. 2013 Jan 30;39(2):165–228. doi: 10.1007/s00134-012-2769-8

Table 1.

Diagnostic criteria for sepsis

Infection, documented or suspected, and some of the following:

General variables

Fever (>38.3 °C)

Hypothermia (core temperature <36 °C)

Heart rate >90 min⁻¹ or more than two SD above the normal value for age

Tachypnea

Altered mental status

Significant edema or positive fluid balance (> 20 mL/kg over 24 h)

Hyperglycemia (plasma glucose >140 mg/dL or 7.7 mmol/L) in the absence of diabetes

Inflammatory variables

Leukocytosis (WBC count >12,000 μL⁻¹)

Leukopenia (WBC count <4,000 μL⁻¹)

Normal WBC count with greater than 10 % immature forms

Plasma C-reactive protein more than two SD above the normal value

Plasma procalcitonin more than two SD above the normal value

Hemodynamic variables

Arterial hypotension (SBP <90 mmHg, MAP <70 mmHg, or an SBP decrease >40 mmHg in adults or less than two SD below normal for age)

Organ dysfunction variables

Arterial hypoxemia (PaO₂/FiO₂ <300)

Acute oliguria (urine output <0.5 mL kg⁻¹ h⁻¹ for at least 2 h despite adequate fluid resuscitation)

Creatinine increase >0.5 mg/dL or 44.2 μmol/L

Coagulation abnormalities (INR >1.5 or aPTT >60 s)

Ileus (absent bowel sounds)

Thrombocytopenia (platelet count <100,000 μL⁻¹)

Hyperbilirubinemia (plasma total bilirubin >4 mg/dL or 70 μmol/L)

Tissue perfusion variables

Hyperlactatemia (>1 mmol/L)

Decreased capillary refill or mottling

SD standard deviation, WBC white blood cell, SBP systolic blood pressure, MAP mean arterial pressure, INR international normalized ratio, aPTT activated partial thromboplastin time

Diagnostic criteria for sepsis in the pediatric population are signs and symptoms of inflammation plus infection with hyper- or hypothermia (rectal temperature >38.5 or <35 °C), tachycardia (may be absent in hypothermic patients), and at least one of the following indications of altered organ function: altered mental status, hypoxemia, increased serum lactate level, or bounding pulses

Adapted from [6]