[Experience in COVID-19 in hospitalized patients in pediatric critical units during pandemic period]. / Experiencia en COVID-19 en pacientes hospitalizados en unidades de paciente crítico pediátrico durante el periodo pandémico.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize the COVID-19 disease profile in Chilean children hospitalized in pediatric intensive care units (PICU) and to evaluate risk factors associated with severe COVID-19. PATIENTS AND METHOD: A multicenter prospective cohort study with patients 0-18 years of age with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 hospitalized in PICU. Clinical, laboratory, imaging, and therapeutic variables were recorded. We compared "mild/moderate COVID-19" with ''severe COVID-19" using median with interquartile range (IQR), Mann-Whitney U test, two-tailed Fisher's test, and forward binary multivariate analysis to adjust variables for "severe COVID-19". A p < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: From 16 PICUs, 219 patients were recruited, 55.3% were male, with a median age of 86 months (IQR: 13.5-156). The most frequent comorbidities were obesity and respiratory diseases. Overall mortality was 3.6%. "Severe COVID-19" (26.5%) showed more leukopenia, lymphopenia, increased inflammatory parameters, and altered organ function (p < 0.05). It also developed more sepsis/shock, ARDS, and organ dysfunction, requiring more hemodynamic, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulation, and antibiotic therapy, with a longer stay in the PICU/hospital (p < 0.05), and 13.8% of mortality. Risk factors associated with "severe COVID-19" were shock on admission to the PICU [aOR 28.44 (95%CI 10.45-77.4)], obesity [aOR 3.55 (95%CI 1.3-9.6)], consolidation [aOR 3.1 (95%CI 1.1 -8.7)], atelectasis [aOR: 8.7 (95%CI 1.17-64.3)], stress dose of corticosteroids [aOR 7.7 (95%CI 1.9-30.6)], early antibiotic therapy [aOR: 12.02 (95%CI 1.11-130.02)], acquired/congenital immunodeficiency [aOR: 19.2 (95%CI: 1.19-321)], and oncological pathology [aOR 10.7 (95%CI 2.14-47.8)]. CONCLUSION: In this Chilean pediatric cohort, most patients with COVID-19 admitted to de PICU were male, of school age, with associated comorbidity. Risk factors for developing severe COVID-19 were the presence of comorbidities such as acquired/congenital immunodeficiency, oncological pathology, and obesity, in addition to shock on admission and consolidations on X-rays.

Guía de recomendaciones para el manejo de pacientes pediátricos con enfermedad severa por SARS-CoV-2 / Recommendations guide for the management of pediatric patients with severe SARS-CoV-2

Resumen: La aparición del SARS-CoV-2 a partir de diciembre de 2019 y su rápida expansión en el mundo alcanzando el estatus de Pandemia, se ha convertido en un gran desafío para los equipos de salud. Aunque la evidencia de la infección en niños aún es escasa comparada a la de los adultos, se ha hecho evidente que a nivel de la población pediátrica, la mayor parte de las veces la infección es asintomática o de curso leve, sin embargo no todos los pacientes tienen esta evolución, lo que ha motivado la discusión en los equipos de Cuidados Criticos Pediátricos respecto a cómo enfrentar estos pacientes con enfermedad grave. Este consenso es fruto del trabajo de la Rama de Cuidados Intensivos Pe diátricos de la Sociedad Chilena de Pediatría, recogiendo la evidencia disponible al momento de la revisión más la opinión de expertos nacionales en Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos. El propósito de estas recomendaciones, es ofrecer a los equipos que atienden a pacientes críticos pediátricos, una guía para el diagnóstico y tratamiento de pacientes que evolucionen con COVID 19 grave, que puedan ser aplicadas en todas las UPC Pediátricas de nuestro país, haciendo especial énfasis en aquellas medidas que han demostrado mayor efectividad a nivel de estudios diagnósticos, tratamiento y cuidados del personal de salud.

Abstract: The appearance of SARS-CoV-2 from December 2019 and its rapid expansion in the world reaching Pandemic status, has become a great challenge for health teams. Although the evidence of infection in children is still scarce compared to that of adults, it has become evident that at the pediatric po pulation level, most of the time the infection is asymptomatic or mild, but not all the patients have this evolution, which has motivated the discussion in the Pediatric Critical Care teams regarding how to face these patients with a more serious disease. This consensus is the result of the work of the Pediatric Intensive Care Branch of the Chilean Society of Pediatrics, collecting the evidence available at the time of the review plus the opinion of national experts in Pediatric Intensive Care. The purpose of these recommendations is to offer teams that care for critically ill pediatric patients a guide for the diagnosis and treatment of patients who evolve with severe COVID 19, which can be applied in all Pediatric UPCs in our country, with special emphasis in those measures that have shown greater effectiveness at the level of diagnostic studies, treatment and care of health personnel.