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Sepsis en niños

Last reviewed: 20 Aug 2025
Last updated: 19 Sep 2024

Summary

Definition

History and exam

Key diagnostic factors

  • presencia de factores de riesgo
  • fiebre o baja temperatura corporal
  • taquipnea
  • taquicardia
  • bradicardia (neonatos y lactantes)
  • estado mental o comportamiento alterado
  • menor perfusión periférica
  • cambio en el patrón habitual de actividad o alimentación en un neonato
  • pañales secos/menor diuresis
  • piel moteada, apariencia grisácea, cianosis
  • baja saturación de oxígeno
  • vasoplegia
  • erupción purpúrica que no palidece a la presión
Full details

Other diagnostic factors

  • hipotensión
  • signos y síntomas focales específicos que reflejan una patología subyacente
Full details

Risk factors

  • inmunodeficiencia
  • comorbilidades
  • sexo masculino
  • menor edad (especialmente neonatos)
  • factores de riesgo perinatales para infección (neonatos)
  • factores asociados a la atención médica (neonatos)
  • cirugía reciente u otros procedimientos invasivos
  • afectación de la integridad de la piel
Full details

Diagnostic investigations

1st investigations to order

  • hemograma completo (HC) con diferencial
  • glucosa sérica
  • hemocultivo
  • análisis de orina
  • urocultivo
  • gasometría
  • lactato sérico
  • electrolitos séricos
  • creatinina sérica
  • pruebas de función hepática (PFH)
  • estudios de coagulación
  • proteína C reactiva (PCR)
  • radiografía de tórax
Full details

Investigations to consider

  • punción lumbar
  • reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR) meningocócica
  • cultivo de lavado broncoalveolar
  • reacción en cadena de la polimerasa del virus del herpes simple (VHS) (sangre y líquido cefalorraquídeo)
  • tomografía computarizada (CT) de tórax
  • Ecografía de abdomen
  • tomografía computarizada (TC) del abdomen
Full details

Emerging tests

  • procalcitonina sérica
  • biomarcadores emergentes
  • Kit PhenoTest™ BC

Treatment algorithm

ACUTE

sepsis supuesta o confirmada

Contributors

Authors

Akash Deep, MD, FRCPCH

Director and Professor of Paediatric Critical Care

Paediatric Intensive Care Unit

King’s College Hospital

London

UK

Disclosures

AD declares that he has no competing interests.

Chris Duncan, BMBS, BMedSci, MRCP, FFICM, FEWM, RMP, PGCert

ST7 Intensive Care Medicine

Barts Health NHS Trust

London

UK

Disclosures

CD declares that he has no competing interests.

Acknowledgements

Dr Akash Deep and Dr Chris Duncan would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Jeremy Tong and Dr Adrian Plunkett, previous contributors to this topic.

Disclosures

JT and AP are authors involved in the Paediatric Sepsis Six initiative, cited in this topic.

Peer reviewers

Saul N. Faust, MA, MBBS, FRCPCH, PhD, FHEA

Professor of Paediatric Immunology & Infectious Diseases

Director, NIHR Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility

University of Southampton

Southampton

UK

Disclosures

SNF declares that he has no competing interests.

Mohan Pammi, MBBS, MD, MRCPCH

Assistant Professor

Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine

Houston

TX

Disclosures

MP declares that he has no competing interests.

Jerry J. Zimmerman, MD, PhD

Faculty, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine

Seattle Children's Hospital

University of Washington School of Medicine

Seattle

WA

Disclosures

JJZ receives research grant support from NIH/NICHD and ImmuneXpress; travel reimbursement from the Society of Critical Care Medicine to attend board meetings; and royalties from Elsevier for action as a co-editor for the textbook Pediatric Critical Care.

Peer reviewer acknowledgements

BMJ Best Practice topics are updated on a rolling basis in line with developments in evidence and guidance. The peer reviewers listed here have reviewed the content at least once during the history of the topic.

Disclosures

Peer reviewer affiliations and disclosures pertain to the time of the review.

References

Our in-house evidence and editorial teams collaborate with international expert contributors and peer reviewers to ensure that we provide access to the most clinically relevant information possible.

Key articles

Goldstein B, Giroir B, Randolph A; International Consensus Conference on Pediatric Sepsis. International pediatric sepsis consensus conference: definitions for sepsis and organ dysfunction in pediatrics. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2005 Jan;6(1):2-8. Abstract

Schlapbach LJ, Watson RS, Sorce LR, et al. International consensus criteria for pediatric sepsis and septic shock. JAMA. 2024 Feb 27;331(8):665-74. Abstract

Weiss SL, Peters MJ, Alhazzani W, et al. Surviving Sepsis Campaign international guidelines for the management of septic shock and sepsis-associated organ dysfunction in children. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2020 Feb;21(2):e52-e106.Full text  Abstract

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Suspected sepsis: recognition, diagnosis and early management. Mar 2024 [internet publication].Full text

Davis AL, Carcillo JA, Aneja RK, et al. American College of Critical Care Medicine clinical practice parameters for hemodynamic support of pediatric and neonatal septic shock. Crit Care Med. 2017 Jun;45(6):1061-93.Full text  Abstract

Reference articles

A full list of sources referenced in this topic is available to users with access to all of BMJ Best Practice.
  • Sepsis en niños images
  • Differentials

    • Enfermedad de coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19)
    • Síndrome multisistémico inflamatorio pediátrico
    • Cardiopatía congénita
    More Differentials
  • Guidelines

    • Suspected sepsis: recognition, diagnosis and early management
    • Neonatal infection: antibiotics for prevention and treatment
    More Guidelines
  • Patient information

    Sepsis en niños

    More Patient information
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