When Parents Refuse a Septic Workup for a Newborn

Elizabeth Simpson; Margaret Moon; John D. Lantos

doi:10.1542/peds.2010-3375

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Re:Septic vs Sepsis
Philip T. Boucher

Published on: 30 November 2011
Septic vs Sepsis
Jody Huynh

Published on: 22 November 2011

Published on: (30 November 2011)

Re:Septic vs Sepsis
Philip T. Boucher, Pediatrics Resident
"Septic workup" is pediatric jargon which implies a specific series of diagnostic evaluations and is completely synonymous with "sepsis workup". It should go without saying (although in this case it apparently must be stated) that the author does not imply disregarding aseptic technique in perofrming the evaluation. The "sepsis" versus "septic" distinction is neither important nor relevant to the discussion at hand....
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"Septic workup" is pediatric jargon which implies a specific series of diagnostic evaluations and is completely synonymous with "sepsis workup". It should go without saying (although in this case it apparently must be stated) that the author does not imply disregarding aseptic technique in perofrming the evaluation. The "sepsis" versus "septic" distinction is neither important nor relevant to the discussion at hand.
Conflict of Interest:
None declared
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Competing Interests: None declared.
Published on: (22 November 2011)

Septic vs Sepsis
Jody Huynh, Senior Medical Student
This ethical case highlighted very important issues regarding the balance between parental rights and the implementation of physician- directed medical care. However, I would like to point out the erroneous use of the term 'septic' in place of 'sepsis' in the title and article. A septic workup indicates that sterile technique was not used during the procedures involved in the workup, which I hope most parents would refuse...
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This ethical case highlighted very important issues regarding the balance between parental rights and the implementation of physician- directed medical care. However, I would like to point out the erroneous use of the term 'septic' in place of 'sepsis' in the title and article. A septic workup indicates that sterile technique was not used during the procedures involved in the workup, which I hope most parents would refuse. A sepsis workup involves determining the source of an infection. Use of the correct terminology is important here, especially when it directly relates to the medical evaluation in question.
Conflict of Interest:
None declared
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Competing Interests: None declared.