Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Pediatrics

Background: Intensive care has become very important in the management of critically ill children who require advanced airway, respiratory, and hemodynamic supports and are usually admitted into the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) with the aim of achieving an outcome better than if the patients were admitted into other parts of the hospital. Objective: To clarify the morbidity pattern and outcome of patients admitted into the PICU of Cairo university children hospital. Methods: A retrospective study in which records of all patients admitted into PICU (from January 2015 to June 2016 ) were reviewed for data collection. Information retrieved including age, gender, cause of admission, diagnosis, source of referral, Length of stay (LOS) in the PICU, and the outcome. Results: Median age of the studied 464 patients was 11 months (range month-14 years), 56.5% were males. The three most common disease categories admitted were respiratory disease (33.0%), neurological disorders ( 20.0% ), and cardiovascular disease ( 16.6% ). The median LOS of stay in PICU was 6 days (range day-76 days). The overall mortality rate was 23.7%. Conclusion: Analysis of the pattern of PICU admission shows different causes of admission; the most common cause was respiratory system disorders. Our mortality rate was relatively high. High PRISM score on admission, for the majority of cases, may reflect unsatisfactory pre-ICU medical / paramedical services

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