Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42070052›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2026

Subnational analysis of pediatric sepsis incidence and mortality from official records in Chile and Mexico: a longitudinal study from 2014 to 2024.

Sebastian Gatica, Paula Caporal, Franco Diaz, Roberto Jabornisky, Felipe Simon, Niranjan Kissoon

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Molecular Characterization and Clinical Outcomes ofChildren (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Sebastian GaticaEscuela de Tecnología Médica, Facultad de Salud, Universidad Santo Tomas, Avenida Ejército #146, Santiago, Chile. sgatica4@santotomas.cl.
Paula CaporalJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
Franco DiazRed Colaborativa Pediátrica de Latinoamérica (LARed Network), Montevideo, Uruguay.
Roberto JaborniskyJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
Felipe SimonCenter for Research On Pandemic Resilience, Faculty of Life Sciences and Institute of Public Health, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, 8370186, Chile.
Niranjan KissoonDepartment of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, 4480 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3V4, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPediatric sepsis is a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, yet high-resolution, granular subnational assessments remain scarce. Chile and Mexico are the only countries in Latin America that possess robust vital registration systems and open access databases with marginal levels of missing cases. This offers a unique opportunity to quantify the subnational burden of pediatric sepsis, identify healthcare system constrictions, and guide targeted public health interventions.

methodsThis retrospective longitudinal study analyzed official hospital discharge and non-fetal death records of pediatrics (< 10 years old) from Chile and Mexico between 2014 and 2024. Age-standardized incidence (ASIR) and mortality (ASMR) rates, standardized ratios, and the mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR), were calculated to assess mortality relative to subnational hospital output. A novel dynamic risk stratification matrix was developed to classify ICD-10 sepsis-related causes into four risk/severity quadrants based on year-specific ASIR and MIR indicators.

resultsA total of 656,234 discharges and 2,035 deaths in Chile, and 964,452 discharges and 77,252 deaths in Mexico were analyzed. Subnational trends were highly heterogeneous. Chile exhibited a predominantly low pediatric MIR (median < 1%) with isolated hotspots with significant structural deviations to the North. High-severity sepsis causes in Chile were relatively rare. Conversely, Mexico displayed an alarmingly high MIR (median 7.2%), with systemic persistency in States such as Chiapas and Nuevo León. Strikingly, high-severity causes in Mexico (e.g., unspecified septicaemia, bacterial meningitis) were highly frequent, accounting for 88-97% of pediatric sepsis deaths. Furthermore, systemic instances of code-specific MIR > 1.0 in Mexico suggest significant health system fragmentation and decoupling of hospital discharge from vital statistic registries.

conclusionsPediatric sepsis in Latin America encompasses distinct realities, ranging from localized critical care gaps to high-lethality persistency. One-size-fits-all national policies may be inadequate. These findings advocate for precision public health, urging the deployment of decentralized, data-driven interventions and specialized resource allocation based on high-risk subnational hotspot identification.

Indexed as

SepsisChildChild, PreschoolChileFemaleHumansIncidenceInfantInfant, NewbornLongitudinal StudiesMaleMexicoRetrospective StudiesBurdenChildrenData scienceEpidemiologyLMICsPublic healthSepsisSubnational analysis

Identifiers

PMID42070052
PMCPMC13285182

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.