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Health-related quality of life after prolonged pediatric intensive care unit stay

Niamh P Conlon1, Cormac Breatnach, Brendan P O'Hare

  • 1Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin Road, Crumlin, Dublin, Ireland.

Pediatric Critical Care Medicine : a Journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies
|December 6, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Children who stayed long in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) face mortality risks, but most survivors achieve normal long-term health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study tracked outcomes for pediatric intensive care patients, finding positive long-term HRQOL for the majority.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric intensive care
  • Quality of life research
  • Long-term health outcomes

Background:

  • Prolonged stays in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) are associated with significant mortality.
  • Understanding the long-term health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for these critically ill children is crucial for comprehensive care.
  • Previous research has not fully elucidated the long-term HRQOL trajectories post-PICU discharge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the long-term health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes for pediatric patients requiring extended stays (≥28 days) in the PICU.
  • To assess the proportion of survivors with normal versus impaired HRQOL years after PICU discharge.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective cohort and prospective follow-up study design.
  • Inclusion of 193 patients with PICU stays of 28 days or longer between 1997 and 2004.
  • Utilized the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL 4.0) parent-proxy version for HRQOL assessment at 2-10 years post-discharge.

Main Results:

  • Mortality was significant, with 41 deaths during PICU admission and 27 post-discharge.
  • Of 70 survivors who completed questionnaires, 57.1% reported normal HRQOL.
  • 42.9% of survivors experienced impaired HRQOL, with 20% having poor quality of life and ongoing health issues.

Conclusions:

  • Extended PICU stays are linked to considerable mortality.
  • The majority of children who survive prolonged PICU admissions experience normal long-term health-related quality of life.
  • While challenges exist for a subset of survivors, the overall long-term HRQOL outlook is positive for most.
Abstract

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