How can someone die within 72 hrs just from cramps?

On Tuesday morning my grandfather began complaining of cramps,
he drove himself into the doctor and the doctor then diagnosed him with a bladder infection, told him to drink lots of cranberry juice & prescribed some Cipro just to be safe.
Then by Thursday the cramps were so bad all the way to his back, he began vommiting & was clammy & dizzy.
He was then rushed to ER, where they began surgery immedietely.
He was diagnosed with a burst (perforated)colon as a result of a severe case of diverticulitus.
He went into septic shock, cardiovascular collapse at one point and they had to resusitate, he then experienced liver shock, and poisoning of the blood.
My grandfather died 5 days later in the ICU.

My question is:
If it would have been caught on Tuesday afternoon by the Dr. that misdiagnosed a fatal case of a "Perforated Colon" for a minor bladder infection, could we have saved him or treated him?

[imkindly]

I don't have an answer to your question. But I am sorry to hear about that happening to your grandfather.
Sepsis or Septic shock is the result of a massive infection (I know this because my husband went into septic shock after a botched kidney stone operation). They used intravenous antibiotics to bring my husband out of septic shock.

I am NOT a doctor---but it sounds like your grandfather might have gotten sepsis (an infection going on), and the sepsis turned into septic shock on Thursday.

http://thriveonline.oxygen.com/medical/library/article/000666.html

I'm really sorry for your loss.

[kimberlythall]

How do you know if you have sepsis?  I belive I may have it and I am not sure what to do?

[imkindly]

Sepsis
Alternative names:
gram-positive bacteremia; gram-negative bacteremia

Definition:
A serious infection caused by bacteria that has entered a wound or body tissue that leads to the formation of pus, or to the spread of the bacteria in the blood

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
Sepsis is a result of a bacterial infection that can originate anywhere in the body.
Common sites are the genitourinary tract, the liver or biliary (liver secretion) tract, the gastrointestinal tract, and the lungs.
Less common sites are intravenous lines, surgical wounds, surgical drains, and sites of skin breakdown known as decubitus ulcers or bedsores.
***The infection is usually confirmed by a positive blood culture.*** (blood test).
The infection can lead to shock, called septic shock. Low blood pressure and a change in mental status may be early-warning signs of shock.

There has recently been an increase in the occurance of sepsis caused by organisms that are resistant to most standard antibiotics.

Sepsis can be a life-threatening situation, especially in people with a weakened immune systems.

The risk factors associated with sepsis include:
recent bacterial pneumonia
meningitis
a urinary tract infection that does not respond to antibiotics
osteomyelitis
bacterial peritonitis
a recent dental procedure
a recent endoscopy procedure
a recent cardiovascular procedure
an indwelling urinary catheter
a recent major surgery
cellulitis
a recent therapy with antibiotics
People whose immune systems are suppressed by therapies or by certain diseases are at higher risk for sepsis. The incidence is 2 out of 10,000 people.


this came from:
http://thriveonline.oxygen.com/medical/library/article/000666.html