Open AccessBotulism in the Pediatric Intensive Care Units in the United States: Interrogating a National Database
Author(s) -
Cynthia Howes,
Kerith Hiatt,
Katherine Turlington,
Cortney Foster,
Adrian Holloway,
Ana Lía Graciano,
Jason W. Custer,
Adnan T. Bhutta,
Dayanand Bagdure
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of pediatric intensive care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2146-4618
pISSN - 2146-4626
DOI - 10.1055/s-0039-1695045
Subject(s) - medicine , botulism , mechanical ventilation , cohort , pediatric intensive care unit , retrospective cohort study , pediatrics , intensive care unit , intensive care , emergency medicine , cohort study , intensive care medicine , surgery , genetics , biology
Botulism in children can have severe complications necessitating intensive care. The current literature lacks data of children with botulism requiring critical care. We aim to describe the outcomes of pediatric botulism in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Retrospective cohort data from Virtual Pediatric Systems (VPS, LLC, Los Angeles, California), from 2009 to 2016 including all PICU admissions among children with botulism, were analyzed. Characteristics and outcomes were compared with similar studies. A total of 380 children were identified over 8 years. Our cohort had the shortest length of stay (median 4.6 days), the smallest percent requiring mechanical ventilation (40%), and the highest median age (120 days) amongst comparable studies. Length of mechanical ventilation and PICU stay has decreased among children with botulism. Advances in PICU care may have contributed to these improved outcomes.