title: Paediatric intensive care is feasible in a neonatal department.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intensive care of infants below one year of age has been centralized in a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) related to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Rigshospitalet, the University Hospital in Copenhagen in eastern Denmark (approximately 2.5 million inhabitants) since 2002. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the experiences from the PICU.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive study including data from the 01.01.2002-31.12.2010-period from all the admissions to the PICU for infants below one year of age fulfilling one of two criteria: 1) born preterm and admitted to the department after 40 weeks of gestational age or 2) born at term and admitted to the department at an age -older than 28 days. Data were registered prospectively including information on primary diagnoses at admission, the need for mechanical ventilation and the duration of mechanical ventilation. Mortality was evaluated in the three year-period 2008-2010 by use of the Paediatric Index of Mortality 2 score (PIM2 score).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The nine-year period saw 927 admissions to the PICU and 355 infants received mechanical ventilation (median three days). The PIM2 score was 6.7% and the mortality was 6.7% in the period during which PIM2 score was registered. The incidence of mechanical ventilation due to respiratory failure was 0.74/1,000 infants born in the -region.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The experience from the NICU seems to -compensate for a low volume of infants in the PICU. The -incidence of mechanically ventilated infants due to respiratory disease in eastern Denmark is relatively low.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Not relevant.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Not relevant. The study was not registered, as it is an observational study.
authors: Department of Neonatology, Neonatalklinikken, Juliane Marie Centret, Rigshospitalet, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. ambjensen@dadlnet.dk
authors: Anne-Mette Bæk
authors: AM
authors: Jensen
authors: Kaare E
authors: KE
authors: Lundstrøm
authors: Jes
authors: J
authors: Reinholdt
authors: Torsten
authors: T
authors: Lauritsen
authors: Bo Mølholm
authors: BM
authors: Hansen
mesh_terms: D003718:Denmark; D005865:Gestational Age; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000628:therapy*; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors