Clinical and epidemiological factors related to mortality due to septic shock in a pediatric intensive care unit

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
• Infectious Diseases
• Hematology

Background:

• Septic shock is a critical condition in children, leading to high mortality rates.
• Understanding risk factors for mortality is essential for timely intervention in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify clinical and epidemiological factors associated with mortality in pediatric patients diagnosed with septic shock.
• To analyze predictors of death in children admitted to a PICU with septic shock.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective comparative case series study was conducted in a PICU in Lima, Peru, from 2018 to 2020.
• 174 pediatric patients (1 month to 14 years) with septic shock were analyzed, divided into deceased and survivor groups.
• Logistic regression modeling was used to assess the influence of variables on mortality.

Main Results:

• The study included 174 patients, with a mortality rate of 29.3% (51 deaths).
• Factors significantly associated with mortality included older age, oncological disease, low hemoglobin, elevated lactate, low platelet count (≤ 150/μL), and low pH (≤ 7.1).
• Logistic regression identified pH ≤ 7.1 (OR = 8.95) and platelets ≤ 150/μL (OR = 3.89) as independent predictors of mortality.

Conclusions:

• A pH ≤ 7.1 and a platelet count ≤ 150 (×10³)/μL upon PICU admission are key factors associated with mortality in pediatric septic shock.
• These findings highlight the importance of monitoring specific biomarkers for risk stratification and management in critically ill children.