Background: Korean children are often treated in intensive care units (ICUs) rather than in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). However, pediatric critical care (PCC) in ICUs other than in PICUs may have an effect on patient outcome. The objective of this study is to compare the PCC outcomes of pediatric patients in the PICU than in other ICUs.
Methods: This is a retrospective study of pediatric patients treated in ICUs. The participants of this study were children aged <18 years who were admitted to the ICUs from the pediatric department of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital from April 2009 to June 2017. Patients with hemato-oncologic disease or those needing postoperative care were excluded.
Results: Among the 429 ICU cases, 306 were PICU and 123 were other ICU patients. The age (18 months vs. 26 months; P = 0.104) and male sex ratio (57% vs. 54%; P = 0.587) were not significantly different between PICU and other ICU patients. PICU patients (73%) were commonly admitted from another hospital compared with other ICU patients (63%, P = 0.043). The pediatric index of mortality (PIM)-3 score was not significantly different between the PICU and other ICU patients (-4.3 vs. -4.1; P = 0.128); the ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS) were 5 days vs. 5 days (P = 0.357) and 11 days vs. 11 days (p = 0.317); and ICU mortality was 4% vs. 11% (P = 0.008), respectively. Respiratory and neurologic complications were 5% vs. 11% (P = 0.021) and 4% vs. 2% (P = 0.282), respectively. The odds of mortality was higher for other ICUs than for PICUs (odds ratio, 2.56; 95% CI, 1.11-5.87), adjusted for source of ICU admission, and type of ICU.
Conclusions: Pediatric patients treated in a PICU had a lower mortality rate than those treated in other ICUs.