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Mortality in severe meningococcal disease
K Thorburn1, P Baines, A Thomson
1Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital-Alder Hey, Eaton Road, Liverpool L12 2AP, UK. kent.thorburn@rlch-tr.nwest.nhs.uk
Archives of Disease in Childhood
|October 23, 2001
Summary
Critically ill children with meningococcal disease have a lower mortality rate now. This study shows improved outcomes in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) for this serious infection.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric critical care medicine
- Infectious diseases
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Meningococcal disease remains a significant cause of critical illness in children.
- Assessing mortality trends in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) is crucial for evaluating treatment efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the mortality rate of critically ill children admitted with meningococcal disease.
- To compare current mortality data with historical studies.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study was conducted on children admitted to a regional PICU between January 1995 and March 1998 with meningococcal disease.
- Outcome measures included actual overall mortality, predicted mortality using the Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM) score, and standardized mortality ratio (SMR).
Main Results:
- A total of 123 children were admitted; 11 (8.9%) died in the PICU.
- The predicted mortality by PRISM was 24.9, with an observed SMR of 0.44.
- Compared to four previous studies, the overall PICU mortality and SMR were lower.
Conclusions:
- Mortality for critically ill children with meningococcal disease has decreased.
- This improvement is observed even when accounting for disease severity, suggesting advancements in care.