• Alberto García-Salido, Inés Leoz-Gordillo, Amelia Martínez de Azagra-Garde, Montserrat Nieto-Moro, María Isabel Iglesias-Bouzas, María Ángeles García-Teresa, Marta Cabrero-Hernández, Gema De Lama Caro-Patón, Ainhoa Gochi Valdovinos, Anthony González-Brabin, and Ana Serrano-González.
• All authors: Pediatric Critical Care Unit, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Madrid, Spain.
• Pediatr Crit Care Me. 2020 Aug 1; 21 (8): e576-e580.

ObjectivesSpain has been one of the countries most severely affected by the coronavirus disease 2019. This study aims to describe a series of children admitted to a PICU due to coronavirus disease 2019 infection.DesignProspective observational study.SettingTertiary hospital in Madrid, Spain.PatientsChildren admitted to the PICU with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection, from March 1, 2020, to April 15, 2020.InterventionsObservational study.Measurements And Main ResultsEpidemiologic data, previous clinical characteristics, support therapy needed, imaging tests, laboratory observations on admission, and pharmacologic therapy. Eleven children were admitted to the PICU, with suspected coronavirus disease 2019; the polymerase chain reaction test was positive in seven. The median age was 100.7 months (range, 0.5-162). Five were admitted from the emergency department and two from the ward. The Pediatric Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score was 3 (range, 0-9), and Pediatric Risk of Mortality II score was 4 (range, 0-16). All children were previously healthy except one (allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation). Respiratory symptoms and fever were prevalent. A chest radiograph led to a pneumonia diagnosis. Not all patients presented with lymphopenia on admission. D-Dimer and ferritin were elevated. All patients needed oxygen therapy through a nasal cannula; five patients received high-flow nasal cannula therapy, which was later substituted with noninvasive ventilation in four. Mechanical ventilation was necessary in two patients on the first day of PICU admission. Two children required mechanical ventilation and inotropic support. Tocilizumab was applied in two intubated children. Also, four children received heparin. No patients died.ConclusionsOn the whole, the children were previously healthy and are more than 1 year old. Respiratory symptoms were the leading cause of PICU admission, making respiratory support the principal therapy. Patients requiring mechanical ventilation showed deterioration on the first day of admission. These children seemed to require close monitoring, and multicenter studies are necessary.

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