Current status of pediatric neurocritical care in Argentina.

Abstract

Patients with neurocritical injuries account for 10-16 % of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admissions and frequently require neuromonitoring. To describe the current status of neuromonitoring in Argentina. Survey with 37 questions about neuromonitoring without including patients' data. Period: April-June 2017. Thirty-eight responses were received out of 71 requests (14 districts with 11 498 annual discharges). The PICU/hospital bed ratio was 21.9 (range: 4.2-66.7). Seventy-four percent of PICUs were public; 61 %, university-affiliated; and 71 %, level I. The availability of monitoring techniques was similar between public and private (percentages): intracranial pressure (95), electroencephalography (92), transcranial Doppler (53), evoked potentials (50), jugular saturation (47), and bispectral index (11). Trauma was the main reason for monitoring. Except for intracranial pressure and electroencephalography, neuromonitoring resources are scarce and active neurosurgery availability is minimal. A PICU national registry is required.