Background

Sepsis is a serious public health problem. In Cuba, it remains the fourth leading cause of death in children under one year of age. Knowing the behavior of this serious condition in patients will allow scientific support to propose health strategies that guarantee a more comprehensive medical care.

Objective

to describe the behavior of sepsis in pediatric patients treated at the pediatric hospital of Cienfuegos.

Methods

a descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out at the Paquito González Cueto Pediatric Hospital in Cienfuegos. The clinical records of the children who, upon admission to the Intensive Care Unit, were diagnosed with sepsis, severe sepsis or septic shock were reviewed; between January 2009 and December 2019. A total of 175 patients met the inclusion criteria. The variables were: age, year, stage of sepsis, biological risk factors and mortality.

Results

the incidence of sepsis in the Intensive Care Unit in relation to the total admissions was 3.6%. The general mortality represented the 30.8%; and severe forms of sepsis, the 44.4%. The age group most affected was those under one year of age. The most frequent comorbidities and / or biological risk factors were infantile cerebral paralysis and prematurity.

Conclusion

the incidence of sepsis has not changed in the last years, and the mortality associated with it, although lower, remains high. Comorbidities were in half of the patients.

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