RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Long-stay patients in pediatric intensive care units
JF Saudi Medical Journal
JO Saudi Med J
FD Prince Sultan Military Medical City
SP 1187
OP 1196
DO 10.15537/smj.2020.11.25450
VO 41
IS 11
A1 Mohamad-Hani A. Temsah
A1 Ayman A. Al-Eyadhy
A1 Fahad M. Al-Sohime
A1 Marwah M. Hassounah
A1 Mohammed A. Almazyad
A1 Gamal M. Hasan
A1 Amr A. Jamal
A1 Ali A. Alhaboob
A1 Majed A. Alabdulhafid
A1 Noura A. Abouammoh
A1 Khalid A. Alhasan
A1 Abdullah A. Alwohaibi
A1 Yousef T. Al Mana
A1 Abdullah T. Alturki
YR 2020
UL http://smj.org.sa/content/41/11/1187.abstract
AB Objectives: To explore the changing patterns of long-stay patients (LSP) to improve the utilization of pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) resources.Methods: This is a 2-points cross-sectional study (5 years apart; 2014-2019) conducted among PICUs and SCICUs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Children who have stayed in PICU for more than 21 days were included.Results: Out of the 11 units approached, 10 (90%) agreed to participate. The prevalence of LSP in all these hospitals decreased from 32% (48/150) in 2014 to 23.4% (35/149) in 2019. The length of stay ranged from 22 days to 13.5 years. The majority of LSP had a neuromuscular or cardiac disease and were admitted with respiratory compromise. Ventilator-associated pneumonia was the most prevalent complication (37.5%). The most commonly used resources were mechanical ventilation (93.8%), antibiotics (60.4%), and blood-products transfusions (35.4%). The most common reason for the extended stay was medical reasons (51.1%), followed by a lack of family resources (26.5%) or lack of referral to long-term care facilities (22.4%).Conclusion: A long-stay is associated with significant critical care bed occupancy, complications, and utilization of resources that could be otherwise utilized as surge capacity for critical care services. Decreasing occupancy in this multicenter study deserves further engagement of the healthcare leaders and families to maximize the utilization of resources.