Management of infections in pediatric critical care

In this special issue of the Journal of Pediatric Intensive Care, we have compiled a series of articles addressing the management of infections in critically ill children. Directed antimicrobial treatment and concurrent supportive care are key aspects of pediatric critical care. According to the World Health Organization, in 2013, approximately 50% of all childhood deaths worldwide were caused by the combination of bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections [1]. The development of a systemic inflammatory response to an invasive infection defines the sepsis syndrome and sepsis remains the leading cause of multiple organ dysfunction in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) [2, 3]. Recent estimates suggest that over one-third of children who die in the PICU suffer from sepsis [4]. Perhaps most worrisome is that the overall prevalence of severe sepsis and septic shock appears to be rising, likely reflecting an expanding vulnerable population with acute and chronic comorbid conditions and increasing rates of multi-drug resistant organisms and opportunistic infections [4–12] With the current ease of international travel, pediatric intensivists working in both developed and