Neuro-pediatric emergencies: clinical profile and outcomes

Pediatric neurological emergencies are a significant concern, often leading to high rates of admission to pediatric intensive care units and increased mortality rates. In Saudi Arabia, the emergency department (ED) is the main entry point for most patients in the healthcare system. This study aimed...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medicine and life 2024-04, Vol.17 (4), p.432-441
Main Authors: Khojah, Imad, Muthaffar, Osama, Alalawi, Hassan, Alyazidi, Anas, Alghamdi, Maha, Alharbi, Ohud, Almuharib, Latifa, Salem, Mayar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Age groups
Child
Child, Preschool
Complaints
Convulsions & seizures
Demographics
Emergencies
Emergency medical care
Emergency Service, Hospital - statistics & numerical data
Female
Females
Gender
Health care
Hospitals
Humans
Infant
Intensive care
Length of stay
Male
Mortality
Nervous System Diseases - therapy
Neurology
Original
Patients
Pediatrics
Regression analysis
Retrospective Studies
Saudi Arabia - epidemiology
Statistical analysis
Variance analysis
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Summary:Pediatric neurological emergencies are a significant concern, often leading to high rates of admission to pediatric intensive care units and increased mortality rates. In Saudi Arabia, the emergency department (ED) is the main entry point for most patients in the healthcare system. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of pediatric neurology visits to the ED, analyzing patient demographics, clinical presentations, and outcomes. The retrospective study was conducted at a large tertiary care center and examined 960 pediatric patients with neurological emergencies out of 24,088 pediatric ED visits. The study population consisted mainly of male participants (56.5%) and 43.5% female participants, with a mean age of 5.29 ± 4.19 years. School-age children (6-12 years) represented the largest population group (29.1%), and over a third of patients were triaged as 'resuscitation' ( = 332, 34.6%). Seizures ( = 317, 33.0%) and postictal states ( = 187, 19.5%) were the most common reasons for seeking emergency care, accounting for over half of all cases. There were statistically significant differences in provisional diagnosis and chief complaints across different age groups ( >0.001 and
ISSN:1844-122X
1844-3117
1844-3117
DOI:10.25122/jml-2023-0476