Life After Pediatric Sepsis Evaluation

In-hospital pediatric sepsis mortality has decreased substantially, but long-term mortality and morbidity among children initially surviving sepsis, is unknown. Accordingly, the Life After Pediatric Sepsis Evaluation investigation was conducted to describe the trajectory of mortality and health-related quality of life morbidity and critical illness factors associated with these outcomes for children encountering community-acquired septic shock. Design: Prospective, cohort-outcome study, conducted 2013-2017. Setting: Twelve academic pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in the United States. Patients: Critically ill children, 1 month to 18 years, with community-acquired septic shock requiring vasoactive-inotropic support. Interventions: Demographic, infection, and illness severity data were collected at PICU admission. Organ dysfunction and resource utilization data were collected during PICU stay. Serial parent proxy-report health-related quality of life assessments were obtained at baseline, 7 days, and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months following PICU admission utilizing the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory or Stein-Jessop Functional Status Scale.