Overview
Septic embolism is a punch in of infection inside a blood vessel.
Typically, septic embolism is a bacterial infection that originates in the heart valves.
This may be associated withinfective endocarditis, an infection of the heart.
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Strokes resulting from a septic embolism are classified as septic strokes, which means infected strokes.
The infection may develop slowly or could progress rapidly.
This is one of the reasons it takes a while to reach a diagnosis.
The following symptoms, broken down by category, can be signs of septic embolism.
Neurological symptoms include:
Non-neurological symptoms include:
Diagnosis
Septic embolism can be difficult to diagnose.
Most people with septic embolism have a positive blood culture, meaning bacteria are detected in the blood.
A positive blood culture does not define the location or the cause of the infection.
Prevention
Septic embolism cannot always be prevented, but sometimes it can.
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