title: [Prolonged stay in pediatric intensive care units: mortality and healthcare resource consumption].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze mortality and resource consumption in patients with long stays in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs).
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective, descriptive case series study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical-surgical PICU in a third level hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected from patients with a stay of 28 days or more in PICU between 2006 and 2010. Of the 2118 patients assisted in this period, 83 (3.9%) required prolonged stay.
  
  
  METHODS
  Morbidity-mortality and resource consumption among patients with prolonged stay in the PICU.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mortality was higher in patients with a long stay (22.9%) than in the rest of patients (2%) (p<0.001). In 52.6% of these patients, death occurred after withdrawal of treatment or after not starting resuscitation measures. Patients with prolonged stay showed a high incidence of nosocomial infection (96.3%) and an important consumption of healthcare resources (97.6% required conventional mechanical ventilation, 90.2% required transfusion of blood products, 86.7% required intravenous vasoactive drugs and 22.9% required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation [ECMO]).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Critical children with prolonged stay in the PICU show important morbidity and mortality, and an important consumption of healthcare resources. The adoption of specific measures permitting early identification of patients at risk of prolonged stay is needed in order to adapt therapeutic measures and available resources, and to improve treatment efficiency.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: González-Cortés
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: López-Herce-Cid
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: García-Figueruelo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tesorero-Carcedo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Botrán-Prieto
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carrillo-Álvarez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000191:economics / Q000401:mortality; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000401:mortality*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000191:economics / Q000401:mortality; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000191:economics; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000191:economics / Q000401:mortality; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D028761:Withholding Treatment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data