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Sepsis is a worldwide public health problem due to its high incidence and accompanying mortality, morbidity, and financial burden. It is a major cause of admission to paediatric intensive care units; despite advances in the diagnosis and treatment, both incidence and mortality are high in low-income and middle-income countries. There are several barriers in addressing the enormous burden of paediatric sepsis in these countries, which include: lack of data of incidence and mortality; unfamiliarity of sepsis by the lay public, leading to failure to seek care early, and by health professionals, leading to failure to treat emergently; and insufficient government funding for sepsis care programmes leading to inadequate staffing, material, and financial resources, and therefore, poor health systems. Socioeconomic inequalities, such as inequity and marked variation in income and education, high rates of malnutrition, high percentage of young population, and health systems that do not meet the population's demands also represent barriers in the care of children with sepsis in Latin America. In this Viewpoint, we draw attention to the problem of paediatric sepsis in Latin America and call for action to reduce the disease burden by proposing some solutions.

This article reviews the many factors that have to be taken into account as we consider the advancement of pediatric critical care (PCC) in multiple settings across the world. The extent of PCC and the range of patients who are cared for in this environment are considered. Along with a review of the ongoing treatment and technology advances in the PCC setting, the structures and systems required to support these services are also considered. Finally the question of how PCC can be made sustainable in a volatile world with the impacts of global crises such as climate change is addressed.

BackgroundStrong social distancing measures were quickly implemented in Chile during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. One of the aims of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) mandates was to decrease overcrowding, thus is usually measured as mobility changes.Methodswe gather data from national health statistics for pediatric emergency (PED) visits for acute respiratory infection (ARI) in children younger than 15. We defined a historical cohort, including data from 2016 to 2019, and compared them with 2020 and 2021 pandemic years. Also, Chile’s national mobility reports from the online google database were downloaded. We tested the correlation between changes in mobility and relative reduction in PED-ARI by Spearman’s Rank Test.ResultsHistorical data showed a mean of 46863 ± 3071 PED-ARI weekly visits with a high seasonal variation, with two peaks in weeks 20 and 28 and weeks 32 to 36. This transient drop was temporally associated with the mid-winter 2-week holiday of schools. The usual PED visits peaks did not occur in 2020 and 2021. Mobility declined from week 9, reaching lower than historical data from week 12 and a minimum of 43% in week 15 of 2020 (Figure 1).The correlation between mobility and PED-ARI visits showed a strong monotonic relationship (quadratic) with a Spearman’s rho of 0.80 (95% CI 0.75 to 0.86) (Figure 2).ConclusionNPI resulting in a decrease in mobility should be considered a robust public health measure to relieve the winter’s collapse of the national health system, decreasing morbimortality in children due to PED-ARI.WHAT’S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECTA remarkable decrease in pediatric respiratory infections has been described during the pandemic, although the causes are still poorly understood.WHAT THIS STUDY ADDSIn a historical cohort before the pandemic, we observed a temporal association between mid-winter holidays and the gap between the two peaks of acute pediatric respiratory infections. We found a strong correlation between national mobility changes due to non-pharmaceutical interventions and acute pediatric respiratory infections during the pandemic. Therefore, timely implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions might be considered as a robust public health measure to attenuate the seasonal epidemic of non-COVID viral acute respiratory infections. With these data, we wonder if the time has come to implement non-pharmaceutical interventions to mitigate the stress, and frequently collapse, of national health systems due to the increase in pediatric acute respiratory infection, placing children as a priority, and provide the best care to this vulnerable population.

La sepsis es una causa importante de morbilidad y mortalidad pediátrica, especialmente en países de bajos recursos. Los datos sobre la prevalencia regional, las tendencias de mortalidad y su relación con variables socioeconómicas son escasos. Objetivo: determinar la prevalencia regional, mortalidad y situación sociodemográfica en pacientes con diagnóstico de sepsis severa (SS) y shock séptico (ShS) ingresados a Unidades de Cuidado Intensivo Pediátrico (UCIPs). Pacientes y Método:Se incluyeron pacientes de 1 a 216 meses de edad ingresados en 47 UCIPs participantes con diagnóstico de SS o ShS entre el 1 de enero de 2010 y el 31 de diciembre de 2018. Se efectuó análisis secundario de la base de datos del Programa de Benchmarking de Calidad de la Sociedad Argentina de Terapia Intensiva (SATI-Q) para SS y ShS, y revisión de los informes anuales del Ministerio de Salud de Argentina y del Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos para los índices sociodemográficos de los años correspon- dientes. Resultados: Se registraron 45.480 ingresos en 47 UCIPs, 3.777 con diagnóstico de SS y ShS. La prevalencia combinada de SS y ShS disminuyó del 9,9% en 2010 al 6,6% en 2018. La mortalidad combinada disminuyó del 34,5% al 23,5%. El análisis multivariado mostró que el Odds ratio (OR) de la asociación entre la mortalidad del SS y el ShS fue de 1,88 (IC 95%: 1,46-2,32) y 2,4 (IC 95%: 2,16- 2,66) respectivamente, ajustada por enfermedad maligna, PIM2 y ventilación mecánica. La prevalen- cia de SS y ShS en diferentes regiones sanitarias (RS) se asoció con el porcentaje de pobreza y la tasa de mortalidad infantil (p < 0,001). Sin embargo, no hubo asociación entre la mortalidad por sepsis y la RS ajustada por PIM2. Conclusiones: La prevalencia y la mortalidad por SS y ShS han disminuido con el tiempo en las UCIP participantes. Las condiciones socioeconómicas más bajas se asociaron con una mayor prevalencia pero con resultados similares de la sepsis.

To understand critical paediatric coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and evaluate factors associated with mortality in children from high and low-middle income countries.Prospective, observational study of critically ill children hospitalised for COVID-19 in 18 countries throughout North America, Latin America, and Europe between April 1 and December 31, 2020. Associations with mortality were evaluated using logistic regression.557 patients (median age, 8 years; 24%2 years) were enrolled from 55 sites (63% Latin American). Half had comorbidities. Invasive (41%) or non-invasive (20%) ventilation and vasopressors (56%) were the most common support modalities. Hospital mortality was 10% and higher in children2 years old (15%; odds ratio 1·94, 95%CI 1·08-3·49). Most who died had pulmonary disease. When adjusted for age, sex, region, and illness severity, mortality-associated factors included cardiac (aOR 2·89; 95%CI 1·2-6·94) or pulmonary comorbidities (aOR 4·43; 95%CI 1·70-11·5), admission hypoxemia (aOR 2·44; 95%CI 1·30-4·57), and lower respiratory symptoms (aOR 2·96; 95%CI 1·57-5·59). MIS-C (aOR 0·25; 95%CI 0·1-0·61) and receiving methylprednisolone (aOR 0·5; 95%CI 0·25-0·99), IVIG (aOR 0·32; 95%CI 0·16-0·62), or anticoagulation (aOR 0·49; 95%CI 0·25-0·95) were associated with lower mortality although these associations might be limited to children2 years old.We identified factors associated with COVID-19 mortality in critically ill children from both high and low-middle income countries, including higher mortality with younger age and COVID-related pulmonary disease but lower mortality in MIS-C. Further research is needed on optimal treatments for younger children and respiratory failure in paediatric COVID-19.None.

Several challenges exist for referral and transport of critically ill children in resource-limited regions such as Latin America; however, little is known about factors associated with clinical outcomes. Thus, we aimed to describe the characteristics of critically ill children in Latin America transferred to pediatric intensive care units for acute respiratory failure to identify risk factors for mortality. We analyzed data from 2,692 patients admitted to 28 centers in the Pediatric Collaborative Network of Latin America Acute Respiratory Failure Registry. Among patients referred from another facility (773, 28%), nonurban transports were independently associated with mortality (adjusted odds ratio = 9.4; 95% confidence interval: 2.4–36.3).

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome temporally related to COVID-19 in children and adolescents is a clinical presentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection. It shares some features with Kawasaki disease, toxic shock, sepsis, macrophage activation syndrome, and myocarditis. Few publications have addressed its initial management, which is similar to that proposed for septic shock. This review analyzes such approach based on the characteristics typical of multisystem inflammatory syndrome related to COVID-19 in accordance with the paradigm of an "institutional practice guideline" and suggests therapeutic approach strategies, including early detection, stabilization, referral, specific treatment, and process analysis.El síndrome inflamatorio multisistémico en niños y adolescentes temporalmente relacionado con COVID-19 es una presentación clínica de la infección por SARS-CoV-2. Comparte algunas características con la enfermedad de Kawasaki, el shock tóxico, la sepsis, el síndrome de activación macrofágica y la miocarditis. Son escasas las publicaciones que abordan su manejo inicial, que tiene semejanzas con el propuesto para el shock séptico. Esta revisión analiza dicho abordaje basado en las características propias del síndrome inflamatorio multisistémico relacionado con COVID-19, de acuerdo con el paradigma de construcción de una “guía de práctica institucional”, y sugiere estrategias de aproximación terapéutica, que incluyen detección temprana, estabilización, referencia, tratamiento específico y análisis de procesos.

Las Guías Internacionales de la Campaña Sobreviviendo a la Sepsis para el Manejo del Shock Séptico y la Disfunción de Órganos Asociada a la Sepsis en Niños, fueron publicadas en 2020 y están desti- nadas a ser utilizadas en todos los lugares que atienden a niños. Sin embargo, los profesionales que atienden a los niños con sepsis en entornos con recursos limitados se enfrentan a una serie de desafíos y perfiles de enfermedad distintos a los que se encuentran en entornos ricos en recursos. Basándonos en nuestra experiencia colectiva en entornos con recursos limitados, nos propusimos reflexionar so- bre las dificultades de aplicar las directrices internacionales. Creemos que hay una necesidad urgente de más evidencia de entornos con recursos limitados en enfoques factibles y eficaces para el trata- miento de la sepsis y el shock séptico que podrían incluirse en las futuras directrices para situaciones y contextos específicos.

Severe sepsis (SS) is one of the leading causes of pediatric mortality in Argentina. The objective was to describe the epidemiological characteristics and to analyze risk factors associated with mortality from SS among patients hospitalized in pediatric intensive care units (PICU) in Argentina.Observational, prospective cohort study among patients with SS hospitalized in PICUs in Argentina from 8/1/2008 to 9/30/2008.Two thousand five hundred and fifty nine patients were admitted at 59 PICUs. A total of 315 patients (335 events) were included. Patients' median age was 8 months (1-182). The frequency was 13.8 %, and 28-day mortality was 31.6 %. Patients with a higher mortality were those who were coming from rural areas, had comorbidities at the time of admission or a history of cancer, had shock or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), were administered low-dose corticosteroids or vasoactive drugs or more than 60 ml/kg of fluid in the first hour and in the first 6hours, and had severe malnutrition. Following adjustment by severity using a multivariate logistic regression model, only coming from a rural area, having shock or ARDS remained associated with 28-day mortality. Forty per cent of patients received antibiotics 60 minutes after diagnosis.SS is an event with a high frequency and mortality in Argentina. In the severity adjusted multivariate analysis, only coming from a rural area, having ARDS and/or shock were associated with higher mortality.Introducción. La sepsis grave (SG) es una de las principales causas de mortalidad pediátrica en Argentina. El objetivo fue describir las características epidemiológicas y analizar los factores asociados a la mortalidad de la SG en pacientes internados en unidades de cuidados intensivos pediátricos (UCIP) de Argentina. Pacientes y métodos. Estudio observacional, de cohorte prospectiva en pacientes con SG internados en UCIP de Argentina del 1/8/2008 al 30/9/2008. Resultados. En 59 UCIP, ingresaron 2559 pacientes. Se incluyeron 315 pacientes, que tuvieron 335 eventos. La mediana de edad fue 8 meses (1-182). La frecuencia fue del 13,8 % y la mortalidad a los 28 días, del 31,6 %. Tuvieron mayor mortalidad quienes procedían del ámbito rural, presentaban una comorbilidad al ingresar o antecedentes oncológicos, tenían shock o síndrome de dificultad respiratoria aguda (SDRA), recibieron corticoides en bajas dosis o drogas vasoactivas o más de 60 ml/kg de fluidos en la primera hora y en las 6 primeras horas, y los desnutridos graves. Al ajustarse por gravedad en un modelo de regresión logística multivariado, solo mantuvieron la asociación con mortalidad a los 28 días el provenir del ámbito rural, tener shock o SDRA. El 40 % de los pacientes recibieron antibióticos después de los 60 minutos del diagnóstico. Conclusiones. La SG es un evento de elevada frecuencia y mortalidad en Argentina. En el análisis multivariado ajustado por gravedad, solo provenir del área rural, la presencia de SDRA y/o de shock se asociaron a mayor mortalidad.

OBJECTIVE Guidelines adherence in emergency departments (EDs) relies partly on the availability of resources to improve sepsis care and outcomes. Our objective was to assess the management of pediatric septic shock (PSS) in Latin America's EDs and to determine the impact of treatment coordinated by a pediatric emergency specialist (PEMS) versus nonpediatric emergency specialists (NPEMS) on guidelines adherence. METHODS Prospective, descriptive, and multicenter study using an electronic survey administered to PEMS and NPEMS who treat PSS in EDs in 14 Latin American countries. RESULTS We distributed 2164 surveys with a response rate of 41.5%, of which 22.5% were PEMS. Overall American College of Critical Care Medicine reported guidelines adherence was as follows: vascular access obtained in 5 minutes, 76%; fluid infusion technique, 60%; administering 40 to 60 mL/kg within 30 minutes, 32%; inotropic infusion by peripheral route, 61%; dopamine or epinephrine in cold shock, 80%; norepinephrine in warm shock, 57%; and antibiotics within 60 minutes, 82%. Between PEMS and NPEMS, the following differences were found: vascular access in 5 minutes, 87.1% versus 72.7% (P < 0.01); fluid infusion technique, 72.3% versus 55.9% (P < 0.01); administering 40 to 60 mL/kg within 30 minutes, 42% versus 29% (P < 0.01); inotropic infusion by peripheral route, 75.7% versus 56.3% (P < 0.01); dopamine or epinephrine in cold shock, 87.1% versus 77.3% (P < 0.05); norepinephrine in warm shock, 67.8% versus 54% (P < 0.01); and antibiotic administration within first 60 minutes, 90.1% versus 79.3% (P < 0.01), respectively. Good adherence criteria were followed by 24%. The main referred barrier for sepsis care was a failure in its recognition, including the lack of triage tools. CONCLUSIONS In some Latin American countries, there is variability in self-reported adherence to the evidence-based recommendations for the treatment of PSS during the first hour. The coordination by PEMS support greater adherence to these recommendations.

Resumen: Objetivo: describir las terapias utilizadas en lactantes con bronquiolitis aguda admitidos en 20 Uni dades de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI) pediátricos miembros de LARed en 5 países latinoamerica nos. Pacientes y Método: Estudio observacional retrospectivo, multicéntrico, de datos del Registro Latinoamericano de Falla Respiratoria Aguda Pediátrica. Se incluyeron niños menores de 2 años ingresados a UCI pediátrica por bronquiolitis aguda comunitaria entre mayo-septiembre 2017. Se recolectaron datos demográficos, clínicos, soporte respiratorio, terapias utilizadas y resultados clí nicos. Se realizó análisis de subgrupos según ubicación geográfica, tipo financiación y presencia de academia. Resultados: Ingresaron al registro 1155 pacientes con falla respiratoria aguda. Seis casos fueron excluidos por no tener formulario completo. De los 1147 pacientes, 908 eran menores de 2 años. De ellos, 467 tuvieron diagnóstico de bronquiolitis aguda, correspondiendo a la principal causa de ingreso a UCI pediátrica por falla respiratoria aguda (51,4%). Las características demográficas y de gravedad entre los centros fueron similares. El soporte máximo respiratorio más frecuente fue cánula nasal de alto flujo (47%), seguido por ventilación mecánica no invasiva (26%) y ventilación mecánica invasiva (17%), con un coeficiente de variación (CV) amplio entre los centros. Hubo una gran dispersión en uso de terapias, siendo frecuente el uso de broncodilatadores, antibióticos y corticoides, con CV hasta 400%. El análisis de subgrupos mostró diferencias significativas en soporte respiratorio y tratamientos utilizados. Un paciente falleció en esta cohorte. Conclusión: Detectamos gran variabilidad en el soporte respiratorio y tratamientos entre UCI pediátricas latinoamericanas. Esta variabilidad no es explicada por disparidades demográficas ni clínicas. Esta heterogeneidad de tratamientos debería promover iniciativas colaborativas para disminuir la brecha entre la evidencia científica y la práctica asistencial. Abstract: The objective of this study was to describe the management of infants with acute bronchiolitis admit ted to 20 pediatric intensive care units (PICU) members of LARed in 5 Latin American countries. Pa tients and Method: Retrospective, multicenter, observational study of data from the Latin American Registry of Acute Pediatric Respiratory Failure. We included children under 2 years of age admitted to the PICU due to community-based acute bronchiolitis between May and September 2017. Demo graphic and clinical data, respiratory support, therapies used, and clinical results were collected. A subgroup analysis was carried out according to geographical location (Atlantic v/s Pacific), type of insurance (Public v/s Private), and Academic v/s non-Academic centers. Results: 1,155 patients were included in the registry which present acute respiratory failure and 6 were excluded due to the lack of information in their record form. Out of the 1,147 patients, 908 were under 2 years of age, and out of those, 467 (51.4%) were diagnosed with acute bronchiolitis, which was the main cause of admission to the PICU due to acute respiratory failure. The demographic and severity characteristics among the centers were similar. The most frequent maximum ventilatory support was the high-flow nasal can nula (47%), followed by non-invasive ventilation (26%) and invasive mechanical ventilation (17%), with a wide coefficient of variation (CV) between centers. There was a great dispersion in the use of treatments, where the use of bronchodilators, antibiotics, and corticosteroids, representing a CV up to 400%. There were significant differences in subgroup analysis regarding respiratory support and treatments used. One patient of this cohort passed away. Conclusion: we detected wide variability in respiratory support and treatments among Latin American PICUs. This variability was not explained by demographic or clinical differences. The heterogeneity of treatments should encourage collabora tive initiatives to reduce the gap between scientific evidence and practice.

In the past two years, different organizations have updated their clinical practice guidelines for hemodynamic support in pediatric septic shock. The studies conducted in adults have questioned the initial management of sepsis in accordance to protocols based on achieving various goals. However, the usefulness of these protocols in children has been demonstrated. The possibility of adhering to guidelines may vary depending on patients and facilities, so it is necessary to update the general aspects of initial care for children with sepsis. The proposal is to shift the paradigm from an "individual practice guideline," which is universal for all, to an "institutional practice guideline" and to assess the factors that should be improved at each facility. This manuscript is divided into two parts. The first part analyzes the bundles for the early detection of septic shock. Part two addresses treatment, stabilization, referral, and process analysis.En los últimos dos años, diferentes entidades han actualizado las guías de práctica clínica para el soporte hemodinámico en el shock séptico pediátrico. Estudios en adultos han cuestionado el manejo inicial de la sepsis siguiendo protocolos basados en lograr diversas metas. Sin embargo, en niños, la utilidad de estos protocolos ha sido demostrada. Las posibilidades de cumplir las guías pueden diferir entre pacientes e instituciones, por lo que es necesario actualizar los aspectos generales de atención inicial del niño con sepsis. Se propone analizar el cambio de paradigma de "guía de práctica individual", universal para todos, hacia uno de "práctica institucional" y evaluar los factores por mejorar en cada institución. Se divide el manuscrito en dos secciones. La primera analiza los paquetes para la detección temprana de la entidad. La segunda aborda el tratamiento, la estabilización, la referencia y el análisis de procesos.

In 2016, the Surviving Sepsis Campaign and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) developed clinical practice guidelines for the management of pediatric septic shock. In 2017, the American College of Critical Care Medicine (ACCM) updated its recommendations for hemodynamic support of pediatric shock. Recognizing septic shock is critical, as well as an optimal, time-sensitive treatment. An adequate consultation with a pediatric specialist and/or a timely referral to a facility with a higher level of care are also critical for an appropriate outcome in the management of this condition. Here we analyze the bundles used in the management of these patients, which are essential to improve the quality of care.En 2016, la Campaña Sobrevivir a la Sepsis y el Instituto Nacional de Salud y Cuidados de Excelencia del Reino Unido (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, NICE) elaboraron guías de práctica clínica para el manejo del shock séptico pediátrico. En 2017, el Colegio Americano de Medicina de Cuidados Críticos (ACCM) actualizó sus recomendaciones para el soporte hemodinámico del shock en niños. El reconocimiento de la entidad es esencial, así como un tratamiento óptimo sensible al tiempo de aplicación. La consulta adecuada con un especialista en pediatría y/o la referencia en tiempo y forma a una unidad de mayor complejidad también son esenciales para un resultado adecuado en el manejo de la entidad. Se analizan los paquetes de medidas intervinientes en el manejo de pacientes, fundamentales para mejorar su calidad de atención.

OBJECTIVE To describe the clinical characteristics and outcome of patients admitted to pediatric intensive care with influenza A (pH1N1) 2009 in Argentina. DESIGN Retrospective observational study. SETTING Thirteen pediatric intensive care units in Argentina. SUBJECTS One hundred and forty-two patients with confirmed or suspected influenza A (H1N1). INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS We included 142 critically ill patients. The median age was 19 months (range, 2-110 months) with 39% of the patients

Describe modes of death and factors involved in decision-making together with life support limitation (LSL) procedures.Prospective, descriptive, longitudinal, and noninterventional study.Sixteen pediatric intensive care units in Argentina.Every patient who died during a 1-yr period was included.Age, sex, length of stay (LOS), primary and admission diagnosis, underlying chronic disease (CD), postoperative condition (PO). Deaths were classified in four groups: a) failed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); b) do-not-resuscitate (DNR) status; c) withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment (WH/WD); and d) brain death (BD). Justifications were classified as a) imminent death; b) poor long-term prognosis; c) poor quality of life; and d) family request. Data were collected from medical records and interviews with the attending physicians. Descriptive statistics were performed. Differences among groups were analyzed through contingency tables and analysis of variance when required. Relative risks and confidence intervals of variables potentially related to LSL were analyzed, and logistic regression was performed. There were 6358 admissions and 457 deaths. CPR was performed in 52%, DNR in 16%, WH/WD in 20%, and BD in 11% of dead patients. BD patients were older, LOS and CD prevalence were higher in the WH/WD group. Inotropic drugs were the most frequently limited treatment in 110 patients (55%), CPR in 72 (35.6%), and mechanical ventilation in 63 (31%). Imminent death was the most frequently reported justification for LSL. CD and more staff were associated with a higher probability of LSL.Most of the patients in Argentina underwent CPR before their death. We have a high proportion of patients with CD (65%) and low BD diagnosis. PO condition decreased LSL probability in chronically ill patients. Do-not-resuscitate orders and withholding new treatments were the most common LSL. Active withdrawal was exceptional. The Ethics Committee was consulted in 5% of the LSL population.