Vasoactive drug use in children with community acquired septic shock in Australia and New Zealand

Q: What is the study background regarding vasoactive agents in children with sepsis?

Vasoactive agents are described as critical supportive therapy for children with sepsis. The study focuses on describing how they are chosen and used.

Q: How was the study conducted and where did it take place?

It was a prospective observational study conducted in 11 hospitals across Australia and New Zealand through the PREDICT network from April 2021 to December 2023.

Q: What were the key results about the use of vasoactive agents?

Among 6,232 children with suspected sepsis, vasoactive agents were used in 179 (2.9%) children overall, and outcomes such as in-hospital mortality were reported.

Sep 29, 2026

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Background: Vasoactive agents are essential supportive therapy for children with sepsis, yet real-world patterns of choice and use remain incompletely described. Methods: A prospective observational study in 11 hospitals in Australia and New Zealand via the PREDICT network (April 2021–December 2023) enrolled children aged 0–<18 with suspected sepsis. Findings: 6,232 children were included; 6232. Vasoactive agents were administered to 179 (2.9%) children overall, with detailed collection of treatment sequence and factors shaping initial selection.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

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Summary

Background

Methods

Findings

Articles Vasoactive drug use in children with community acquired septic shock in Australia and New Zealand Elliot Long,a,b,c,d,∗ Stephen Hearps,b,d Amanda Williams,b Ben Gelbart,b,d,e Warwick Butt,b,d,e Thomas Rozen,b,c,d,e Sarah McNab,b,c,f Meredith L. Borland,g,h Simon Erickson,i Shefali Jani,j,k Marino Festa,k,l Eunicia Tan,m,n Natalie Phillips,o,p Sainath Raman,p,q Amit Kochar,r,s Subodh Ganu,s,t Simon Craig,b,u,v Anna Lithgow,w Arjun Rao,x,y Emma Whyte,z,aa Stuart R. Dalziel,ab,ac Shane George,p,ad,ae Fran Balamuth,af,ag Scott L. Weiss,af,ah Nathan Kuppermann,ag,ai and Franz E. Babl,a,b,c,d On behalf of the Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative (PREDICT) network aDepartment of Emergency Medicine, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia bClinical Sciences, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia cDepartment of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia dDepartment of Critical Care, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia ePaediatric Intensive Care Unit, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia fDepartment of General Medicine, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia gDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Perth Children’s Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia hDivisions of Emergency Medicine and Paediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia iPaediatric Intensive Care Unit, Perth Children’s Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia jDepartment of Emergency Medicine, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia kFaculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia lPaediatric Intensive Care Unit, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia mMiddlemore Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand nDepartment of Surgery, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand oEmergency Department, Queensland Children’s Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia pChildren’s Intensive Care Research Program, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia qPaediatric Intensive Care Unit, Queensland Children’s Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia rDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Women and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia sDepartment of Acute Care Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia tPaediatric Intensive Care Unit, Women and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia uPaediatric Emergency Department, Monash Medical Centre, Monash Health, Clayton, Victoria, Australia vDepartment of Paediatrics, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia wDepartment of Paediatrics, Royal Darwin Hospital, Tiwi, Northern Territory, Australia xDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia ySchool of Women’s and Children’s Health, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia zDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Townsville Hospital, Douglas, Queensland, Australia aaDepartment of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Douglas, Queensland, Australia abChildren’s Emergency Department, Starship Children’s Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand acDepartment of Surgery and Paediatrics: Child and Youth Health, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand adDepartment of Emergency Medicine and Children’s Critical Care, Gold Coast University Hospital, Southport, Queensland, Australia aeSchool of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Southport, Queensland, Australia afDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, Uni

FAQs

What is the study background regarding vasoactive agents in children with sepsis?

Vasoactive agents are described as critical supportive therapy for children with sepsis. The study focuses on describing how they are chosen and used.

How was the study conducted and where did it take place?

It was a prospective observational study conducted in 11 hospitals across Australia and New Zealand through the PREDICT network from April 2021 to December 2023.

What were the key results about the use of vasoactive agents?

Among 6,232 children with suspected sepsis, vasoactive agents were used in 179 (2.9%) children overall, and outcomes such as in-hospital mortality were reported.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by SANS