Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients Admitted to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Southwest of Iran

Data on pediatric critical care in Iran are insufficient. This study was performed to determine the outcomes and characteristics of critically ill children admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in Ahvaz, Iran. A retrospective study was conducted among all patients in the PICU of Abuzar Hospital for one year. Their medical documents were reviewed. A total of 400 patients were identified. The average age of patients was 29.94±39.55 months, and 53.8% of them were males. Nearly half of the cases were under age one. The most prevalent causes of PICU admission were respiratory (36.5%), neurological (18.5%), and infection-related diseases (15%). Besides, 55.7% of patients (n=223) had no history of underlying health problems. Admissions were more frequent in winter (n=125; 31.3%) and spring (n=101; 25.3%). The mortality rate and the mean hospital length of stay (LOS) were 15.5% and 10.79±6.39 days, respectively. In addition, 231 patients had an abnormal respiratory rate and a quarter of them (n=97) required ventilation support. Moreover, 377 and 82 patients were malnourished and severely underweight, respectively. A significant association was found between the mortality of patients and malnutrition, as well as having consanguineous parents (P<0.001). The death rate was significantly higher in patients with infectious disease than non-infectious, as well as in long-stay PICU patients than in short-stay patients (P<0.05). Additional studies are required to find factors contributing to the disease burden among PICU patients in Iran to develop appropriate therapeutic strategies and improve the outcomes of pediatric patients.