Wheeler DS, Jeffries HE, Zimmerman JJ, Wong HR, Carcillo JA. Sepsis in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit.
World J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg 2011;
2:393-9. [PMID:
22337571 PMCID:
PMC3277844 DOI:
10.1177/2150135111403781]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The survival rate for children with congenital heart disease (CHD) has increased significantly coincident with improved techniques in cardiothoracic surgery, cardiopulmonary bypass and myocardial protection, and perioperative care. Cardiopulmonary bypass, likely in combination with ischemia-reperfusion injury, hypothermia, and surgical trauma, elicits a complex, systemic inflammatory response that is characterized by activation of the complement cascade, release of endotoxin, activation of leukocytes and the vascular endothelium, and release of proinflammatory cytokines. This complex inflammatory state causes a transient immunosuppressed state, which may increase the risk of hospital-acquired infection in these children. Postoperative sepsis occurs in nearly 3% of children undergoing cardiac surgery and has been associated with longer length of stay and mortality risks in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit. Herein, we review the epidemiology, pathobiology, and management of sepsis in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit.
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