• Mirjam A de Visser, Diana Kululanga, Singatiya S Chikumbanje, Emma Thomson, Tiyamike Kapalamula, Eric S Borgstein, Josephine Langton, Precious Kadzamira, Jenala Njirammadzi, van WoenselJob B MJBMDepartment of Pediatric Intensive Care, Emma Children's Hospital of the Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands., Gunnar Bentsen, Patricia M Weir, and Job C J Calis.
• Department of Pediatric Intensive Care, Emma Children's Hospital of the Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
• Pediatr Crit Care Me. 2023 Jun 1; 24 (6): 473483473-483.

ObjectivesDedicated PICUs are slowly starting to emerge in sub-Saharan Africa. Establishing these units can be challenging as there is little data from this region to inform which populations and approaches should be prioritized. This study describes the characteristics and outcome of patients admitted to the first PICU in Malawi, with the aim to identify factors associated with increased mortality.DesignReview of a prospectively constructed PICU database. Univariate analysis was used to assess associations between demographic, clinical and laboratory factors, and mortality. Univariate associations ( p < 0.1) for mortality were entered in two multivariable models.SettingA recently opened PICU in a public tertiary government hospital in Blantyre, Malawi.PatientsChildren admitted to PICU between August 1, 2017, and July 31, 2019.InterventionsNone.Measurement And Main ResultsOf 531 included PICU admissions, 149 children died (28.1%). Mortality was higher in neonates (88/167; 52.7%) than older children (61/364; 16.8%; p ≤ 0.001). On univariate analysis, gastroschisis, trachea-esophageal fistula, and sepsis had higher PICU mortality, while Wilms tumor, other neoplasms, vocal cord papilloma, and foreign body aspiration had higher survival rates compared with other conditions. On multivariable analysis, neonatal age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 4.0; 95% CI, 2.0-8.3), decreased mental state (AOR, 5.8; 95 CI, 2.4-13.8), post-cardiac arrest (AOR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.0-8.0), severe hypotension (AOR, 6.3; 95% CI, 2.0-19.1), lactate greater than 5 mmol/L (AOR, 4.2; 95% CI, 1.5-11.2), pH less than 7.2 (AOR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.2-8.0), and platelets less than 150 × 10 9 /L (AOR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.1-5.2) were associated with increased mortality.ConclusionsIn the first PICU in Malawi, mortality was relatively high, especially in neonates. Surgical neonates and septic patients were identified as highly vulnerable, which stresses the importance of improvement of PICU care bundles for these groups. Several clinical and laboratory variables were associated with mortality in older children. In neonates, severe hypotension was the only clinical variable associated with increased mortality besides blood gas parameters. This stresses the importance of basic laboratory tests, especially in neonates. These data contribute to evidence-based approaches establishing and improving future PICUs in sub-Saharan Africa.Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies.

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