Outcomes of paediatric critical care asthma patients.

AIM: The aim of this study was to characterise patients with asthma admitted to an Australian paediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

METHODS: This was a retrospective review of patients with asthma admitted to a university-affiliated, 23-bed, tertiary PICU between January 2000 and December 2011, with a subset of pharmacotherapy and biochemical data from patients admitted between July 2007 and December 2011.

RESULTS: A total of 589 admissions (501 patients) with asthma over 12 years constituted 4.4% of all PICU admissions. Three patients died (0.6%). Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) was used in 104 (17.7%) admissions, and 41 (7%) were invasively ventilated. On 12 (2%) occasions, patients received both NIV and invasive ventilation. Over 12 years, there was a significant trend to increased use of NIV, 11-39% (P < 0.0001), and invasive ventilation, 6-14% (P < 0.001). All received steroids and nebulised β2-agonists. A total of 92% received intravenous (IV) β2-agonists, 65% of these for less than 12 h. PICU and hospital stay were proportional to the duration of IV β2-agonist infusion (P < 0.0001). A total of 47.1% received IV magnesium sulphate, increasing from 19 to 75% (P < 0.001). The majority (48%) were transferred directly to PICU from other hospitals. Median PICU stay was 1.04 days (0.72-1.63); hospital stay was 3.16 days (2.29-4.71), and both were unchanged.

CONCLUSIONS: Intensive care length of stay (LOS) was unchanged over 12 years. Both invasive and NIV and IV magnesium sulphate use increased. LOS was directly related to the duration of IV β2-agonist. Asthma patients admitted to PICU typically have a brief stay and have a fairly predictable course. Prospective studies could explore the contribution of IV agents and the role of NIV.