A statistical study was performed on pediatiic patients who were expired within 24 hours after admission to Department of Pediatrics of Hallym University Hospitals during the past 7 years from Jan. 1987 to Dec. 1993. We excluded the patients who were ...
A statistical study was performed on pediatiic patients who were expired within 24 hours after admission to Department of Pediatrics of Hallym University Hospitals during the past 7 years from Jan. 1987 to Dec. 1993. We excluded the patients who were expired by accident, who expired during nursery care, who were dead on arrival and who expired at emergency room due to incomplete description of the medical records.
The results and conclusion were obtained as follows; 1. During the study period total 555,683 patients were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics. Total number of expired patients was 779. Among those expired patients, 110 cases expired within 24 hours after admission(14.1%). The proportion of expired patients within 24 hours is marked decreased by annualy. 2. Male to female ratio of expired patients was 1.62 : 1. The most prevalent age group was under 12 months of age ; 27 cases(24.5%) were under 1 month and 47 cases(42.7%) were between 1 and 12 months. 3. As for monthly or seasonal incidence, there was no significant difference. 4. The predisposing causes of death of expired patient within 24 hours after admission were congenital heart disease(CHD), Reye syndrome, and sepsis in order. The proportion of preventable disease was increased in yonger age and untreatable disease was increased in older age. 5. Seventeen cases(15.5%) of 110 expired patient had preceding underlying diseases, such as CHD, leukemia, diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, or retinoblastoma. 6. Sixty-seven cases(60.9%) of 110 expired patients visited a private physician before admission, and 97 cases(88.2%) were admitted via emergency room. The proportion of no treatment group before admission which was thought rapid and unpredictable fatal pediatric disease was not significant difference by the year.
In conclusion, more attention and systemic medical transfer system are required. But rapid and unpredictable fatal pediatrc disease is inevitatable.