Evaluation of the Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Patients Followed up a Tertiary Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Objective: To evaluate the demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients that presented to our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2018 and were followed up for at least 24 hours. Materials and Methods: In this study, 876 admission files of patients who were followed up at PICU between January 01, 2016 and December 31, 2018 were examined. The data of 751 admissions belonging to 640 patients with complete archive records and patient information forms were included in the study. Results: Forty-three percent of the 640 patients were female, and 32.4% of the total 751 admissions were referrals from different hospitals in our city or region for advanced intensive care. Although all cases requiring intensive care, internal or surgical, were hospitalized, the most common reason for admission was infectious diseases. Parameters individually associated with mortality were the presence of chronic disease, need for mechanical ventilation, need for blood products, need for inotropic support, and need for renal replacement therapy. None of the patients who were followed up due to poisoning and airway obstruction died. The highest mortality rate was seen in the hematological-oncological patient group, including end-stage cases. Conclusion: Our PICU provides an important health service in our region for all critically ill children. The mortality rates were within the values reported for Turkey. To obtain better outcomes, it is necessary to strengthen medical staff in our clinic and develop the palliative care centers in our region.