Health Advice

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Head Lice – Help!!!

Every parent’s heart sinks when they receive the dreaded note from school warning about head lice. Don’t worry – Jane Brennan from Brennan’s Life Pharmacy in Donabate is here to to give us advice and tips. The first thing to do is to check the child’s head. You will need some tea tree conditioner, a... Read more >

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Are You SunSmart?

We ask Jane Brennan from Brennan’s Life Pharmacy Donabate how to make the most of great sunny summer days whilst protecting our skin from harmful rays. Jane says “The Irish Cancer Society SunSmart program has great guidelines to keep us safe. See below for some useful tips and advice” Ways to protect your skin: Shade... Read more >

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Pollen Highs & Watery Eyes

Pollen Highs & Watery Eyes… Talk to Jane Brennan, your Hay Fever Expert in Donabate Are your eyes itchy, red or watery? Is your throat scratchy? Are you sneezing? Do you have itchy ears, nose or mouth? Do you have a blocked or runny nose? Do you wake up feeling exhausted? Hay fever can cause... Read more >

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Life Pharmacy Ireland – Live Better

Bringing you the best health advice for your family

NHS Choices - Diagnosing sepsis

(23/04/2014)

Sepsis is often diagnosed based on simple measurements such as your temperature, heart rate, breathing rate and a simple blood test.

Other tests may help determine the type of infection, where it is located and which body functions have been affected. These can include:

  • blood and urine cultures (where a sample of blood or urine is tested for infections)
  • stool sample tests, if you have diarrhoea
  • blood pressure tests
  • a wound culture (where a small sample of tissue, skin or fluid is taken from the affected area for testing)
  • respiratory secretion testing (where a sample of your saliva, phlegm or mucus is taken for testing)
  • imaging studies such as an X-rayultrasound scan or computerised tomography (CT) scan
  • kidney, liver and heart function tests
  • lumbar puncture (where a sample of fluid is extracted from your spine for testing)

In the case of suspected sepsis, it is important to get a diagnosis as soon as possible so that appropriate treatment can be given. This can help stop the progression of sepsis and reduce the risk of long-term damage to the body, or death.

Read more about treating sepsis.



Back to Septicaemia