Pediatric emergency medicine practice
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Pediatr Emerg Med Pract · Apr 2015
ReviewSeptic shock: recognizing and managing this life-threatening condition in pediatric patients.
Septic shock is a relatively rare but life-threatening condition in pediatric patients that can often be difficult to recognize in the emergency department. Once recognized, the emphasis of therapy is to reverse deficits in cellular respiration by increasing oxygen and other substrate delivery to tissue beds. ⋯ Goal-directed therapy is relatively straightforward, emphasizes the need for effective surveillance and timely recognition of this disease process, and has the potential to significantly reduce morbidity and mortality. This review discusses how to identify specific populations at the greatest risk for septic shock, lays out the essential components of goal-directed therapy, examines potential pitfalls in management, and distinguishes additional ways that emergency clinicians can avoid the devastating consequences of septic shock in pediatric patients.