Experience in COVID-19 in hospitalized patients in pediatric critical units during pandemic period

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Keywords

Children
SARS-CoV-2
COVID-19
Critical Care
Severe COVID-19
Covid-19 Pandemics

How to Cite

1.
Wegner Araya A, Céspedes Fernández P, Astudillo Paredes P, Diettes González A, Díaz Rubio F, Scheu Goncalves C, Chauriye Kuncar V, Gaete Amenábar T, Zamora Astudillo M, Acuña Aguirre C, Drago Thibaut M, Monreal Eloaiza V, Lapadula Amelina M, Pietroboni Fuster P, Varela Ortiz J, Gallardo Martínez A, Scheuch Ruiz K, Manen Chinchón A, Villarroel Carreño MJ, Verscheure Peralta F, Maldonado Valenzuela B, Meyer Flores M. Experience in COVID-19 in hospitalized patients in pediatric critical units during pandemic period. Andes pediatr [Internet]. 2023 Oct. 18 [cited 2026 Feb. 18];94(5):616-27. Available from: https://andespediatrica.cl/index.php/rchped/article/view/4527

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Abstract

Objectives: To characterize the COVID-19 disease profile in Chilean children hospitalized in pediatric intensive care units (PICU) and to evaluate risk factors associated with severe COVID-19.

Patients and Method: A multicenter prospective cohort study with patients 0-18 years of age with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 hospitalized in PICU. Clinical, laboratory, imaging, and therapeutic variables were recorded. We compared ”mild/moderate COVID-19” with ”severe COVID-19” using median with interquartile range (IQR), Mann-Whitney U test, two-tailed Fisher’s test, and forward binary multivariate analysis to adjust variables for “severe COVID-19”. A p < 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: From 16 PICUs, 219 patients were recruited, 55.3% were male, with a median age of 86 months (IQR: 13.5-156). The most frequent comorbidities were obesity and respiratory diseases. Overall mortality was 3.6%. “Severe COVID-19” (26.5%) showed more leukopenia, lymphopenia, increased inflammatory parameters, and altered organ function (p < 0.05). It also developed more sepsis/shock, ARDS, and organ dysfunction, requiring more hemodynamic, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulation, and antibiotic therapy, with a longer stay in the PICU/hospital (p < 0.05), and 13.8% of mortality. Risk factors associated with “severe COVID-19” were shock on admission to the PICU [aOR 28.44 (95%CI 10.45-77.4)], obesity [aOR 3.55 (95%CI 1.3-9.6)], consolidation [aOR 3.1 (95%CI 1.1 -8.7)], atelectasis [aOR: 8.7 (95%CI 1.17-64.3)], stress dose of corticosteroids [aOR 7.7 (95%CI 1.9-30.6)], early antibiotic therapy [aOR: 12.02 (95%CI 1.11-130.02)], acquired/congenital immunodeficiency [aOR: 19.2 (95%CI: 1.19-321)], and oncological pathology [aOR 10.7 (95%CI 2.14-47.8)].

Conclusion: In this Chilean pediatric cohort, most patients with COVID-19 admitted to de PICU were male, of school age, with associated comorbidity. Risk factors for developing severe COVID-19 were the presence of comorbidities such as acquired/congenital immunodeficiency, oncological pathology, and obesity, in addition to shock on admission and consolidations on X-rays. 

https://doi.org/10.32641/andespediatr.v94i5.4527
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