Miocardiopatía séptica en pacientes pediátricos: fisiopatología y presentación clínica

Septic cardiomyopathy is a common complication in patients with septic shock, and is associated with a significant increase in mortality. It was previously believed that myocardial dysfunction was not an important pathological process in septic patients, probably because there were no suitable methods to assess intrinsic myocardial function. Although its pathophysiology has been studied for more than 30 years, it is known to be complex and secondary to the interaction of inflammatory, metabolic, intracellular signalling mechanisms related to the movement of calcium and an imbalance in the production of nitric oxide and other molecular mechanisms; in other words, they do not seem to be due to hypoperfusion. The purpose of this review is to determine the mechanism, the different types of septic cardiomyopathy, their clinical presentation, incidence, and their clinical implications and prognosis, focusing on the paediatric patient.