• Kim Kristensen, Erik Arthur Andersen, Mads Holmen Andersen, Frederik F Buchvald, Henrik Christensen, Lars Heslet, Torsten L Bunk Lauritsen, Rosa M Reveles, Iben F Sorgenfrei, and Stig Winther-Rasmussen.
• Paediatric Clinic 2, Juliane Marie Centre, Intensive Care Unit, National University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Paediatric Departments, East Denmark.
• Dan Med Bull. 2002 Feb 1;49(1):67-9.

BackgroundEast Denmark has a population of 396,000 children 0-14 years and a yearly birth rate of 30,000, but at present no paediatric intensive care unit (PICU).ObjectiveTo perform a population based survey of paediatric mechanical ventilation with the purpose of providing the background for discussions for or against centralization of paediatric intensive care.MethodsCase records of children 0-14 years treated with mechanical ventilation from January 1996 to December 1998 were retrospectively reviewed and the following data were obtained: Whether or not the child was settled in East Denmark, date of admission, gender, age, underlying chronic condition(s), acute condition(s) leading to mechanical ventilation, duration of positive pressure ventilation, duration of endotracheal intubation, length of stay in ICU, and outcome. Children undergoing mechanical ventilation because of neonatal problems, cardiac surgery or neurosurgery were excluded.ResultsData were obtained from 197 children of which 123 were boys (p < 0.001 for boys vs girls). Median age at admission to ICU was 30 months. Boys were younger than girls (median age 22 vs 41 months, p = 0.01), but as determined by mortality, duration of positive pressure ventilation, intubation and stay in ICU there were no differences between boys and girls with respect to disease course (p > 0.28). Totally, 86 (44%) had at least one underlying chronic condition. The incidence of disease leading to mechanical ventilation in children in East Denmark was estimated to 1.6/10,000/year. An average of 1.1 child was intubated each day. Taking into account the seasonal variation two beds would be required to give coverage for 85% of ICU days needed for paediatric mechanical ventilation while three beds would cover 98%. Children admitted to referral hospital RH more often had underlying chronic conditions and had more severe courses of disease than children admitted to other hospitals (p < 0.001). Mortality did not differ (p = 0.66).ConclusionThe number of children requiring mechanical ventilation in East Denmark is too low to provide the background for establishing an independent PICU. However, since paediatric intensive care is a rare and complicated event further centralization of children undergoing mechanical ventilation in East Denmark should be considered.

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