Objective: To study the clinical profile and outcome of children admitted to a PICU.

Design: Retrospective study over a year.

Setting: PICU of a tertiary care hospital.

Methods: Status at admission and investigation within first 12 hours analyzed and correlated to the outcome.

Results:
Of 250 patients 29.2% (n = 73) were neonates followed by infants (27.2%). Male: Female ratio was 3.24:1.00. Mean age of the non-neonates was 4.33 years and average PICU stay was 3.39 days. The most common system involved was respiratory (27.6%) followed closely by CNS (26.0%) and multi-organ with 3 systems involved (22.4%). Sepsis, pneumonia, encephalitis and meningitis were the commonest diagnoses accounting for 50.40% (n = 126) admissions. Mortality was 27.2% (n = 68) and 17.2% left against medial advice. Neonates had maximum mortality (30.13%). Factors relating significantly with adverse outcome (mortality/LAMA) were GCS 7 OR 2.71 (95% CI 2.04 - 3.59), presence of shock OR 3.13, non-maintainable airway OR 2.43, thrombocytopenia OR 1.44, urea>40 OR 1.40, creatinine> 1.2 OR 2.11, deranged PT OR 1.93, hyponatremia OR 1.45, hypernatremia OR 1.72, hyperkalemia OR 1.55 and mixed acidosis OR 2.15.

Conclusions:
Status at admission can predict outcome in PICU. GCS, shock, azotemia, thrombocytopenia and dyselectrolytemia associated with an adverse outcome.

NCPCC 2005 - Conference Abstracts. Pediatric Oncall [serial online] 2006 [cited 15 May 2006(Supplement 5)];3. Available from:
http://www.pediatriconcall.com/fordoctor/Conference_abstracts/NIV.asp