Incidence of and Risk Factors for Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders in Critically Ill Children: Insights From a Tertiary Care Center in Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the incidence and determinants of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders, as well as mortality-associated risk factors, in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of a tertiary care center in Saudi Arabia. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: The PICU at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Patients: Patients aged 1 week to 14 years who were admitted to the PICU between January 2021 and December 2023. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Of the 3344 patients admitted to the PICU, 53.1% were male; the median age was 3 years (interquartile range: 0-8). The most common underlying conditions were neurological in 723 patients (21.6%), hematological/oncological in 463 (13.9%), and cardiovascular in 417 (12.5%). DNR orders were issued for 6.4% of admissions; among the 213 patients with DNR orders, 24 (11.3%) had a history of resuscitation before the DNR order. The mortality rate was significantly higher among patients with DNR orders (42.3%) compared to those without (1.3%; p < 0.001). Of all 3344 patients, 130 (3.9%) died; of these, 90 (69.2%) had DNR orders. Predictors of DNR status included male gender, hematological/oncological and cardiovascular diseases, bone marrow transplantation, respiratory distress, sepsis, seizures, bleeding, and need for mechanical ventilation (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study revealed a DNR order rate of 6.4% among all PICU admissions, with 69.2% of PICU deaths occurring in patients with DNR status. Further analysis is warranted to understand the factors influencing DNR decisions and their impact on patient outcomes.