Association of left ventricular dysfunction with pediatric sepsis.

Abstract

Objective: To explore the relationship between left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) and clinical outcomes in children with severe sepsis or septic shock. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), Ziauddin Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. Period: December 2024 to June 2025. Methods: A total of 122 children aged 1 month to 18 years with severe sepsis or septic shock were analyzed. Outcomes assessed were need for mechanical ventilation, PICU stay, and mortality. Data were analyzed using SPSS v26, with frequencies for categorical variables, means for continuous data. Chi-square/Fisher’s exact or t-tests were used, with significance at p<0.05. Results: Among 122 children, the mean age was 4.8±2.5 years, while 68 (55.7%) children were female. There were 63 (51.6%) children who had severe sepsis, and 59 (48.4%) with septic shock. Septic shock cases had lower systolic (90.5±25.7 vs 112.8±33.3 mmHg, p=0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (55.9±16.5 vs 70.2±24.7 mmHg, p<0.001), higher heart rate (151.9±27.9 vs 134.2±37.1 bpm, p=0.004) and respiratory rate (47.1±10.6 vs 39.9±15.9, p=0.006). LVDD was present in 77 (63.1%) and RVDD in 67 (54.9%), without any significant differences. There was no statistically significant differences with respect to mortality (p=0.110). Conclusion: Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction was highly prevalent among children with pediatric sepsis. Children with septic shock demonstrated significantly greater hemodynamic compromise.