Descriptive analysis of neurological disorders in the pediatric intensive care unit of a regional reference hospital
López Pisón J; Galván Manso M; Rubio Morales L; Juan Belloc S; Ferreras Amez, A.; Melendo Gimeno, J.
Anales Espanoles de Pediatria 53(2): 119-124
2000
ISSN/ISBN: 0302-4342 PMID: 11083953 Document Number: 522524
The aim of this study was to analyze the neurological disorders in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of the Hospital Infantil Miguel Servet in Zaragoza, Spain. Children admitted to the PICU between May 15, 1990 and December 1999 were studied. The information was obtained from the Neuropediatric Department's database, which includes all the children admitted to the PICU with neurological disorders. The study period was 9 years and 6 months. Of the 4507 children evaluated by the Neuropediatric Department, 591 were admitted to the PICU at least once, with a total of 711 admissions (32% of the 2198 admissions to the PICU). Sixty children with neurological disorders died in the PICU. The most frequent causes of admission were head injury in 212 (30%), admission following neurosurgical procedures in 127 (18%), convulsions in 110 (15%), acute encephalopathy in 72 (10%), respiratory insufficiency in 44 (6.1%) and injuries of types other than head injuries in 28% (4%). Neurological disorders represent a large part of the activity in our PICU. Some common disorders such as acute encephalopathy or convulsions are difficult to diagnose, given that they may be a manifestation of several neurological and non-neurological disorders. Some of the neurological disorders that require intensive care, such as head injury and several forms of acute encephalopathy, are associated with high morbidity and mortality.