Child-specific care for deadly condition

The Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC), a joint initiative of the European Society of intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) and the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), has published the first paediatric sepsis management guidelines.

The campaign’s paediatric guidelines provide comprehensive recommendations for sepsis management in children following the GRADE methodology, which notes the quality of evidence and strength of the recommendation.

The guidelines were developed to help improve care in children from birth to age 18. 1.2 million children develop sepsis globally every year and sepsis can occur in any child, including those who are otherwise healthy. Recognising the signs and acting quickly can save lives.

The guidelines recommend a two-phase protocol for assessing children who are suspected of having sepsis. Those with symptoms of septic shock should be started on antimicrobial therapy within one hour of shock recognition.

• Read the evidence-based Surviving Sepsis Campaign International Guidelines for the Management of Septic Shock and Sepsis-associated Organ Dysfunction in Children

• Read the press release

>> Learn more about the Surviving Sepsis Campaign