Life After Pediatric Sepsis Evaluation

The purpose of this prospective observational study was to describe short and long-term outcomes among children surviving septic shock. LAPSE investigated the intensity and duration of sepsis-associated morbidity that persists following the acute septic event. LAPSE described the post sepsis illness trajectory through Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL) and subject functional status (FS). LAPSE examined organ dysfunction, as well as individual and environmental characteristics that influenced these outcomes. We hypothesized that variation of HRQL and FS would be seen following survival of severe sepsis, enabling development of composite outcome measures for future trials of pediatric sepsis. This study found that 11% of the children died within 3 months of their septic shock episode. Additionally, duration of stay, cumulative vasoactive-inotropic scores, duration of mechanical ventilation, and other factors were associated with adverse outcomes.