Objectives: Our primary objective was to determine the prevalence and outcome of diastolic dysfunction in children with fluid refractory septic shock. The secondary objective was to determine possible early predictors of diastolic dysfunction.
Design: Prospective observational study.
Setting: PICU of a tertiary care teaching hospital.
Patients: Consecutive children 17 years old or younger with fluid refractory septic shock and not on mechanical ventilation admitted to our ICU from June 2011 to August 2012 were included. Survivors were followed up till 1 year of discharge (July 2013).
Interventions: Children were subjected to 2D echocardiography and qualitative cardiac troponin-T test within the first 6 hours of admission.
Measurements and main results: A total of 56 children were included. Median age was 7 years (interquartile range, 1.5, 14) and majority (52%) were males. Most common underlying diagnoses were meningitis and pneumonia. The prevalence of diastolic dysfunction was 41.1% (95% CI, 27.8-54.4), and mortality rate was 43% in those with diastolic dysfunction. At 1-year follow-up, residual dysfunction was present in only one of 11 of the survivors (11%). On univariable analysis of possible early predictors of diastolic dysfunction, we observed that these children tended to have higher mean central venous pressure (13 vs 6; p < 0.0001) and greater positivity for cardiac troponin-T (70% vs 36%; p = 0.01) compared with others. Although factors such as duration of illness and diastolic blood pressure were also lower in children with diastolic dysfunction compared with others, the difference was not statistically significant. On multivariable analysis, only the variable central venous pressure remained significant (adjusted odds ratio, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.12-2.14; p = 0.008).
Conclusions: Diastolic dysfunction is common in children with fluid refractory septic shock, and immediate outcomes may be poorer in such patients. Increased central venous pressure after initial fluid resuscitation may be an early indicator of diastolic dysfunction and warrant urgent bedside echocardiography to guide further management.