Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital: ER doctors encouraging community to learn signs of sepsis

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Local doctors in Santa Barbara are raising awareness on how to detect early signs of sepsis.

Doctors at Cottage Hospital say sepsis is the body’s response to infection that can lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death.

In other words, it’s your body’s overwhelming response to an infection.

Dr. Edward Cotner works in the emergency room at Cottage Hospital.

He says everyone gets infections from time to time.

"And a lot of times your body is good at managing those infections and you get better and everything's fine," said Cotner.

But sepsis is a medical emergency that requires treatment right away.

"Sometimes your body reacts to those infections. And it increases these infamatory modulators and then your body starts to shut down," said Cotner.

Cotner says the key to overcoming sepsis starts with early recognition and treatment.