Functional Morbidity Within 12 Months Following PICU Discharge Using Validated Screening Tools.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric critical care medicine
• Neurodevelopmental outcomes
• Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) research

Background:

• Acquired dysfunction following critical illness can impact children's development.
• Understanding the prevalence, trajectory, and risk factors is crucial for early intervention.
• Validated screening tools are essential for accurate assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the prevalence and trajectory of acquired dysfunction in children after PICU discharge.
• To identify risk factors associated with acquired dysfunction compared to pre-illness status.
• To utilize age-appropriate, validated screening tools for comprehensive assessment.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, single-center study of children aged 1 month to 17 years admitted to the PICU.
• Pre-illness baseline developmental status assessed using validated tools.
• Follow-up assessments at 1, 6, and 12 months post-PICU discharge.

Main Results:

• 13% of children exhibited acquired dysfunction at 1 month post-discharge.
• Invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) was a significant risk factor (OR 2.72).
• 35% of patients showed persistent acquired dysfunction at last assessment.

Conclusions:

• Approximately 1 in 8 children experience acquired dysfunction after PICU discharge.
• Children receiving IMV have a substantially higher risk of acquired dysfunction.
• Most children do not fully return to baseline function within 6-12 months post-PICU.