Abstract:
Background: In least developing countries, there are few data on children’s critical care. This
makes the provision of aid and improvement of outcome difficult.
Objectives:To describe admission and outcome patterns of children managed in a general intensive care unit at Jimma University Specialized Hospital (JUSH), Ethiopia, over a 5-year period.
Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study design was used. All children from birth to
14 years of age who were admitted to the general ICU of the hospital from 2009–2013 were
included. Patient charts and ICU documentation log were reviewed.
Results: A total of 170 children were admitted to the ICU of JUSH over the study period. The
greater share was taken by males (54.7%), with a male-to-female ratio of 1.2:1. The overall
mortality rate was 40%. The majority of the children were in the age range of 10–14 years
(38.8%). Of the total number of patients admitted, 34.7% were trauma cases, 45.8% of whom
died. The highest percentage, 69.5%, of trauma patients were admitted for head injuries. Among
the trauma cases, burn and polytrauma were the second and third leading causes (15.3%) of
admission. Postoperative patients and medical patients accounted for the rest of the admitted
cases (28.2% and 27.6% of the cases respectively).
Conclusion: The leading cause of admission and death was trauma. Postoperative and medical
causes of admission were also significant. The mortality rate in the ICU was very high, and this
could be due to various factors. Further research benchmarking and interventions are highly
recommended.
