"Phoenix Criteria: A New Tool for Pediatric Sepsis Diagnosis"

A new study developed and validated the Phoenix Sepsis Score, a novel criteria for pediatric sepsis and septic shock based on organ dysfunction, using data from over 3.6 million pediatric encounters in 10 health systems. The Phoenix Sepsis Score outperformed existing organ dysfunction scores and the International Pediatric Sepsis Consensus Conference criteria, showing improved performance for diagnosing pediatric sepsis and septic shock across differently resourced settings. The study aims to provide improved criteria for identifying true-positive cases of pediatric sepsis while minimizing false-positive cases, with the goal of optimizing clinical care, research enrollment, and epidemiological surveillance.