New research to be presented at the 2017 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting shows that despite the fact that survival rates among children who develop sepsis have risen dramatically in recent years, recovery still remains a long haul for these patients. Many of them continue to feel the physical, social and emotional effects long after they are discharged from the hospital.
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Lead author Elizabeth Killien, a pediatric critical care medicine fellow at the University of Washington School of
Medicine explains that the number of children experiencing sepsis continues to increase and while survival rates are improving, very little is known about what happens to these children once they leave the hospital.
During this study, researchers reviewed the electronic health records of 778 children who met the sepsis criteria within four hours of arrival. Patients' health-related quality of life and overall level of functional well-being was compared at baseline, 2 weeks and 5 months after hospital discharge.
"What we found was that more than 23 percent, or nearly a quarter, of the patients hospitalised with sepsis
have a significant decline in quality of life after hospitalisation that can last several months after discharge,"
Killien said.
A strong predictor of failure to recover to baseline health-related quality of life was the severity of the patient's sepsis according to Dr. Killien. 50% of patients who developed septic shock with blood pressure plunges and organ damage were still below the baseline five months after discharge. 56% of patients who had sepsis that involved infections in the blood also failed to recover fully as did the 53% of patients who suffered from infections of the central nervous system.
Dr. Killien highlights the need to recognise that children who suffer from sepsis can have a significant impact on their long term well-being. By understanding which factors predict declines in quality of life, it may be possible to improve outcomes among sepsis survivors.
Source: American Academy of Pediatrics
Image Credit: Ron Mader
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Sepsis, quality of life, Sepsis Survivors
New research to be presented at the 2017 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting shows that despite the fact that survival rates among children who develop sepsis have risen dramatically in recent years, recovery still remains a long haul for these patients
