If You Build It, They Will Come: Initial Experience with a Multi-Disciplinary Pediatric Neurocritical Care Follow-Up Clinic

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Neurology
• Pediatric Critical Care
• Neurocritical Care

Background:

• Pediatric Neurocritical Care (PNC) admissions are frequent.
• Survivors face significant long-term physical, cognitive, and psychosocial morbidities.
• Existing follow-up care may not adequately address these complex needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish and evaluate a multidisciplinary follow-up clinic for PNC survivors.
• To identify the range of morbidities in this patient population post-discharge.
• To assess the need for specialized, ongoing care.

Main Methods:

• A multidisciplinary clinic was established through collaboration between Pediatric Neurology and Pediatric Critical Care.
• All Pediatric Neurocritical Care patients were referred regardless of admission severity.
• An initial case series analyzed patient demographics, diagnoses, and follow-up findings.

Main Results:

• The clinic served a heterogeneous population aged 1 month to 18 years with diverse diagnoses.
• Traumatic brain injuries, neuroinfectious, and inflammatory diseases were common referral reasons.
• 87% of patients exhibited morbidities, with over half experiencing cognitive/psychological disturbances, sleep issues, fatigue, pain, or sensory concerns at initial follow-up.

Conclusions:

• Specialized follow-up care is crucial for Pediatric Neurocritical Care survivors.
• The identified high prevalence of morbidities underscores the need for clinic expansion and further evaluation.
• Addressing the complex, long-term needs of these survivors presents challenges but is essential for improving outcomes.