• J Baeza, P Miranda, E Rui-Pérez, and J Cordero.
• Rev Chil Pediatr. 1989 Nov 1;60(6):319-26.

AbstractPrevious health state and acute failure of six organ system (cardiovascular, respiratory, neurologic, hematologic, renal and digestive systems) at admission to a pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) were evaluated in 71 patients that died along one year in an ICU of a pediatric hospital at Santiago, Chile. Acute organic system failure (AOF) and chronic organic failure (COF) were defined on clinical, laboratory and therapeutic standards at hand in this country. COF was present in 56% of the cases, and was mainly due to congenital heart malformations. At admission 44% of patients showed evidence of AOF most frequently of the respiratory (54%) and neurologic (44%) systems. Multisystemic failure occurred in 55% of the cases being present in 90.9% of patients with chronic heart diseases and in 77.7% of children admitted by different causes of sepsis. Multiple organ failure was the most frequent cause of death (33%) affecting preferentially patients with COF secondary to lung infections (40%) and central nervous system diseases (20%). AOF of the central nervous system was the second global cause of death and the first among previously healthy children. Irreversible respiratory malfunction caused 21% of deaths.

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