Died after 5 days from a small scratch on the hand while gardening

A mother of two has died just days after suffering a minor cut to her hand. Doctors are warning that the disease is more deadly than cancer and Aids combined.

Mother of 2 died of blood infection from a small scratch on her hand

While gardening, 43-year-old Lucinda Smith accidentally scratched her hand. Thinking it was a normal wound, she continued to work and take care of her children without paying any attention to it.

But a few days later, she felt pain in her shoulder and decided to see a doctor. She was diagnosed with a pinched nerve and was prescribed painkillers, told to relax, and should also undergo physical therapy.

Due to being careless with a small scratch on her hand, Ms. Smith passed away.

However, three days later, her condition did not improve, if not worse. Her fingers and arms became red, she vomited and had more pain.

The mother of two went to the doctor again and was ordered a blood test. The results showed that she had sepsis, a form of blood poisoning.

She was immediately hospitalized and treated with intravenous antibiotics. However, after just one night, Smith's health deteriorated and she had to be transferred to the intensive care unit, put on a ventilator, and given a very heavy dose of antibiotics.

The next day, she began to suffer organ failure, and by that evening, she had heart, kidney, and respiratory failure and died. Doctors determined that Smith had died of toxic shock caused by sepsis.

"Never underestimate this silent killer," warned Caroline, the victim's sister.

Following the sudden passing of Lucinda Smith, the family has been involved in awareness campaigns about the dangers of sepsis.

The disease can take a person's life in just a few hours.

Less than a week ago, the Daily Mail reported that Michael Berger (46 years old, living in New Jersey, USA) had to spend 3 weeks in a coma and his chances of survival dropped to only 50/50 after being cut by paper.

Fortunately, after many weeks of treatment, Berger was promptly cured of the blood infection, which can lead to organ failure in a short period of time.

Faced with the danger of a disease that can take a person's life in just a few hours, authorities in the US and UK have repeatedly called on people to be highly vigilant with even the smallest scratches on the skin.

"With some cases of sepsis, a patient's life is counted by the hour. Even if you don't have any of the typical warning signs, if you feel increasingly unwell and can't control your consciousness, seek medical attention immediately," warns Ron Daniels, chairman of the British Sepsis Foundation.

They should ask themselves: Is this a case of sepsis if the patient has a rash, a high temperature or a rapid pulse? The UK National Health Service (NHS) has advised medical staff to treat patients with sepsis as urgently as they would a heart attack.

Sepsis is when the immune system overreacts to an infection and attacks the body's own cells and organs.

Anyone suspected of having this deadly disease should be rushed to hospital and monitored by experienced doctors and nurses.

"For patients with sepsis, the first step is to immediately start antibiotics and IV fluids to avoid toxic shock," said Dr. Marianne Kraemer, who treated Michael Berger.

In the UK there are around 150,000 cases each year, of which 44,000 are fatal, more than the number of deaths from bowel, breast and prostate cancer combined.

The US also receives about 1 million people with blood infections every year and 258,000 people die, more than the number of people who die from breast cancer, prostate cancer and AIDS combined.

Signs to recognize for timely first aid

Sepsis is a blood infection caused by an infection related to diabetes, cancer, or a skin wound. If not treated promptly, the patient may suffer from organ failure and lead to death.

Anyone can get sepsis, but older people and people with weakened immune systems, such as children, are much more susceptible.

Typical signs warning of sepsis.

From a skin wound, then symptoms such as rapid breathing, high fever or cold, shivering, body aches, sweating, rash, pale skin, deep coma, no urination within 12 hours appear, then see a doctor immediately.

Once sepsis occurs, antibiotic treatment should be started as soon as possible, preferably within 1 hour of diagnosis.

According to Young Knowledge