EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND CLINICAL PROFILE OF NON COVID 19 PATIENTS ADMITTED TO PEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE UNIT OF A TERTIARY CARE REFERRAL CENTRE DURING COVID 19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

Objective: To study the impact of lockdown during the corona virus disease 2019 pandemic, considering the limited healthcare and transport facilities while reaching the tertiary care hospital. It was a hospital based; observational study done over a period of 12 month consisting of pre lockdown period (December 2019 to March 2020), Lockdown (April 2020 to June 2020) and post lock-down (July 2020 to November 2020) period data of COVID-19 negative reported children admitted to pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). 0ut of 1019 enrolled children, total number of admissions prior lockdown was 534, during lockdown 240 and post lock down 243. Admissions from rural was signicantly less during lockdown i.e., urban =80% and rural=20% whereas prior lockdown 56% from urban and 44% from rural Pune. Percentage of male children admitted was signicantly more during lockdown compared to prelockdown (62.3% male and 37.7% females). The mortality rate was 6.7% and discharge against medical advice rate was signicantly high during lockdown compared to pre- and post-lockdown. Our study has shown that covid-19 pandemic has strongly affected the number of PICU admissions, pattern of diseases, requirement of ventilatory support and mortality. Provision for good healthcare transport facility and availability of primary and routine health care facilities may have led to good outcome of PICU hospitalizations in terms of recovery and mortality.