Evaluation of the use of a paediatric intensive care unit in a small tertiary care hospital - Poster abstract

OBJECTIVE: The need for intensive care of the paediatric patient has been all established internationally. Worldwide the speciality continues to advance rapidly, but our region appears to have fallen behind in this area of care, which reflected in the fact that only full-time facility exists in the English-speaking Caribbean. This study evaluated the first fifteen months of operation of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. METHODS: A demographic profile of children using the unit was prepared and an audit on the utilization of the facilities was carried out. RESULTS: 181 children were studied, of whom 44.percent were female and 52.2 percent male. Barbadian nationals comprised 82.4 percent. The 6-11 year age group accounted for the majority of PICU admissions (33 percent and the 12-16 age group used the facility the least (17 percent). Of all admissions, 3.9 percent needed ventilation, with an average use of 2.2 beds were occupied per month. Of all the admissions, 3.9 percent needed ventilation, with an average use of 0.47 children per month. The spectrum of illness managed fell into eight clinical sub-specialities, with respiratory disease accounting for the majority of admissions (46.5 percent). The mortality rate was 8.9 percenrt of children, with cardiovascular illness accounting for 54 percent of deaths. CONCLUSIONS: The PICU at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital may be considered to adequately supply the current need for intensive care management of children outside of the Neonatal a model for those interested in setting up similar units elsewhere in the Caribbean.(AU)