Clinical profile and outcomeof respiratory failure in Iraqi children

ABSTRACT

The frequency of acute respiratory failure is higher in infants and young children than in adults. Acute respiratory failure remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality for children. One hundred and twenty children under the age of 15 years presented with respiratory failure and admitted to RICU in Children Welfare Teaching Hospital and Surgical Specialty Hospital in Medical City-Baghdad in the period from the Pt of May-2003 to the 30" of June 2005 were enrolled in a descriptive study. Seventy nine [65.83%] cases were males and 41 [34.17%] were females. Male/female ratio was 1.931 .The mean age was 30.21 months, 35 [29.16%] cases were neonates. Sixty eight [56.7%] cases were from urban areas and 52 [43.3%] were from rural areas. Seventy eight [65%] children were admitted for medical diseases and 42 [3 5%] were admitted for surgical problems. The most common medical causes were respiratory [5 0%] followed by neurological [37. 1 7%].The most common respiratory cases were bronchiolitis [28.2%] and most common neurological cases were Guillain-Barre Syndrome [58.6%].The majority [90.47%] of surgical cases were admitted post-operatively. The average duration of stay in RICU was 9.71 days. Fifty three patients [44.17%] survived and 67 [55.83%] died. The most common age group admitted to RICU is infancy, medical cases are more commonly admitted than surgical cases, the most common medical causes of admission are respiratory followed by neurological causes, the most common respiratory cause of admission is acute bronchiolitis