Standardized Process for Early Recognition and Treatment of Hypotension in Pediatric Oncology Patients Reduces Clinical Deterioration and Shock

Pediatric oncology patients are a high-risk population for septic shock. These patients often screen positive for sepsis during hospitalization, making it difficult to discern when care escalations are warranted. This poses challenges to timely clinical decision-making, which can result in extended periods of hypotension and increased risk for clinical deterioration. The aim of this project was to decrease the frequency of “rescue events” (hypotension for 2 hours before initiation of vasoactive medications) in pediatric oncology patients by 25% within 6 months of implementing standardized hypotension [mean arterial pressure (MAP)] thresholds on a septic shock pathway