[Prolonged stay in pediatric intensive care units: mortality and healthcare resource consumption]

R González-Cortés1, J López-Herce-Cid, A García-Figueruelo

  • 1Servicio de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, España.

Medicina Intensiva
|May 31, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Patients with prolonged stays in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) face significantly higher mortality and resource use. Early identification of at-risk children is crucial for improving outcomes and resource allocation.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
  • Intensive Care Unit Management
  • Healthcare Resource Utilization

Background:

  • Prolonged stays in Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs) represent a significant challenge in critical care.
  • Understanding the outcomes and resource demands of these patients is essential for optimizing care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze mortality rates and healthcare resource consumption in pediatric patients with prolonged PICU stays.
  • To identify characteristics associated with prolonged PICU stays.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective, descriptive case series study conducted in a medical-surgical PICU.
  • Analysis of data from 2118 patients between 2006 and 2010, focusing on 83 patients with stays of 28 days or more.

Main Results:

  • Patients with prolonged PICU stays exhibited a substantially higher mortality rate (22.9%) compared to other patients (2%).
  • High incidence of nosocomial infections (96.3%) and extensive use of healthcare resources, including mechanical ventilation, blood products, vasoactive drugs, and ECMO, were observed.
  • A significant proportion of deaths in this group occurred after treatment withdrawal or cessation of resuscitation efforts.

Conclusions:

  • Critical children with prolonged PICU stays experience significant morbidity, mortality, and consume substantial healthcare resources.
  • There is a need for early identification strategies for patients at risk of prolonged stays to tailor therapeutic measures and improve treatment efficiency.
Abstract

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