Anticipating Pediatric Patient Transfers From Intermediate to Intensive Care

OBJECTIVES: To explore characteristics of patients who were admitted to the intermediate care (IC) unit at a tertiary academic institution. In particular, we sought to compare the characteristics of IC patients who were transferred with the characteristics of those who were not transferred to PICU care and evaluate predictors of patient transfer.

METHODS: Data were collected on all admitted IC patients between July 2016 and June 2018. Patients whose index IC admission was from the PICU were excluded. Data collected included demographics and physiologic characteristics: heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, oxygen therapy, as well as Bedside Pediatric Early Warning System (BPEWS) score.

RESULTS: In this time period, 427 eligible patient visits occurred, with 66 patients (15.46%) being transferred to the PICU. Patients were commonly transferred early in their IC course (1.41 days into admission [0.66–3.87]); transferred patients had higher median admission BPEWS scores (7 [4.25–9] vs 5 [3–7]; P < .01). In the univariate analysis, no individual physiologic characteristic was predictive for transfer. In the multivariate analysis, BPEWS (P < .001) and need for any form of respiratory support (P = .04) were significant predictive factors for transfer (R² = 0.56).

CONCLUSIONS: The need for close monitoring of physiologic parameters remains paramount, especially in the first 48 hours of admission, in predicting the need for transfer from the IC to PICU. The need for any form of respiratory support is predictive of transfer. Situational awareness and assessment including BPEWS score is of critical importance.