Long-stay children in intensive care

Abstract

More than two-thirds of children who stay in intensive care for ≥28 days have an unfavorable outcome (moderate disability, severe disability, or death). Long-stay patients in pediatric intensive care utilized a large proportion of resources and this utilization has considerably increased with time. Service provision and policy making should expect worsening of these trends in the future; its effects on critical care bed availability and overall activity levels could be substantial.