A young man from California is warning healthy Americans not to ignore alarming symptoms after he was diagnosed with fatal sepsis, despite being in very good shape.
In late April, Joe DuPont, 28, noticed red spots on his neck, chest and other parts of his body. At first, Mr. DuPont, who is physically active regularly, assumed that the rapidly appearing rashes were simply a normal skin reaction.
But when the spots didn’t heal after a day and started oozing, she became worried. “When I realized it wasn’t going away, I went to the hospital,” Mr DuPont, who works in the commercial side of the clinical laboratory industry, told DailyMail.com.
The worst on the left side of his neck filled with pus and fluid and continued to open further. However, on April 29, doctors at the local hospital ruled out the symptoms as anxiety and a skin infection, and prescribed steroid cream and oral antibiotics.
It was a critical mistake as, less than 24 hours later, DuPont suffered a life-threatening cardiac event as a result of sepsis, an immune system overreaction that kills one American every 90 seconds.
Joe DuPont, 28, was active and living a healthy lifestyle when his sepsis symptoms began. He now emphasizes that “everyone can go through this”
Mr. DuPont experienced a widespread skin rash and fluid buildup. When he experienced a cardiac event, doctors realized he had sepsis.
Now, less than two months after the near-death experience and on the road to recovery, DuPont is focused on raising awareness about medical errors and sepsis, which is the leading cause of hospital deaths in the U.S.
“I’m incredibly lucky to come out of this the way I did,” he said. ‘This happens to a lot of people. “Anyone can go through this.”
Sepsis is responsible for 300,000 deaths in the United States each year and occurs when an infection causes the immune system to overreact, causing chemicals in the bloodstream to go crazy.
Instead of sending infection-fighting white blood cells to attack a foreign invader, it targets healthy tissues and organs such as the limbs, lungs and kidneys, leading to organ failure and sometimes amputations.
However, one-third of Americans have never heard of it, and every hour treatment is delayed, the chance of death increases by four to nine percent.
DuPont said that while he told doctors he was feeling a little anxious, he was surprised that was part of the primary diagnosis.
At home, shortly after doctors ruled out his symptoms, Mr. DuPont’s legs began to shake and spasm. “I took it as a sign that maybe my body was healing,” he said.
But the next morning, “I woke up in much worse shape and felt completely different.”
‘When I stood up, I felt liquid rising up my legs, like liquid was literally pooling in my sandals. I realized, “I need to go back to the ER.”
Along the way, Mr. DuPont’s heart began to pound amid intense chest pain, and he began to lose vision, develop a fever, and feel fluid spreading throughout his body. When he finally got there, he felt so weak that he could barely walk to the sorting area.
An electrocardiogram revealed an irregular heartbeat and fluid building up around his heart.
He soon suffered a severe cardiac event, with his heart rate rising and then plummeting into the 30s. A normal resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute.
“It was close,” he said. “I pretty much pulled through when everything went black.”
“It was a close call,” DuPont said of his near-death experience from sepsis. “I practically made it through when everything went black”
DuPont is now working to raise awareness about sepsis. “Ultimately, I see this as a good thing that gave me appreciation and perspective I wouldn’t otherwise have.”
DuPont had suffered sepsis, although it is unclear whether it was caused by a skin infection or another underlying pathogen.
Other tests performed during the hospital stay indicated endocarditis, which is an inflammation of the inner lining surrounding the chambers and valves of the heart.
This is usually caused by an infection that travels through the bloodstream and attaches to the heart. It is more common in older people, as well as those with artificial or damaged valves.
Additionally, an echocardiogram indicated tricuspid valve regurgitation, which occurs when the heart’s tricuspid valve does not close properly, causing blood to flow backward.
Over time, this can lead to irregular heartbeats called atrial fibrillation (AFib) and heart failure if left untreated.
DuPont has since been released from the hospital, although he is still dealing with heart-related side effects.
He now dedicates some of his time to raising awareness about the dangers of misdiagnosis and medical errors by connecting with groups like Global Sepsis Alliance and connection with other young survivors.
Dr Steven Simpson, a professor of medicine at the University of Kansas and president of the Sepsis Alliance, previously told DailyMail.com that many cases of sepsis are misdiagnosed in the US because “doctors are not given enough information to help them.” to diagnose sepsis. ‘
Cases are also increasing, up 20 percent between 2019 and 2021, according to the most recent data from the CDC.
But despite this, the United States does not have a comprehensive strategy to address the problem. In fact, a quarter of American hospitals have no sepsis protocol at all.
“Learning more about sepsis has been very interesting after this experience,” said Mr. DuPont. “I’m surprised to hear what people have gone through with this.”
‘I have been healthy practically my entire adult life. “I never expected I could go through something like this and I think it’s important for people to be aware that this can happen.”
“Ultimately, I see this as a positive experience that gave me an appreciation and perspective I wouldn’t otherwise have.”