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Hébert A, Boucher MP, Guimont C, et al. Effect of measuring vital signs on recognition and treatment of septic children. Paediatr Child Health. 2017;22(1):13-16doi: 10.1093/pch/pxw003.
Hébert, A., Boucher, M. P., Guimont, C., & Weiss, M. (2017). Effect of measuring vital signs on recognition and treatment of septic children. Paediatrics & child health, 22(1), 13-16. https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/pxw003
Hébert, Audrey, et al. "Effect of measuring vital signs on recognition and treatment of septic children." Paediatrics & child health vol. 22,1 (2017): 13-16. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/pxw003
Hébert A, Boucher MP, Guimont C, Weiss M. Effect of measuring vital signs on recognition and treatment of septic children. Paediatr Child Health. 2017 Mar;22(1):13-16. doi: 10.1093/pch/pxw003. Epub 2017 Mar 30. PMID: 29483789; PMCID: PMC5819837.
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Paediatr Child Health. 2017 Mar;22(1):13-16. doi: 10.1093/pch/pxw003. Epub 2017 Mar 30.

Effect of measuring vital signs on recognition and treatment of septic children.

Paediatrics & child health

Audrey Hébert, Marie-Pier Boucher, Chantal Guimont, Matthew Weiss

Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Centre Mère-Enfant Soleil, CHU de Québec, Université Laval, Quebec City, Québec.
  2. Department of Emergency Medicine, Centre Mère-Enfant Soleil, CHU de Québec, Université Laval, Quebec City, Québec.

PMID: 29483789 PMCID: PMC5819837 DOI: 10.1093/pch/pxw003

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: 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.

METHODS: Records of 218 patients aged 1 month to 17 years treated between February 2011 and December 2011 in a single academic centre with clinical criteria of sepsis, severe sepsis or septic shock were retrospectively evaluated. The presence or absence of complete vital signs was analyzed in relation to timing of fluid resuscitation, and if antibiotics were given in the first hour of medical evaluation.

RESULTS: Seventy-six per cent of children who had all five vital signs measured in the ED received fluid resuscitation in the first hour after medical evaluation as opposed to 61% of those who had an incomplete set of vital signs (P<0.04). Twenty per cent of children who had all five vital signs measured received antibiotics in the first hour as opposed to 9% in children who had fewer vital signs measured (P<0.02).

CONCLUSION: 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.

Keywords: Blood pressure; Sepsis; Triage; Vital signs.

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