Does Serum Chloride Level Affect the Outcomes in Children Admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit?

Serum chloride disorders are common in critically ill patients and appear to be associated with worse outcomes in patients. However, less attention has been paid to the amount of chloride in critically ill patients.  This study aims to determine the frequency of serum chloride disorders and their possible association with disease outcomes in all children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).
This prospective study was performed on all patients admitted to the PICU of Akbar Children Hospital, Mashhad, Iran, from April 2019 to April 2020. Serum chloride levels were recorded daily on the first, second, and third days of the PICU stay. Statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS software (Version 24, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) through one-way analysis of variance test, and Chi-square test in the significance level of α=0.05.
In this study, no significant relationship was observed between serum chloride levels and patients’ final status (P≥0.05). Serum Chloride level on the first day of PICU admission was significantly correlated with the length of PICU stay (r= 0.258, P= 0.029). There was no significant relationship between serum chloride levels and the patients’ need for mechanical ventilation on any of the three days (P≥0.05).
According to the results, serum chloride level can be considered as an indicator of the length of the PICU stay.