Introduction:

Sepsis can cause life-threatening multi-organ dysfunction, significantly compromising the patient's life.

Objective:

To evaluate the performance of the Phoenix Sepsis Score (PSS) in pediatric patients with clinical suspicion of sepsis and/or septic shock during the first 24 hours after admission to the Pediatric Emergency Department (PED) as a predictor of admission to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

Materials and Methods:

This was a retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional and observational study with an analytical component. Data were obtained from the electronic databases of the PED, the electronic health record, and the laboratory. Pediatric patients with suspected sepsis or septic shock treated at the Pediatric Emergency Department (PED) between April and November 2024 were included. Variables analyzed were: demographic (age, sex, origin), clinical (pediatric assessment triangle, sepsis screening test, medical interventions, comorbidities, clinical course, vaccination status, infectious focus, procedures performed, and admission to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)), and laboratory. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v21. The protocol was approved by the institutional ethics committee.

Results:

160 patients were included. 36.9% met sepsis screening criteria (27% with sepsis and 73% with septic shock). The screening test showed a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 76% for predicting PICU admission within the first 6 hours, and a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 79% at 12 hours. One patient with a positive screening test was included.

Conclusion:

The Phoenix score demonstrated adequate performance as a predictor of PICU admission within the first 6 and 12 hours after admission to the ED, with high sensitivity (93-94%) and moderate specificity (76-79%).

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