{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T06:18:00Z","timestamp":1787897880298,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787875200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Pediatr."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Sepsis is the leading cause of child mortality worldwide. Pediatric sepsis-related mortality in Africa is estimated to be as high as 40%. We aimed to assess sepsis-related mortality and to identify predictors of mortality in pediatric sepsis.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      We conducted a retrospective observational study of children admitted to the PICU for sepsis or septic shock. Statistical analysis was performed using Jamovi version 2.3.28. Continuous variables are expressed as mean\u2009\u00b1\u2009standard deviation (SD) and categorical variables as frequencies and percentages. The Mann\u2013Whitney\n                      <jats:italic>U<\/jats:italic>\n                      test assessed the association between the pediatric sequential sepsis-related organ failure assessment \u201cpSOFA\u201d score and mortality. Logistic regression was used to identify mortality predictors. Model performance was assessed based on discrimination and calibration. Statistical significance was set at\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&amp;lt;\u20090.05.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      We enrolled 130 patients. The mean age was 32.5 months (SD: 47.12, range: 1\u2013180). The identified infection sites were pneumonia (53.1%), central nervous system (23.8%), gastrointestinal tract (15.4%), bloodstream (4.5%), bone and joint (2.3%), and urinary tract (0.8%). Biological assessment showed the following mean values: 14,076\u2005E\/mm\n                      <jats:sup>3<\/jats:sup>\n                      for leukocytes (SD: 9,162, range: 350\u201359,100), 349\u2009x\u200910\n                      <jats:sup>3<\/jats:sup>\n                      \u2005E\/mm\n                      <jats:sup>3<\/jats:sup>\n                      for platelets (SD: 214, range: 10\u2013939) and 111\u2005mg\/L for C-reactive protein \u201cCRP\u201d (SD 122, range:1\u2013480). The median pSOFA score was six (range: 2\u201318). A microorganism was isolated in 32.3% of cases, including SARS-CoV-2 (5.2%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (3.7%), respiratory syncytial virus (3%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (2.3%). The overall mortality rate was 50%. Statistical analysis showed an association between the pSOFA score and mortality (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&amp;lt;\u20090.001). Lower platelet count, vasopressor use, and mechanical ventilation were independently associated with mortality. The logistic regression model performed well with a\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      -value\u2009&amp;lt;\u20090.001 and a McFadden R\n                      <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                      of 0.415. The area under the ROC curve was 0.888. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 88.9%, 85.1%, and 87.0%, respectively, with acceptable calibration.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Our research assessed pediatric sepsis in Morocco, a lower-middle-income North African country. Mortality rates were higher compared to high-income countries. The pSOFA score was effective in predicting severity and mortality. Lower platelet count, vasopressor use, and mechanical ventilation were identified as independent predictors of mortality.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fped.2026.1672491","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T05:35:05Z","timestamp":1787895305000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Mortality rate and predictors of mortality of pediatric sepsis and septic shock in a Moroccan tertiary care center"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Ouissal","family":"Aissaoui","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Unit, Abderrahim Harouchi Mother-Child hospital, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology, Infection and Inflammation (LICIA), Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Casablanca, Hassan II University of Casablanca","place":["Casablanca, Morocco"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ibtissam","family":"Nabih","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Unit, Abderrahim Harouchi Mother-Child hospital, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology, Infection and Inflammation (LICIA), Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Casablanca, Hassan II University of Casablanca","place":["Casablanca, Morocco"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Youssef","family":"Idbaha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Unit, Abderrahim Harouchi Mother-Child hospital, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology, Infection and Inflammation (LICIA), Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Casablanca, Hassan II University of Casablanca","place":["Casablanca, Morocco"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abdelaziz","family":"Chlilek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Unit, Abderrahim Harouchi Mother-Child hospital, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology, Infection and Inflammation (LICIA), Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Casablanca, Hassan II University of Casablanca","place":["Casablanca, Morocco"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ahmed Aziz","family":"Bousfiha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Abderrahim Harouchi Mother-Child hospital, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology, Infection and Inflammation (LICIA), Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Casablanca, Hassan II University of Casablanca","place":["Casablanca, Morocco"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1147","DOI":"10.1164\/rccm.201412-2323OC","article-title":"Global epidemiology of 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