Overview of guidelines for the management of sepsis in children

Abstract

Several guidelines for the management of sepsis and septic shock in children have recently been developed to promote best practices and improve patient outcomes. Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines (SSCG) 2012, American College of Critical Care Medicine (ACCM) 2014 update, are now available, as well as J-SSCG 2016, which was developed in Japan. Based on these guidelines, we reviewed fluid resuscitation and blood purification therapies for sepsis and septic shock in children. There is no consensus regarding definitions for sepsis and septic shock in children； moreover, most statements were designated with weak or no recommendation, as well as low quality of evidence. Organ dysfunction criteria for children must be developed and validated to establish definitions for sepsis and septic shock in children, which should be used to guide future studies.