title: Children admitted to a general intensive care unit.
abstract: A retrospective analysis of the pattern of admission of children to the general intensive care unit of Christchurch Hospital during the period 1980-7 inclusive, is reported. Three hundred and ninety-nine children were admitted during this period and they formed 10.7% of all admissions to the unit. In addition to the intensive care specialist, a paediatrician was involved with the management on 260 occasions and a surgeon on 139 occasions. Acute epiglottitis was the single commonest medical cause for admission and trauma from motor vehicle accidents the commonest surgical reason. Overall mortality was 14.5%, 13% for medical conditions and 16% for those with surgical problems. These results are in keeping with those reported from overseas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Christchurch Hospital.
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Dawson
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Downward
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mogridge
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009017:Morbidity; D009520:New Zealand; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000639:trends*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies