Sepsis is a medical emergency when the body's immune response to an infection goes into overdrive, triggering widespread inflammation, tissue damage, and organ dysfunction. Sepsis can progress rapidly and cause severe symptoms, such as fever, chills, rapid heartbeat, low blood pressure, confusion, and difficulty breathing. In some cases, sepsis can lead to septic shock, in which the blood pressure drops dangerously low and the organs fail. Nursing home residents are at an increased risk of developing sepsis.