Admission Patterns and Outcome in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Nepal

Aims: To study the admission patterns and outcome of children in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in Nepal. Methods: Demographic profile, diagnosis, treatment, supportive measures and outcome of children admitted to the PICU of B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences from April 2011 to March 2012 were reviewed. Results: 230 children were admitted to the PICU with male to female ratio of 1.7:1. Diagnoses included respiratory diseases (n=76, 33%), central nervous system diseases (n=43, 18.6%), infectious diseases (n=26, 11.3%), surgical problems (n=18, 7.8%), gastrointestinal diseases (n=17, 7.4%), cardiovascular diseases (n=15, 6.5%), poisonings (n=11, 4.8%), renal (n=9, 3.9%), hematological (n=3, 1.3%) and others (n=12, 5.4%). Out of 230 admitted children, 29 (12.6%) died, 19 (8.2%) left against medical advice and 5 (2%) were referred to other centers. Forty-one (17.8%) children received mechanical ventilation, among which 23 (56%) improved, 14 (34.1%) died and 4 (9.7%) children were taken away by caretakers against medical advice. Conclusion: Respiratory, central nervous system and infectious disease were the