Cardiovascular dysfunction (after fluid resuscitation with at least 40 mL/kg of crystalloid)
hypotension with blood pressure < 5th percentile for age or systolic blood pressure < 2 standard deviations below normal for age, or
vasopressor requirement, or
two of the following criteria:
unexplained metabolic acidosis with base deficit > 5 mEq/L
lactic acidosis: serum lactate 2 times the upper limit of normal
oliguria (urine output < 0.5 mL/kg/h)
prolonged capillary refill > 5 seconds
core to peripheral temperature difference > 3 °C
Respiratory dysfunction (in the absence of a cyanotic heart defect or a known chronic respiratory disease)
the ratio of the arterial partial-pressure of oxygen to the fraction of oxygen in the gases inspired (PaO2/FiO2) < 300 (the definition of acute lung injury), or
arterial partial-pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) > 65 torr (20 mmHg) over baseline PaCO2 (evidence of hypercapnic respiratory failure), or
supplemental oxygen requirement of greater than FiO2 0.5 to maintain oxygen saturation ≥ 92%
Neurologic dysfunction
Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) ≤ 11, or
altered mental status with drop in GCS of 3 or more points in a person with developmental delay/intellectual disability
Hematologic dysfunction
platelet count < 80,000/mm3 or 50% drop from maximum in chronically thrombocytopenic, or
international normalized ratio (INR) > 2
Disseminated intravascular coagulation
Kidney dysfunction
serum creatinine ≥ 2 times the upper limit of normal for age or 2-fold increase in baseline creatinine in people with chronic kidney disease
Liver dysfunction (only applicable to infants > 1 month)
total serum bilirubin ≥ 4 mg/dL, or
alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≥ 2 times the upper limit of normalConsensus definitions, however, continue to evolve, with the latest expanding the list of signs and symptoms of sepsis to reflect clinical bedside experience.
At least one should be drawn through the skin and one through each vascular access device (such as an IV catheter) that has been in place more than 48 hours. Bacteria are present in the blood in only about 30% of cases. Another possible method of detection is by polymerase chain reaction. If other sources of infection are suspected, cultures of these sources, such as urine, cerebrospinal fluid, wounds, or respiratory secretions, also should be obtained, as long as this does not delay the use of antibiotics.Within six hours, if blood pressure remains low despite initial fluid resuscitation of 30 mL/kg, or if initial lactate is ≥ four mmol/L (36 mg/dL), central venous pressure and central venous oxygen saturation should be measured. Lactate should be re-measured if the initial lactate was elevated. Evidence for point of care lactate measurement over usual methods of measurement, however, is poor.Within twelve hours, it is essential to diagnose or exclude any source of infection that would require emergent source control, such as a necrotizing soft tissue infection, an infection causing inflammation of the abdominal cavity lining, an infection of the bile duct, or an intestinal infarction. A pierced internal organ (free air on an abdominal X-ray or CT scan), an abnormal chest X-ray consistent with pneumonia (with focal opacification), or petechiae, purpura, or purpura fulminans may indicate the presence of an infection. Definitions
Previously, SIRS criteria had been used to define sepsis.