Culture-negative sepsis after pediatric cardiac surgery: Incidence and outcomes.

Background: Significant proportion of congenital heart surgery (CHS) children exhibit sepsis, but have negative blood culture and defined "culture negative sepsis (CNS)."

Aims And Objectives: Retrospective analysis of CNS patients undergoing CHS.

Material And Methods: 437 consecutive CHS children grouped as controls (antibiotic prophylaxis), CNS, and culture positive sepsis (CPS).

Results: Incidences of CNS and CPS were 16% and 7%. Median mechanical ventilation (MV) in hours among CPS, CNS, and control was 116 (45-271), 63 (23-112), and 18 (6-28) ( < 0.001), respectively. Multivariable linear regression identified CPS (median ratio: 3.1 [2.3-4.1], < 0.001), CNS (median ratio: 5.6 [3.7-8.4], < 0.001), and weight (kg) (median ratio: 0.98 [0.96-0.99], = 0.009) as associations of MV. Intensive care unit (ICU) stay (hours) was 192 (120-288) in CNS, 288 (156-444) in CPS, and 72 (48-120) in controls ( < 0.0001). Multivariable linear regression showed CNS (median ratio: 2.4 [2.0-2.9], < 0.001) CPS (median ratio: 3.3 [2.5-4.4], < 0.001), and weight (median ratio: 0.98 [0.97-0.99], ≤ 0.001) prolonging ICU stay. Mortality was 10.7%, 2.9% and 1.2% in CPS, CNS, and control ( = 0.03). Multivariable regression identified CPS an independent predictor of mortality with odds ratio 8.6 (1.7-44.9; = 0.010). 11.26% patients in CNS and 79.3% in CPS received antibiotics for more than 10 days.

Conclusion: Incidence of CNS was 16%; duration of MV and ICU stay and mortality was significantly less in CNS than CPS patients.