With early recognition, appropriate antibiotics, and emergency care, the majority of children who develop sepsis and septic shock are able to recover and be discharged from the hospital. Unfortunately, the effects of sepsis may not end at hospital discharge, and many survivors go on to have longer-term problems with attention, managing emotions, school work and physical activity. Children who recover from sepsis also can have recurrent infections and may need to be readmitted to the hospital. Usually these symptoms are noticed within a few months after leaving the hospital, as children attempt to return to school and their usual activities. Sometimes it is not clear if these changes are because of sepsis or just being really sick, or are caused by another medical problem.

At Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), doctors and nurses within the Pediatric Sepsis Program have established a Sepsis Survivorship Program to screen patients for potential long-term problems related to sepsis and to help families get assistance when needed. We have partnered with the Care Management Program at CHOP to support families who have children with both pre-existing medical problems and those who were healthy prior to sepsis. Our program involves meeting with families during hospitalization when possible and following up via phone or email approximately two months after discharge to screen patients for potential concerns and assist with referrals as needed.

For further information or to contact us with concerns, please email sepsis@chop.edu or call the Sepsis Survivorship Program at 267-353-4534.

The Sepsis Survivorship Program is supported by a Department of Pediatrics Chair’s Initiative award and the Divisions of Emergency Medicine and Critical Care.