Zimmerman JJ, Banks R, Berg RA, et al. - In a population of critically ill children, 1 month to 18 years, with community-acquired septic shock necessitating vasoactive-inotropic support, researchers investigated critical illness factors related to long-term mortality and health-related quality of life disability in this prospective, cohort-outcome study. In univariable models, a link with adverse outcomes was displayed by the following: Pediatric Risk of Mortality, cumulative Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction scores, PICU and hospital durations of stay, maximum and cumulative vasoactive-inotropic scores, span of mechanical ventilation, requirement for renal replacement therapy, extracorporeal life support or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and appearance of pathologic neurologic signs. The summation of daily Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction scores, highest vasoactive-inotropic score, and any acute pathologic neurologic sign/event, was found to be independently related to mortality or persistent, serious decline of health-related quality of life at month 3, in multivariable regression analysis. Overall, the month 3 follow-up in children suffering from septic shock revealed poor outcomes in correlation with biologically plausible factors associated with sepsis-related critical illness organ dysfunction as well as its treatment.