Chapter 60 · Practical algorithms
Algorithm for the septic urological patient
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Immediately: ABCDE, monitoring, lactate, organ dysfunction; qSOFA does not exclude sepsis |
| 2 | In parallel: blood and urine cultures, provided they do not delay treatment |
| 3 | In parallel: intravenous antibiotics; in shock or a high likelihood of sepsis, aim for administration within 1 hour |
| 4 | In parallel: fluid therapy, vasopressors as indicated, early ICU involvement |
| 5 | In parallel: ultrasonography or CT; look for obstruction, an abscess, and drain malfunction |
| 6 | Infected obstruction or abscess: urgent source control |
| 7 | Reassess the response, review cultures, de-escalate, and plan definitive treatment |