Sepsis, or infection that causes life-threatening organ dysfunction, is a leading cause of death in children worldwide.

To prevent this rare but critical condition, scientists at Northwestern University and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago developed and validated AI models that accurately identify children at high risk for sepsis within 48 hours, so they can receive early preemptive care.

These predictive models used routine electronic health record (EHR) data from the first four hours the child spent in the emergency department before organ dysfunction was present.