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Published on: January 16, 2019

Characteristics and outcomes of paediatric intensive care unit admissions across Kuwait: multicentre national-level

Abdulla Alfraij1, Mohammad Alghounaim2, Mostafa Galal3

  • 1Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Pediatrics Division, Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), Ahmadi Hospital, Al Ahmadi, Al Ahmadi Governorate, Kuwait alfraij.abdulla@gmail.com.

BMJ Open
|July 29, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Kuwait

Area of Science:

  • Paediatric Intensive Care
  • Critical Care Medicine
  • Public Health Surveillance

Background:

  • National paediatric intensive care registries are crucial for care benchmarking and understanding disease burden.
  • Limited national-level data exists for paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in the Middle East.
  • This study addresses the data gap by analyzing PICU admissions in Kuwait.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe national patterns of paediatric intensive care unit admissions in Kuwait.
  • To analyze case mix, interventions, seasonality, and outcomes of PICU admissions.
  • To identify inter-site variations in care practices.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective multicentre cohort study of all PICU admissions in Kuwait.
  • Data extracted from a national PICU registry (January 2023 - June 2025).
  • Descriptive statistical analysis at national and centre levels.

Main Results:

  • 5,534 PICU admissions analyzed; infants comprised 44.4%.
  • Respiratory disorders were the leading diagnosis (63.9%); median PICU stay was 3 days.
  • Overall PICU mortality was 2.6%, with significant inter-centre variability in respiratory support.

Conclusions:

  • First national analysis of PICU admissions in Kuwait, showing infant predominance and high respiratory illness burden.
  • Short PICU lengths of stay and low overall mortality were observed.
  • Inter-centre variability in respiratory support highlights needs for national standardization and quality improvement.
Abstract

Keywords:
PAEDIATRICSPaediatric A&E and ambulatory carePaediatric intensive & critical care

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