• I E Pazvakavambwa.
• Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences, Avondale, Harare.
• Cent Afr J Med. 2004 Nov 1;50(11-12):107-10.

ObjectiveTo find out if the status of a patient on arrival in the intensive care unit had any bearing on the immediate ICU outcome and if there are any correctable factors.DesignA retrospective survey.SettingPaediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe between January 1997 and December 1998.Subjects147 emergency surgical admissions.ResultsThere were 147 surgical patients admitted to the PICU during the period of whom 77 were male and 43 were emergency surgical procedures. All patients were coming from the operating theatres (OT). Factors associated with a poor ICU outcome were emergency surgical admission (p<0.001), hypothermia on arrival in the PICU (p<0.001) and requirement for ventilation (p<0.001). On multivariate analysis only the first two were associated with a poor ICU outcome.ConclusionSome simple measures could be undertaken to improve immediate ICU outcome in surgical patients in a resource limited environment, such as improving the ambient temperature in OT during surgery and standardising transportation to PICU.

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