Optimizing Pediatric Sepsis Diagnosis: A Narrative Review of Two Decades of Evolution from SIRS to Phoenix Consensus

Banga Mseza,1 Walyeldin Elfakey2 1Department of Pediatrics & Child Health, Faculty of Clinical Medicine & Dentistry, Kampala International University, Ishaka, Uganda; 2Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bahri, Khartoum, SudanCorrespondence: Banga Mseza, Department of Pediatrics & Child Health, Faculty of Clinical Medicine & Dentistry, Kampala International University, PO. Box 71 Ishaka-Bushenyi, Ishaka, Uganda, Email [email protected]: Pediatric sepsis definitions have evolved significantly from the 2005 International Pediatric Sepsis Consensus Conference (IPSCC) to the 2024 Phoenix Sepsis criteria. However, inconsistencies in previous models, including Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) and Sepsis-3, impacted diagnosis and treatment. A global task force conducted clinician surveys, meta-analysis, and validation studies, culminating in the Phoenix Sepsis Score as a refined diagnostic model. The Phoenix Sepsis Score assesses four organ systems, improving diagnostic accuracy and overcoming limitations seen in earlier models. This narrative review examines the evolution of pediatric sepsis definitions over the past two decades, from the 2005 International Pediatric Sepsis Consensus Conference (IPSCC) criteria to the recently published Phoenix Sepsis Score; providing a standardized and globally relevant approach to improving early detection and treatment outcomes.Keywords: pediatric sepsis, Phoenix sepsis score, SIRS, sepsis definitions