Pediatric Surviving Sepsis: Insights From the Leadership by M. Peters, S. Weiss | OPENPediatrics

In this World Shared Practice Forum Podcast, Drs. Mark Peters and Scott Weiss provide their expert insight on the methodology and development of the 2026 International Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines. They discuss challenges encountered during the process and review notable changes to these guidelines compared to previous iterations. The authors share the recommendations that will most impact their personal practice for patients with sepsis, and reflect on how we can improve global research infrastructure to address salient knowledge gaps in pediatric critical care. LEARNING OBJECTIVES - Understand the design and methodology for the 2026 Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines - Review notable changes in the 2026 sepsis guidelines compared to the 2020 edition - Discuss the implications of the altered recommendations for clinical practice changes - Consider methods to improve global pediatric research infrastructure and data organization AUTHORS Mark Peters, MBChB, PhD, MRCP, FFICM, FRCPCH Professor of Paediatric Intensive Care NIHR Senior Investigator UCL Great Ormond St Institute of Child Health Hon. Consultant Paediatric Intensivist Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and Children’s Acute Transport Service Great Ormond St Hospital Scott Weiss, MD, MSCE Professor of Pediatrics and Pathology & Genomic Medicine, Division Chief of Critical Care, Vice-Chair of Research for the Department of Pediatrics, Nemours Children's Hospital, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University Jeffrey Burns, MD, MPH Emeritus Chief Division of Critical Care Medicine Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine Boston Children's Hospital Professor of Anesthesia Harvard Medical School DATE Initial publication date: May 26, 2026. ARTICLES REFERENCED & ADDITIONAL REFERENCES - Weiss SL, Peters MJ, Oczkowski SJW, et al. Surviving Sepsis Campaign International Guidelines for the Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock in Children 2026. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2026;27(4):379-434. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41869844/ - Balamuth F, Weiss SL, Long E, et al. Balanced Fluid or 0.9% Saline in Children Treated for Septic Shock. N Engl J Med. Published online April 24, 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42028918/ - Weiss SL, Balamuth F, Long E, et al. PRagMatic Pediatric Trial of Balanced vs nOrmaL Saline FlUid in Sepsis: study protocol for the PRoMPT BOLUS randomized interventional trial. Trials. 2021;22(1):776. Published 2021 Nov 6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34742327/ - Steven Pinker "Enlightenment Now” - https://stevenpinker.com/publications/enlightenment-now-case-reason-science-humanism-and-progress - Blood Poison: The Untold Story of Sepsis - https://amplifypublishinggroup.com/product/nonfiction/health-medicine-and-wellness/general-health-medicine-and-wellness/blood-poison/ TRANSCRIPT https://cdn.bfldr.com/D6LGWP8S/at/r9q8w9vhsbpg7wwzn35kbmz/202605_WSP_Peters_and_Weiss_Transcript.pdf Please visit: http://www.openpediatrics.org OPENPediatrics™ is an interactive digital learning platform for healthcare clinicians sponsored by Boston Children’s Hospital and in collaboration with the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies. It is designed to promote the exchange of knowledge among healthcare providers worldwide who care for critically ill children across all resource settings. The content includes internationally recognized experts teaching the full range of topics on the care of critically ill children. All content is peer-reviewed and open-access, thus at no expense to the user. For further information on how to enroll, please email: [email protected] CITATION Peters MJ, Weiss SL, O’Hara J, Burns JP. Pediatric Surviving Sepsis: Insights From the Leadership. 05/2026. OPENPediatrics. Online Podcast. https://soundcloud.com/openpediatrics/pediatric-surviving-sepsis-insights-from-the-leadership-by-m-peters-s-weiss-openpediatrics.