Outcomes of Patients with Sepsis in a Pediatric Emergency Department after Automated Sepsis Screening

Emergency Department Sepsis Triage Scoring Tool Elements Associated With Hypotension Within 24 Hours in Children With Fever and Tachycardia

OBJECTIVE

Pediatric sepsis screening is becoming the standard of care for children presenting to the emergency department (ED) and has been shown to improve recognition of severe sepsis, but it is unknown if these screening tools can predict progression of disease. The objective of this study was to determine if any elements of a sepsis triage trigger tool were predictive of progression to hypotensive shock in children presenting to the ED with fever and tachycardia.

METHODS

This study is a retrospective case-control study of children ≤18 years presenting to an ED with fever and tachycardia, comparing those who went on to develop hypotensive shock in the subsequent 24 hours (case) to those who did not (control). Primary outcome was the proportion of encounters where the patient had specific abnormal vital signs or clinical signs as components of the sepsis triage score. The secondary outcomes were the proportion of encounters where the patient had a sepsis risk factor.

RESULTS

During the study period, there were 94 patients who met case criteria and 186 controls selected. In the adjusted multivariable model, the 2 components of the sepsis triage score that were more common in case patients were the presence of severe cerebral palsy (adjusted odds ratio, 9.4 [3.7, 23.9]) and abnormal capillary refill at triage (adjusted odds ratio, 3.1 [1.4, 6.9]).

CONCLUSIONS

Among children who present to a pediatric ED with fever and tachycardia, those with prolonged capillary refill at triage or severe cerebral palsy were more likely to progress to decompensated septic shock, despite routine ED care.

Pediatric Cardiac Arrest and Resuscitation

Pediatric cardiac arrest in the emergency department is rare. We emphasize the importance of preparedness for pediatric cardiac arrest and offer strategies for the optimal recognition and care of patients in cardiac arrest and peri-arrest. This article focuses on both prevention of arrest and the key elements of pediatric resuscitation that have been shown to improve outcomes for children in cardiac arrest. Finally, we review changes to the American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care that were published in 2020.

Causal Association of Physician-in-Triage with Improved Pediatric Sepsis Care: A Single-Center, Emergency Department Experience

Approximately 75,000 children are hospitalized for sepsis yearly in the United States, with 5%-20% mortality estimates. Outcomes are closely related to the timeliness of sepsis recognition and antibiotic administration.

Methods

A multidisciplinary sepsis task force formed in the Spring of 2020 aimed to assess and improve pediatric sepsis care in the pediatric emergency department (ED). The electronic medical record identified pediatric sepsis patients from September 2015 to July 2021. Data for time to sepsis recognition and antibiotic delivery were analyzed using statistical process control charts (X̄-S charts). We identified special cause variation, and Bradford-Hill Criteria guided multidisciplinary discussions to identify the most probable cause.

Results

In the fall of 2018, the average time from ED arrival to blood culture orders decreased by 1.1 hours, and the time from arrival to antibiotic administration decreased by 1.5 hours. After qualitative review, the task force hypothesized that initiation of attending-level pediatric physician-in-triage (P-PIT) as a part of ED triage was temporally associated with the observed improved sepsis care. P-PIT reduced the average time to the first provider exam by 14 minutes and introduced a process for physician evaluation before ED room assignment.

Conclusions

Timely assessment by an attending-level physician improves time to sepsis recognition and antibiotic delivery in children who present to the ED with sepsis. Implementing a P-PIT program with early attending-level physician evaluation is a potential strategy for other institutions.

Pediatric sepsis screening in US hospitals

Sepsis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children. While adverse outcomes can be reduced through prompt initiation of sepsis protocols including fluid resuscitation and antibiotics, provision of these therapies relies on clinician recognition of sepsis. Recognition is challenging in children because early signs of shock such as tachycardia and tachypnea have low specificity while hypotension often does not occur until late in the clinical course. This narrative review highlights the important context that has led to the rapid growth of pediatric sepsis screening in the United States. In this review, we (1) describe different screening tools used in US emergency department, inpatient, and intensive care unit settings; (2) highlight details of the design, implementation, and evaluation of specific tools; (3) review the available data on the process of integrating sepsis screening into an overall sepsis quality improvement program and on the effect of these screening tools on patient outcomes; (4) discuss potential harms of sepsis screening including alarm fatigue; and (5) highlight several future directions in sepsis screening, such as novel tools that incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning methods to augment sepsis identification with the ultimate goal of precision-based approaches to sepsis recognition and treatment. IMPACT: This narrative review highlights the context that has led to the rapid growth of pediatric sepsis screening nationally. Screening tools used in US emergency department, inpatient, and intensive care unit settings are described in terms of their design, implementation, and clinical performance. Limitations and potential harms of these tools are highlighted, as well as future directions that may lead to a more precision-based approach to sepsis recognition and treatment.