Spanish

Spanish term: Sepsis
Gender and article: feminine: la sepsis
Pronunciation: SEP-sees

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
septicemia	General	Listed by MedlinePlus en español under 'Nombres alternativos' in its encyclopedia article on sepsis.
síndrome séptico	General	Also listed under 'Nombres alternativos' in the same MedlinePlus en español article.

Sepsis is written the same way in Spanish and in English, and in Spanish it is feminine: la sepsis. MedlinePlus en español defines it as la respuesta abrumadora y extrema de su cuerpo a una infección and calls it una emergencia médica que puede ser mortal. Its encyclopedia article on sepsis lists septicemia and síndrome séptico among its alternative names; the English encyclopedia article lists "Septicemia" and "Sepsis syndrome" in the same place.

For septic shock, MedlinePlus en español writes shock séptico, in which la presión arterial cae a un nivel peligroso. Words that appear beside it in the Spanish text include falla orgánica (organ failure), escalofríos (shivering) and unidad de cuidados intensivos (UCI), where the encyclopedia article says a person with sepsis is generally hospitalized. MedlinePlus says it is important to get medical care right away if you think you might have sepsis; emergency signs need urgent care, and the sentence to know in the U.S. is Llame al 911.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I have had an infection for several days, and it is getting worse instead of better.	Tengo una infección desde hace varios días, y está empeorando en lugar de mejorar.
Clinician	Do you have a fever, chills, or do you feel very cold?	¿Tiene fiebre, escalofríos o siente mucho frío?
Patient	My heart is beating very fast and I am having trouble breathing.	El corazón me late muy rápido y me cuesta respirar.
Clinician	Have you felt confused or disoriented today?	¿Ha sentido confusión o desorientación hoy?
Clinician	I am going to check your temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing.	Voy a medirle la temperatura, la presión arterial, la frecuencia cardíaca y la respiración.
Clinician	We are going to order lab tests to look for signs of infection.	Vamos a pedir pruebas de laboratorio para buscar signos de infección.
Patient	I had surgery last week. Could the wound be infected?	Me operaron la semana pasada. ¿Podría estar infectada la herida?
Clinician	Sepsis is a medical emergency. If these symptoms appear, call 911 or go to the emergency room right away.	La sepsis es una emergencia médica. Si aparecen estos síntomas, llame al 911 o vaya a la sala de emergencias de inmediato.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Sepsis
Spanish (Español)	Sepsis
Chinese (中文)	敗血症
Korean (한국어)	패혈증
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Nhiễm khuẩn huyết
Filipino (Tagalog)	Sepsis
Portuguese (Português)	Sepse
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	ภาวะติดเชื้อในกระแสเลือด
Japanese (日本語)	敗血症

Where you'll see it

chartEOBmedical record

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: A41 → Other sepsis

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Blood and immune system

All terms in this area: Blood and immune system — Sangre y sistema inmunitario

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.