Weekend admissions to paediatric/neonatal intensive care units are associated with longer hospitalisation time but not with greater mortality

Background. To evaluate the impact on mortality and duration of stay of weekend admission of paediatric patients to the Paediatric/Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PNICU). Methods. Retrospective, nine-year cohort study. The study was performed in a tertiary level PNICU between 1 January 1999 and 31 December 2007.Data about the day of admission, diagnosis, outcome, and duration of stay was collected using a computerised database. Results. 2,223 out of 2,240 patients treated in the PNICU during the analysed period were enrolled to the analysis. 61.9% of the group were newborns. Overall mortality equalled 10.9% and did not differ depending on weekend or weekday admission (10.95% vs. 10.86% respectively, P = 0.96). A negative trend of mortality in both groups was observed (P < 0.001). The frequency of deaths occurring during the initial 48 hours of treatment also did not differ between weekend and weekday admissions (4.1% vs. 3.3%, P = 0.52). Overall duration of PNICU stay was significantly longer for weekend admissions (median 10 vs. 8 days, P = 0.01). The difference was absent in the neonatal group (12 vs. 11 days; P = 0.9) but was evident in children (median 6 vs. 5 days P = 0.002) regardless of primary diagnosis. The difference was the greatest in children with sepsis and/or haematological malignancy (five days in both subgroups, P = 0.01 and 0.002 respectively). Conclusions. No day-of-admission-dependent differences of mortality were detected in the analysed group. Weekend admissions were associated with longer duration of PNICU stay in children.