The Phoenix Criteria and Other Severity Scores in Identifying Pediatric Sepsis - Scorecard - MDSpire

The Phoenix Criteria and Other Severity Scores in Identifying Pediatric Sepsis

  • By

  • Shuhua He

  • Jack Zhenhe Zhang

  • Lawrence Chi-ngong Chan

  • Anna Lin

  • Kin Yip Yeung

  • Manson Chon In Kuok

  • James Wesley Ching Hei Cheng

  • Dennis Chi Yu Au

  • Chin Ying Chow

  • Tak Wai Wong

  • Wai Kin Wong

  • Eric Chan

  • Hong Ming Young

  • Eugene Mary Wong

  • Kwok Ming Ho

  • Anna Lee

  • Chanu Rhee

  • Hugh Simon Lam

  • Lowell Ling

  • June 2, 2026

  • 0 min

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Clinical Scorecard: Evaluating Pediatric Sepsis: The Phoenix Score and Other Severity Assessment Tools

At a Glance

CategoryDetail
ConditionPediatric Sepsis
Key MechanismsPhoenix Sepsis Score, pSOFA, PELOD-2
Target PopulationChildren aged 28 days to younger than 18 years with suspected infection
Care SettingPublicly funded hospitals in Hong Kong

Key Highlights

  • Phoenix score of 2 or greater indicates sepsis in children with suspected infection.
  • Study leveraged a population-based EHR system for validation of Phoenix criteria.
  • Exclusion of neonates and specific complex disease admissions to focus on general pediatric population.
  • Objective clinical markers used to define presumed infection.
  • Mean data availability for severity scores assessed.

Guideline-Based Recommendations

Diagnosis

  • Sepsis defined by Phoenix-8 score of 2 or higher.

Management

  • Use of objective clinical markers and sustained antibiotic treatment for identification.

Monitoring & Follow-up

  • Calculation of severity scores within 1 calendar day of index culture date.

Risks

  • Potential variability in performance of Phoenix criteria across different healthcare settings.

Patient & Prescribing Data

Hospitalized pediatric patients with presumed infection.

Sustained antibiotic treatment for at least 4 days is required for presumed infection.

Clinical Best Practices

  • Utilize Phoenix-8 for epidemiologic research on pediatric sepsis.
  • Ensure availability of clinical data for accurate score calculation.
  • Consider variability in performance of sepsis criteria across different settings.

Related Resources & Content

Original Source(s)

The Phoenix Criteria and Other Severity Scores in Identifying Pediatric Sepsis

  • by Shuhua He, Jack Zhenhe Zhang, Lawrence Chi-ngong Chan, Anna Lin, Kin Yip Yeung, Manson Chon In Kuok, James Wesley Ching Hei Cheng, Dennis Chi Yu Au, Chin Ying Chow, Tak Wai Wong, Wai Kin Wong, Eric Chan, Hong Ming Young, Eugene Mary Wong, Kwok Ming Ho, Anna Lee, Chanu Rhee, Hugh Simon Lam, Lowell Ling

  • June 2, 2026

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