Researchers from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago were among the multicenter team of experts who determined more accurate national estimates of non-neonatal pediatric sepsis using readily available clinical data from electronic health records. As they recently reported in JAMA, sepsis occurred in 1.3% of pediatric hospitalizations, with 10% mortality rate, corresponding to more than 18,000 U.S. cases and more than 1,800 deaths annually. Neither pediatric sepsis incidence nor mortality changed significantly from 2016 to 2022. 

“The process and definition of pediatric sepsis we developed and applied allows for accurate and uniform epidemiological surveillance that is essential for improving future care,” said co-author Elizabeth Alpern, MD, MSCE, Division Head of Emergency Medicine at Lurie Children’s and Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “We especially need to move the needle on mortality from pediatric sepsis in the U.S., since we found that hasn’t changed over the six-year period we studied. We need to learn from the centers that achieve better outcomes and implement those practices nationally.”

Her co-author L. Nelson Sanchez-Pinto, MD, MBI, agrees. “We can’t improve what we can’t measure,” he said. “The huge national burden of pediatric sepsis mortality we found is a call to arms. Now that we can compare outcomes from institutions across the country, we can expand what works to create tangible impact.”

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Dr. Sanchez-Pinto is a Critical Care physician at Lurie Children’s and Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. 

To reach the current estimates of pediatric sepsis incidence and mortality, researchers analyzed over 3.9 million hospitalizations. They also found that 72% of sepsis cases began before the child was hospitalized, which underscores that sepsis can happen in an otherwise healthy child.

“The bulk of the problem is recognition of sepsis,” said Dr. Sanchez-Pinto. “We encourage parents to learn the signs and symptoms of pediatric sepsis, and if it is suspected to bring their child to the hospital immediately so treatment can begin as soon as possible.”

In order to help parents detect sepsis and seek treatment right away, the Sepsis Alliance provides a simple mnemonic guideline, called It’s About TIMETM, which describes a combination of symptoms that call for immediate medical attention:

T: Temperature, higher or lower than normal

I: Infection signs or symptoms

M: Mental decline, confused, sleepy, difficult to rouse

E: Extremely ill, severe pain, discomfort, shortness of breath

“Early recognition and treatment of sepsis can save lives,” Dr. Alpern emphasized. “Raising awareness among families hopefully will help more children survive sepsis.”

(Newswise/MSM)