Clinical Characteristics and Factors Associated with Mortality Among Children with Sepsis Admitted to Pediatric ICU at Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Clinical Characteristics and Factors Associated with Mortality Among Children with Sepsis Admitted to Pediatric ICU at Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Clinical Characteristics and Factors Associated with Mortality Among Children with Sepsis Admitted to Pediatric ICU at Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Olivia Theonest, David Muhunzi, Yasser Habresh Said, Nahya Salim, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4453825/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Sepsis is a global burden in the pediatric population with high morbidity and mortality. Clinical characteristics and factors associated with mortality at ICU in our settings are not well documented, hence posing more challenges in its management. This study aimed to assess the clinical characteristics and factors associated with mortality among children with sepsis admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit at Muhimbili National Hospital. Methodology: A cross-sectional study with longitudinal follow-up was conducted among children with suspected/proven sepsis admitted to the PICU at Muhimbili National Hospital, Tanzania from July 2022 to January 2023. The diagnosis of sepsis was made within 24 hours of admission after screening using SIRS criteria and thorough clinical examination. Clinical and laboratory characteristics were recorded from hospital software and patient clinical notes. Assessment of the outcome (survival or death) was done on day 10 post-admission. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23. Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test was used to assess the association between categorical variables and mortality. Poisson regression was used for multivariate analysis of factors associated with mortality. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results A total of 160 children with suspected or proven sepsis were included in the study, male to female ratio was 1:1. with a median age of 1 year (IQR = 1–14). The respiratory system was the most common focus of infection. The majority of children had sepsis with associated organ dysfunction with respiratory failure being the most common type. Of the study participants, 43.8% had positive culture growth, and the common isolate was Staphylococcus aureus . Death occurred in more than one–third of study participants within ten days of ICU admission. Septic shock and the need for inotropes were associated with an increase in mortality while positive culture growth was associated with a reduced mortality. Conclusion Sepsis is a major health challenge among children in the pediatric intensive care unit. Early recognition, prompt management, prevention of septic shock, and optimizing care are crucial in reducing mortality. Prompt identification and targeted treatment of the causative organism may improve outcomes for children with sepsis. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4453825","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":314540504,"identity":"7fdbec2b-8008-4aec-a295-2aa661351b62","order_by":0,"name":"Olivia Theonest","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Olivia","middleName":"","lastName":"Theonest","suffix":""},{"id":314540505,"identity":"686f67b5-7cf5-4cf6-acbe-64580283c79e","order_by":1,"name":"David Muhunzi","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA5UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACHhAhwdjAwNgg8QHIZGMnRYvkDJAWZuK0ANUDCWkwm5AW3Rm5x6QL/ljI9s9Ibrxt82ubPB8zA+OHjzm4tZjdyEuTnsEjYTzjRmKzdW7fbcM2ZgZmyZnb8GnJMZPmkZBIbDhzsE06t+c2I1ALGzMvQS0GEonzQVose27bE6klQSJxw/HGNmmGH7cTCWs588bYmueAhPHG443Nlr0Nt5PbmBmb8fvleI7hbZ4/dbLzDrM/vPHjz23b+e3NBz98xKMFFTC2gckGYtWDwB9SFI+CUTAKRsFIAQAIaU8yblXnkAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS)","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"David","middleName":"","lastName":"Muhunzi","suffix":""},{"id":314540506,"identity":"7085f54c-e854-4b2b-b527-9be8b88714f4","order_by":2,"name":"Yasser Habresh Said","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Muhimbili National Hospital","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yasser","middleName":"Habresh","lastName":"Said","suffix":""},{"id":314540507,"identity":"abb09eb6-0fdf-4b0d-b10d-e84332cfc66c","order_by":3,"name":"Nahya Salim","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nahya","middleName":"","lastName":"Salim","suffix":""},{"id":314540508,"identity":"02030cb7-cada-4085-9428-f3e3696782fb","order_by":4,"name":"Aiko Shoo","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Muhimbili National Hospital","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Aiko","middleName":"","lastName":"Shoo","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-05-21 09:44:22","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4453825/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4453825/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":59474320,"identity":"0e1fbcca-7640-41df-a182-faa79992427d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-07-02 08:26:12","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":348521,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SepsisManuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4453825/v1_covered_4bcc0feb-6546-49df-91bf-088e06698abc.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Clinical Characteristics and Factors Associated with Mortality Among Children with Sepsis Admitted to Pediatric ICU at Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4453825/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4453825/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eSepsis is a global burden in the pediatric population with high morbidity and mortality. Clinical characteristics and factors associated with mortality at ICU in our settings are not well documented, hence posing more challenges in its management. This study aimed to assess the clinical characteristics and factors associated with mortality among children with sepsis admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit at Muhimbili National Hospital.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethodology:\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA cross-sectional study with longitudinal follow-up was conducted among children with suspected/proven sepsis admitted to the PICU at Muhimbili National Hospital, Tanzania from July 2022 to January 2023. The diagnosis of sepsis was made within 24 hours of admission after screening using SIRS criteria and thorough clinical examination. Clinical and laboratory characteristics were recorded from hospital software and patient clinical notes. Assessment of the outcome (survival or death) was done on day 10 post-admission. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23. Chi-square or Fisher\u0026rsquo;s exact test was used to assess the association between categorical variables and mortality. Poisson regression was used for multivariate analysis of factors associated with mortality. A p-value of \u0026le;\u0026thinsp;0.05 was considered statistically significant.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA total of 160 children with suspected or proven sepsis were included in the study, male to female ratio was 1:1. with a median age of 1 year (IQR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1\u0026ndash;14). The respiratory system was the most common focus of infection. The majority of children had sepsis with associated organ dysfunction with respiratory failure being the most common type. Of the study participants, 43.8% had positive culture growth, and the common isolate was \u003cem\u003eStaphylococcus aureus\u003c/em\u003e. Death occurred in more than one\u0026ndash;third of study participants within ten days of ICU admission. Septic shock and the need for inotropes were associated with an increase in mortality while positive culture growth was associated with a reduced mortality.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eSepsis is a major health challenge among children in the pediatric intensive care unit. Early recognition, prompt management, prevention of septic shock, and optimizing care are crucial in reducing mortality. Prompt identification and targeted treatment of the causative organism may improve outcomes for children with sepsis.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Clinical Characteristics and Factors Associated with Mortality Among Children with Sepsis Admitted to Pediatric ICU at Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-06-27 17:25:56","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4453825/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"fe877c45-c6a6-4295-82ee-1dabd0e400e3","owner":[],"postedDate":"June 27th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-07-02T08:18:05+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-06-27 17:25:56","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4453825","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4453825","identity":"rs-4453825","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}