[Prolonged length of stays in pediatric intensive care. Retrospective study of 100 stays].
New issues have arisen in pediatric intensive care units, especially concerning long-stay patients. The aims of the present study were to describe the etiologic factors of these long-stay patients and to recognize the comorbidities.


METHODS
Ninety-five patients who had a total of 100 hospitalizations of more than 30 days were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit at Robert-Debre Hospital during a 3-year period (1993-1995); this accounted for 9.1% of total admissions. We retrospectively reviewed these 100 long-stay hospitalizations.


RESULTS
Most of these patients were newborns (65%). Patients with severe congenital anomalies (44 patients) and very premature infants (26 patients) constituted the majority of long-stay patients. The mean duration of mechanical ventilation for the 95 patients was 110 days (ranges 17-789 days). Two factors of comorbidity were found: gastroesophageal reflux (41% of cases) and nosocomial infections (89% of cases).


CONCLUSIONS
In order to prevent long stays, pediatric intensive care units must be directed toward these factors.
Service de pédiatrie réanimation, hôpital Robert-Debré, 48, boulevard Sérurier, 75019 Paris, France.
B
B
Auburtin
C
C
Saizou
S
S
Dauger
J F
JF
Hartmann
J C
JC
Mercier
F
F
Beaufils
D015897:Comorbidity; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000209:etiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000150:complications; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000150:complications; D006302:Health Services Research; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index