The Critically Ill Geriatric Patient with Sepsis

• Due to the age-related physiologic change of immunosenescence, geriatric patients have an increased susceptibility to infection, a decreased ability to mount a response to infection, and an increased likelihood of atypical presentations.
• Atypical presentations of sepsis in the geriatric patient include confusion, decreased functional status, generalized weakness, and failure to thrive.
• In fact, up to 33% of geriatric patients with bacteremia will be afebrile upon presentation.
• Consider sepsis in the differential diagnosis of geriatric patients with these nonspecific complaints.

References

Khoujah D, et al. Resuscitating the critically ill geriatric emergency department patient. Emerg Med Clin N Am. 2019; 569-81.