title: [Adverse drug reactions in a paediatric intensive care unit].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine ADR frequency and characteristics of ADR in a paediatric intensive care unit between may and june 2009.
  
  
  METHODS
  All of the hospitalised children were under intensive pharmacosurveillance by means of daily analysis of their prescription profiles. The following patient characteristics were analysed: age, sex, drugs involved, affected organs and systems, triggered illness, adverse reaction mechanism, presence of polypharmacy, severity and course of the reaction. The following variables were recorded for adverse reactions: frequency, incidence in hospitalised children, incidence per 100 children/day and percentage of preventable reactions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 123 hospitalised children, 24 experienced at least one adverse reaction. The total number of identified adverse drug reactions was 45. Average age was 34 months, and 14 patients were male.Frequency was 36.6% (CI 95% 28.4-46.4). Adverse reaction average was calculated at 1.9 reactions per child. The ADR incidence rate per 100 children/day was 10.4. There were 66 drugs involved; the most common drug groups were antiepileptics and diuretics. Drug reactions most frequently affected the metabolic and haematological systems. Of the reactions, 61% were preventable. Twelve reactions were severe and 1 patient died.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adverse reactions are a frequent health problem among critically ill children. There is a pressing need to create awareness and prevention strategies to decrease their frequency and severity.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmacología y Terapéutica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay. hmteleo@gmail.com
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Telechea
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Speranza
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giachetto
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nanni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Menchaca
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016907:Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016638:Critical Illness; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male