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[Acute coma in children: etiology, morbidity and mortality]

Alfredo Löhr Junior1, Paulo Breno Noronha Liberalesso, Gisele Claudino Reck Luzzi

  • 1Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Paraná, Brasil. fredd@rla01.pucpr.br

Arquivos De Neuro-Psiquiatria
|September 27, 2003
PubMed

Insights

This study on pediatric acute coma found that one-third of children died, one-third had neurological sequelae, and one-third recovered fully. Etiologies included meningoencephalitis and epilepsy, highlighting critical care needs for these children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric critical care medicine
  • Neurology
  • Intensive care unit (ICU) management

Background:

  • Acute coma in children is a critical condition requiring intensive care.
  • Understanding the causes (etiology) and outcomes (morbidity and mortality) is vital for improving patient care.
  • This study focuses on pediatric patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Hospital Infantil Pequeno Príncipe (UTI-HIPP).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the causes and outcomes of pediatric patients experiencing acute coma.
  • To determine the morbidity and mortality rates in children hospitalized with acute coma in the UTI-HIPP.
  • To evaluate neurological conditions upon discharge to understand long-term effects.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 104 patient records of children diagnosed with acute coma.
  • Utilized the modified Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) with a score of 8 or less.
  • Data collected from March 1998 to January 2001, including supplementary exams and discharge neurological status.

Main Results:

  • The study included 104 children (54.8% male), aged 2 months to 13 years.
  • Leading etiologies were meningoencephalitis (29.8%), epilepsy (23.1%), and toxic-metabolic disturbances (18.3%).
  • Mortality was 22.1%, with 37.5% experiencing neurological sequelae, and 30.8% recovering without sequelae.

Conclusions:

  • Approximately one-third of pediatric patients in acute coma died.
  • Another third of the children developed significant neurological sequelae.
  • A similar proportion, one-third, showed no long-term neurological complications.
Abstract

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