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Published on: February 23, 2014

Risk factors for mortality in children with pneumonia admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit

Jia Wen Janine Cynthia Koh1, Judith Ju-Ming Wong2,3, Rehena Sultana4

  • 1Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.

Pediatric Pulmonology
|April 4, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Severe pediatric pneumonia is a significant cause of pediatric intensive care unit admissions, with hospital-acquired pneumonia and bacteremia being key risk factors for mortality. Understanding these factors improves outcomes for critically ill children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric critical care medicine
  • Infectious disease epidemiology
  • Respiratory medicine

Background:

  • Severe pneumonia represents a substantial burden on pediatric intensive care units (PICUs).
  • Identifying epidemiological patterns and risk factors is crucial for improving patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the epidemiology of severe pneumonia in children admitted to the PICU.
  • To identify risk factors associated with poor outcomes, including mortality.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective study analyzed data from children admitted to the PICU between 2010 and 2014 with pneumonia.
  • Clinical, microbiological, and ventilation data were collected.
  • Logistic regression models identified risk factors for PICU mortality.

Main Results:

  • Severe pneumonia accounted for 6.7% of PICU admissions, with a 13.5% mortality rate.
  • Hospital-acquired pneumonia and bacteremia were independently associated with increased mortality.
  • Viral pneumonias were linked to acute respiratory distress syndrome, while bacterial pneumonias were associated with lung abscess and necrotizing pneumonia.

Conclusions:

  • Severe pediatric pneumonia significantly impacts PICU admissions and carries a high mortality risk.
  • Hospital-acquired pneumonia and bacteremia are critical early prognostic indicators for adverse clinical outcomes in children with severe pneumonia.
Abstract

Keywords:
community acquired pneumoniacritically ill childrenhospital acquired pneumoniasevere pneumonia

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