Hypothermia or Hyperthermia, Which is Associated with Patient Outcomes in Critically Ill Children with Sepsis? —A Retrospective Study

ObjectivesIn the early stage of sepsis, identifying high-risk paediatric patients with a poor prognosis and providing timely and adequate treatment are critical. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of average body temperature within 24 hours of admission on the short-term prognosis of paediatric patients with sepsis.DesignA retrospective cohort study.SettingA single-centre, tertiary care hospital in China, containing patient data from 2010 to 2018.Participants1144 patients with sepsis were included.InterventionNone.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe main outcome measure was in-hospital mortality, which was defined as death from any cause during hospitalisation. The secondary outcome was the length of hospital stay.ResultsThe LOWESS method showed a roughly ‘U’-shaped relationship between body temperature on the first day and in-hospital mortality. Multivariate logistic regression showed that severe hypothermia (OR 14.72, 95% CI 4.84 to 44.75), mild hypothermia (OR 3.71, 95% CI 1.26 to 10.90), mild hyperthermia (OR 3.41, 95% CI 1.17 to 9.90) and severe hyperthermia (OR 5.15, 95% CI 1.84 to 14.43) were independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality. Compared with other variables, the Wald χ2value of temperature on the first day minus the degree of freedom was the highest.ConclusionsWhether hypothermic or hyperthermic, the more abnormal the temperature on the first day is, the higher the risk of in-hospital death in children with sepsis.