Decline in platelet count as a prognostic marker in critically ill children

Abstract

Objectives: To study the variation in platelet count in critically ill children and correlate its association with their outcomes Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional analysis of 150 critically ill children admitted in PICU of tertiary care hospital over period of 1 year. Laboratory data was collected with daily platelet counts from day of admission till death or discharge whichever was earlier in all patients. The study population was grouped as thrombocytopenic (platelet count 30% at 72 hours was independent risk factor (odds ratio 4.126) for mortality with high sensitivity(91.7%) and specificity (84.4%) with area under ROC curve of 0.898 which was associated with PRISMII. Conclusion: Decline in platelet count can be used as prognostic marker of poor outcome in critically ill children.

Keywords

• thrombocytopenia
• decline in platelet count
• pediatric intensive care unit