Black children more likely to die of sepsis at one hospital
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Key takeaways:
- Sepsis mortality among children was 1.65% at one hospital, just over half of the rate for Black children alone.
- Black children who died also had a longer length of hospitalization and longer stays in the ICU.
WASHINGTON — Black children were more than twice as likely to die of sepsis as white children at one Arkansas hospital, according to research presented at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition.
Sepsis is the body’s extreme reaction to an infection that can cause tissue damage, organ damage and death. According to the AAP, an estimated 40,000 children are hospitalized due to sepsis every year, and over 5,000 die from the condition.
Earlier this year, the CDC launched a new anti-sepsis program for U.S. hospitals that was modeled after the agency’s “Core Elements” framework for antibiotic stewardship programs.
According to the CDC, one in three people who dies in a hospital has sepsis during their stay.
“Early recognition and resuscitation of pediatric sepsis has led to improved outcomes. study author Michael Stroud, MD, FAAP, professor of pediatric critical care at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children’s Hospital Little Rock, said in a press release. “Despite these advancements, Black children continue to have increased mortality rates.”
Stroud and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis of patients at Arkansas Children’s who presented with sepsis, severe sepsis or septic shock between January 2018 and April 2022, totaled 3,514 patients.
The overall mortality rate was 1.65%, but it was 3.13% for Black children and 1.27% among white children, the researchers found. Black children who died also had a longer length of hospitalization and longer stays in the hospital’s ICU.
“Our research shows that mortality in black children remains higher when compared with white children, despite advances like automated recognition tools and timely administration of therapeutic interventions,” Stroud said in the release.
Stroud and colleagues also noted that the preliminary data suggested similar rates of timely resuscitation, including through administration and IV fluid boluses, but also said there was more work to be done.
“We must identify the factors contributing to this discrepancy and work to improve outcomes for all children, despite race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status,” Stroud said. “Further investigations are needed to identify if conscious and unconscious biases, potential socioeconomic factors, and genetic predispositions are leading to racial disparities in outcomes of children with pediatric sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock.”
References:
Research finds Black children over twice as likely to die of sepsis at one hospital. https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/news-releases/aap/2023/research-finds-black-children-over-twice-as-likely-to-die-of-sepsis-at-one-hospital/. Published Oct. 20, 2023. Accessed Oct. 25, 2023.
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Stroud M, et al. Racial disparity in pediatric sepsis mortality. Presented at: AAP National Conference & Exhibition; Oct. 20-24, 2023; Washington, D.C.
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