What has changed in the updated 2026 Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) guidelines for children?

In this episode of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) Podcast, host Elizabeth H. Mack, MD, MS, FCCM, speaks with pediatric SSC guideline cochairs Scott L. Weiss, MD, MSCE, FCCM, and Pierre Tissieres, MD, DSc, about the latest guideline recommendations for the care of children with sepsis and septic shock. The updated guidelines emphasize the early identification of sepsis, an evolution to a more targeted way of treatment, and a more practical approach to guideline implementation. Other aspects of the previous guidelines, such as lactate measurements, continuous reassessment, and the role of point-of-care monitoring, were reinforced in the 2026 guidelines.

The guidelines, “Surviving Sepsis Campaign International Guidelines for the Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock in Children 2026,” were released in the April issue of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine.

Key updates and new areas of emphasis include:

A more nuanced approach to sepsis screening and early recognition

New guidance on supplemental oxygen, including limiting hyperoxia and using more conservative oxygenation targets in children with septic shock

New patient, intervention, comparison, outcome questions related to immune dysregulation, highlighting an important area for future research

New attention to post-sepsis morbidity

Greater emphasis on long-term follow-up and risk assessment for children who survive sepsis

Scott L. Weiss, MD, MSCE, FCCM, is division chief of critical care and vice-chair of research at Nemours Children’s Hospital (DuPont)-Delaware and professor of pediatrics and pathology and genomic medicine at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Pierre Tissieres, MD, DSc, is a professor of pediatrics and head of Pediatric ICU and Neonatal Medicine at Paris South University Hospitals in Paris, France.

This podcast is sponsored by Vantive.

At Vantive, our mission to extend lives and expand possibilities starts with a commitment to continuous learning. We are committed to partnering with the medical community to support vital organ therapy innovation grounded in clinical evidence and focused on improving patient outcomes. The recent publication on endotoxic septic shock centers on an evidence-based approach to address clinical challenges in critical care and beyond as highlighted in our press release.

Resources referenced in this podcast:

Surviving Sepsis Campaign International Guidelines for the Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock in Children 2026

Executive Summary of Society of Critical Care Medicine 2026 Guidelines on the Care and Management of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Patients at the End of Life

International Consensus Criteria for Pediatric Sepsis and Septic Shock

SCCMPod-566 PCCM: Rethinking Pediatric Sepsis: 2026 Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guideline Updates

SCCM Podcast

SCCMPod-566 PCCM: Rethinking Pediatric Sepsis: 2026 Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guideline Updates