Characteristics and Outcomes of Young Adult Patients with Severe Sepsis Admitted to Pediatric Intensive Care Units Versus Medical/Surgical Intensive Care Units

Purpose: Young adults receive severe sepsis treatment across pediatric and adult care settings. However, little is known about young adult sepsis outcome differences in pediatric versus adult hospital settings. Material and Methods: Using Truven MarketScan database from 2010-2015, we compared in-hospital mortality and hospital length of stay in young adults ages 18-26 treated for severe sepsis in Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs) versus Medical ICUs (MICUs)/Surgical ICUs (SICUs) using logistic regression models and accelerated time failure models, respectively. Comorbidities were identified using Complex Chronic Conditions (CCC) and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Results: Of the 18 900 young adults hospitalized with severe sepsis, 163 (0.9%) were treated in the PICU and 952 (5.0%) in the MICU/SICU. PICU patients were more likely to have a comorbid condition compared to MICU/SICU patients. Compared to PICU patients, MICU/SICU patients had a lower odds of in-hospital mortality after adjusting for age, sex, Medicaid status, and comorbidities (adjusting for CCC, odds ratio [OR]: 0.50, 95% CI 0.29-0.89; adjusting for CCI, OR: 0.51, 95% CI 0.29-0.94). There was no difference in adjusted length of stay for young adults with severe sepsis (adjusting for CCC, Event Time Ratio [ETR]: 1.14, 95% CI 0.94-1.38; adjusting for CCI, ETR: 1.09, 95% CI 0.90-1.33). Conclusions: Young adults with severe sepsis experience higher adjusted odds of mortality when treated in PICUs versus MICU/SICUs. However, there was no difference in length of stay. Variation in mortality is likely due to significant differences in the patient populations, including comorbidity status.