Analysis of the death due to infectious diseases in the patients hospitalized in the pediatric ward of a single Japanese tertiary medical facility

Abstract

In developed countries, mortality rates due to infection in children hospitalized in tertiary medical facilities, in which many patients with underlying disease are hospitalized, are uncertain. We investigated the characteristics of fatal cases due to infectious diseases in the pediatric ward of a Japanese tertiary medical facility. A total of 188 patients who died in the pediatric ward or intensive care unit at Kyushu University Hospital from 2002 to 2011was enrolled. The characteristics of the patients were investigated based on the medical records. Thirty-five patients died of infections, 31 of whom had underlying diseases. Most patients died of sepsis or pneumonia (n=27). All nine patients who died within 7-day-old were prematurity. Nine of the 13 patients with malignancy or hematological disorders died of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)-associated infection. The ratio of fatal cases due to infectious diseases to the total cases was decreased in the latter half of study period. In particular, the proportion of preterm infants who died of infections was significantly lower in the latter five years (p=0.02). Many of the fatal cases due to infectious diseases were premature infants and patients during and post-HSCT at our hospital. However, mortality due to infectious diseases in them decreased.