Paed Child Healt Can
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Paed Child Healt Can · Mar 2017
Effect of measuring vital signs on recognition and treatment of septic children.
A majority of children presenting with sepsis do not receive adequate fluid resuscitation and have a delay in antibiotic administration despite recommendations from the Surviving Sepsis Campaign. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of measuring a complete set of five vital signs in the emergency department (ED) with recognition and treatment of septic children presenting to the ED. ⋯ In our study population, the measurement of all vital signs in the ED, including blood pressure, was associated with faster administration of antibiotics and improved compliance with existing fluid bolus recommendations, which may have been the result of better recognition of sepsis in children through vital signs measurement.