Clinical spectrum and characteristics of children with atelectasis in the pediatric intensive care unit

In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the frequency of atelectasis in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and to evaluate the risk factors contributing to atelectasis development. Patients who were admitted to PICU of Hacettepe University İhsan Doğramacı Children's Hospital between November 2018 and November 2019 were included in the study. All chest radiographs taken during the follow-up of the patients in PICU were evaluated by two attending pediatric intensivists. Possible risk factors (age, cardiac, or another post-operative follow-up, body-weight Z score, neurologic diseases, Down syndrome, intubation requirement, etc.) were evaluated comparatively. Atelectases have been observed in 105 of 701 patients who were admitted to PICU, and a total of 192 atelectases were detected in the patients with atelectasis. The median age of atelectasis with patients was 15.6 months. The children who had atelectasis were younger than the non-atelectasis group (p<0.01). It was observed that 30.5% of patients who had atelectasis were under 5.3 months. That has been observed the children under 5.3 months had 4.2 fold increased risk for atelectasis development (p=0.000, confidence interval: 3.35-9.452, Odds ratio: 5.627). Down syndrome, intubation requirements and long duration intensive care hospitalization requirement were observed independent risk factors in terms of atelectasis development. The patients with atelectasis died 2.1 times more than the patients without atelectasis. As a result, it was found that Down syndrome, intubation requirement, long-duration intensive care hospitalization requirement were independent risk factors for atelectasis development. It was observed that 30.5% of patients who had atelectasis were under 5.3 months.