Functional Status and Hospital Readmission After Pediatric Critical Disease: A Year Follow-Up.

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the association between pediatric functional status at hospital discharge after PICU admission and hospital readmission within 1 year.

Design: Prospective longitudinal study.

Setting: Two PICUs in tertiary hospitals in South Brazil.

Patients: Children and adolescents admitted to the PICU.

Interventions: None.

Measurements and main results: We evaluated the following: clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, functional status using the Functional Status Scale-Brazil (FSS-Brazil) at baseline and at hospital discharge, and hospital readmission within 1 year. Hospital readmission risk was associated with possible related factors using Cox regression to estimate the hazard ratio (HR). A total of 196 patients completed the follow-up. At hospital discharge, 39.3% of children had some degree of decline in FSS-Brazil, and 38.3% had at least one nonelective hospital readmission within 1 year. FSS-Brazil rating at hospital discharge was associated with the risk of hospital readmission within 1 year (HR, 1.698; 95% CI, 1.016-2.838).

Conclusion: FSS-Brazil rating at hospital discharge, age, and length of stay were associated with greater hazard of nonelective hospital readmission within 1 year of discharge.