Recognizing Pediatric Sepsis with CHART Mnemonic

Six million children die from sepsis worldwide every year, making it the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children.1 In the United States, almost 50,000 cases of severe sepsis occur in pediatric patients (age 0–19 years old) annually, increasing approximately 13% per year (81% total rise) since 1995.2,3 Of these cases, an estimated 4,400 children die annually, with infants the most susceptible age group as well as the age group in whom sepsis is most severe.2,4 The good news is that, while the incidence of severe sepsis among pediatric patients is rising, the fatality rate among those who receive treatment for sepsis has fallen from 10.3% to 8.9% in the same time frame.3 This means that although we're likely encountering sepsis in pediatric patients more often than we recognize, if these smallest, sickest patients can be identified and receive the care they need, there's a better chance they'll have a positive outcome. The Challenge We Face The low frequency of pediatric patient encounters combined with increased fragility of septic patients creates a recipe for one of the biggest challenges any healthcare provider can face. To compound the problem, the severity of septic shock is often masked in infants and children due to their strong compensatory mechanisms. Because of this, the progression from simply ill to severely sick to organ failure may appear to happen very suddenly.5
Source: JEMS Patient Care - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Patient Care Source Type: news