JAMA

SCCM 2026: Sepsis tied to nearly 1 in 5 pediatric hospital deaths nationwide

March 26, 2026

Findings presented at the Society of Critical Care Medicine annual meeting show that, among 3.9 million pediatric hospitalizations across Epic Cosmos and HCA Healthcare systems, 1.3% met the Pediatric Sepsis Event (PSE) definition—representing 51,542 cases with a mean age of 6.6 years, 44.3% of whom were female. Most cases were community‑onset (72.6%), and 61.6% involved septic shock. In‑hospital mortality reached 10.1%, and sepsis was present in 17.8% of hospitalizations that resulted in death. National estimates for 2022 indicated 18,231 cases and 1,877 deaths, with no significant change in incidence or mortality from 2016–2022. The PSE definition demonstrated 69.9% sensitivity and 93.1% specificity, outperforming administrative codes in sensitivity and providing comparable specificity.

Clinical takeaway: The validated EHR‑based PSE framework may help clinicians and health systems better identify at‑risk children and direct timely, organ‑supportive care.

Source:

Rhee C, et al. (2026, March 22). JAMA. National Estimates of Pediatric Sepsis in US Hospitals Using Clinical Data. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41865411/