Analysis of Meningitis Cases in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: 8-Year Single Center Experience

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate clinical features, management of intensive care treatment, complications and mortality in children with meningitis treated in pediatric intensive care unit. Method: Data of 47 patients who were followed-up in the pediatric intensive care unit between January 2006 and December 2014 with the diagnosis of meningitis were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were screened for demographic features, etiological and predisposing factors, physical examination and laboratory findings, treatment, prognosis, mortality rate, acute and chronic complications, Glasgow coma scale and pediatric mortality risk score. Results: The age, sex distribution, hospitalization day, and chronic disease rate of aseptic meningitis and bacterial meningitis did not differ significantly. In bacterial meningitis, S. pneumoniae was detected in 12.5% of patients and N. meningitidis in 6.2% of patients. In aseptic meningitis, invasive ventilation, inotropic use rate and pediatric mortality risk score score were significantly lower than the bacterial meningitis (p=0.011, p=0.042 and p=0.043, respectively). Conclusion: Early diagnosis, initiation of appropriate antibiotic therapy, and provision of necessary life support in life-threatening complications may reduce the need for pediatric intensive care unit, morbidity and mortality in meningitis patients. We believe that multicenter and prospective studies are needed to reduce sequelae and mortality of meningitis cases observed in pediatric intensive care unit.