Pediatric risk of mortality III score in predicting mortality in children with altered sensorium in pediatric intensive care unit

ABSTRACT

Background: The Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM) Score has been devised to predict outcome and risk of mortality. The PRISM III score is one of the most recent scoring systems of pediatric mortality. This was developed involving 32 PICUs. Physiological data included the most abnormal values from the first 12 and second 12 hours of the PICU stay. To evaluate the mortality rate in children with altered sensorium by applying PRISM III (pediatric risk of mortality) score.Methods: This study was done in the paediatric intensive care unit of the Department of Paediatrics, Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India on 100 children of both sexes aged between 1 month and 13 years. The study was carried out for a period from December 2017 to July 2018. PRISM III scoring scale was applied for every child in his/her first 24 hours of PICU admission and their calculated score was recorded into the proforma. The clinical details at admission, laboratory data were recorded into the proforma.Results: Three major groups that contributed to the bulk of the admissions were acute CNS infection, seizure disorder and, bites and stings. They constituted to around 54% of our total admissions. As PRISM III Score increases there is a steady increase in the mortality rate. This table shows that the mortality rate is 0% for the 0-9 group and that it increases to 100% for 20-29 and 30 and above groups as the PRISM III score increase.Conclusions: PRISM III score provides an objective assessment of the severity of illness. PRISM III, when performed well, is good to predict mortality in an Indian PICU. Scoring systems with fewer laboratory parameters will be more useful in author's context. Larger studies are needed to develop/validate a mortality prediction score for our country.