[Admissions of patients with AIDS to pediatric intensive care units].

OBJECTIVE

To describe the most significant clinical features of children with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome who required admission to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

METHODS

Retrospective study of 12 patients with AIDS who required 13 admissions, between January 1988 and December 1997.

RESULTS

Mean age at admission was 15 months (1 month-6 years). Seven patients were under 1 year of age; four were diagnosed during their stay in the unit. The most common reason for admission was respiratory failure (six patients), followed by cardiac failure. Six patients needed mechanical ventilation (5 for respiratory failure). Two patients died during their stay, one of pneumonia due to Pneumocystis carinii infection and one of septic shock.

CONCLUSIONS

One-third of patients was diagnosed with HIV Infection during their stay at the PICU. Opportunistic infection was the initial manifestation of the disease. Consequently, with this type of infection, clinical suspicion should be high. The survival rate of up to 84.6% of the admissions to our unit as well as the new, highly active antiretroviral therapy, generally make HIV-infected children suitable for treatment in intensive care units.