Pediatric intensive care in Argentina.

ABSTRACT

PIP 8.2% of the gross domestic product is spent annually on health care in Argentina, a country of 32 million people. There is 1 medical doctor of every 147,000 beds in a total 3180 hospitals. The infant mortality rate in Argentina is 24.5/1000 live births which is high compared to developed countries. Perinatal causes and congenital anomalies are the main cause of death after the neonatal period, and accidents, cardiac disease, and respiratory tract infections are the main causes of death among children over age 1 year. Argentina has approximately 35 pediatric intensive care units (ICU), but 154 of 244 beds are within or near the capital. Only 2 hospitals have pediatric intensive care fellowship programs, so full time dedicated staff is rare. 250 registered pediatricians dedicated to intensive care are in the Argentine Pediatric Society and the nurse/bed ratio is 12-13. Moreover, the country has neither postanesthesia recuperation units, burn units, chronic ventilation units, nor approved home assistance programs, and intermediate care is not clearly standardized. These inadequacies have led to a shortage of beds and the caring for of critically ill children in general pediatric or emergency wards in hospitals which lack adequate equipment; patients are often discharged inappropriately to clear bed space. Even so, prehospital and emergency room care tends to be provided without the necessary coordination with the pediatric ICU, and structural conditions regarding electrical self-sufficiency, air conditioning, and circulation are met in only few units. Despite the existence of these adverse conditions for the care of critically ill children, a pediatric organ transplant program developed since 1987 has demonstrated 70% to 100% survival rates for 16l orthotopic liver and 9 heart transplants, respectively. Alternatives to improving intensive care in Argentina include optimizing the response of emergency and critical care delivery systems, categorizing hospitals and pediatric ICUs with a regional approach, creating intermediate and chronic care units, and investing more in nursing.^ieng