Factors associated with mortality due to septic shock in children

Abstract

Introduction: Sepsis is the most common disease of those treated in the Intensive Care Units, and possibly the main battlefield of Intensive Care Medicine. Objectives: To identify factors associated with mortality in patients with septic shock. Method: A descriptive, longitudinal and prospective study of 209 patients with septic shock was conducted. The association of variables with mortality from shock was assessed. The patients at risk of dying were identified. Results: The patients with a nutritional status less than 3rd percentile were 5.8 times more likely to die and those with nosocomial infection were 3.90 times more likely to die. The shock of low output and low resistance increased the risk of dying 8.17 times; 71 patients were ventilated (34%) and they were 74.4 times more likely to die. The association of the failure in four or more organ increases the risk of dying 66.3 times. Conclusions: An increase in stay, in the number of organ with failure and the progress to shock of low output and low systemic vascular resistance leads to increased mortality of patients with septic shock. Increased risk of death is found in females, in those aged from 2 to 12 years, those with more than 10 days of stay, those malnourished, with fungal and nosocomial infections, with shock of low output and low resistance, those with mechanical ventilation that starts in 1-3 hours, those with more than 10 days ventilated, with kidney, liver, neurological and hematological failure and those with 4 or more organs with failure.