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Updated: May 14, 2026
A Neonatal Imaging Model of Gram-Negative Bacterial Sepsis
Published on: August 12, 2020
Novel infrastructure for sepsis biomarker research in critically ill neonates and children
Justin E Juskewitch1, Felicity T Enders, Roshini S Abraham
1Mayo Graduate School, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Insights
A new infrastructure efficiently identifies pediatric sepsis patients and ensures timely specimen collection and storage for biomarker research, improving data quality.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric critical care research
- Biomarker discovery and analysis
- Infectious disease diagnostics
Background:
- Sepsis biomarker research necessitates efficient patient identification and proper specimen handling.
- Developing a robust infrastructure is crucial for pediatric sepsis studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a novel infrastructure for sepsis biomarker research in children.
- To streamline the process of identifying, enrolling, and collecting specimens from pediatric sepsis patients.
Main Methods:
- Prospective enrollment of patients in pediatric and neonatal intensive care units.
- Real-time notification system for blood culture orders using electronic medical records (EMRs).
- Simultaneous collection and processing of study specimens by a mobile clinical research unit.
Main Results:
- Over 2 years, 138 of 2029 admitted patients were enrolled.
- 95% of blood cultures from enrolled patients triggered notifications.
- Median time from blood culture order to collection was 34 minutes; specimen storage times were within acceptable ranges.
Conclusions:
- The developed infrastructure effectively supports prompt and proper specimen collection and storage for sepsis biomarker analysis.
- This system enhances the feasibility of conducting biomarker research in critically ill children.
Introduction:
Sepsis biomarker research requires an infrastructure to identify septic patients efficiently and to collect and store specimens properly. We developed a novel infrastructure to study biomarkers of sepsis in children.
Methods:
Patients in pediatric and neonatal intensive care units were enrolled prospectively; enrollment information was stored in a secure, remotely accessible database. Researchers were notified of electronic medical record (EMR) orders for blood cultures (a surrogate for a diagnostic evaluation of suspected sepsis) by a page triggered by the order. Staff confirmed patient enrollment and remotely submitted an EMR order for collection of study specimens simultaneous with the blood culture. Specimens were processed and stored by a mobile clinical research unit.
Results:
Over 2 years, 2029 patients were admitted; 138 were enrolled. Staff received pages for 95% of blood cultures collected from enrolled patients. The median time between the blood culture order and collection was 34 minutes (range 9-241). Study specimens were collected simultaneously with 41 blood cultures. The median times between specimen collection and storage for flow cytometry and cytokine analysis were 33 minutes (range 0-82) and 52 minutes (range 28-98), respectively.
Conclusion:
This novel infrastructure facilitated prompt, proper collection and storage of specimens for sepsis biomarker analysis.
