ArticleArchives of disease in childhood2021
Caring for critically ill adults in paediatric intensive care units in England during the COVID-19 pandemic: planning, implementation and lessons for the future.
Article in Archives of disease in childhood, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed.
- Conservative versus liberal oxygenation targets in critically ill children: the Oxy-PICU RCT.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2026Trial
- RSV bronchiolitis versus COVID-19: could pediatric intensive care units have done more during the pandemic?BMC pediatrics · 2026Article
- Elevated hospital floor-based HDU (POPUP-HDU): a new safe alternative to PICU for high-risk neuromuscular and syndromic children undergoing scoliosis surgery.Spine deformity · 2025Article
- Pediatric critical care capacity in Canada.Paediatrics & child health · 2025Article
- Article
- The care of critically ill adults with COVID-19 in Ontario pediatric intensive care units.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2023Article
- Impact of adapting paediatric intensive care units for adult care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review.BMJ open · 2023Article
- Voices of Pandemic Care: Perspectives from Pediatric Providers During the First SARS-CoV-2 Surge.Critical care clinics · 2023Review
- Canadian Pediatric Intensive Care Adaptations for Critically Ill Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Survey Study.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2023Article
- The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit as a Critical Care Setting for Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Service Evaluation.Journal of pediatric intensive care · 2022Article
- Response.Chest · 2022Article
- Organisation of care in paediatric intensive care units during the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review protocol.BMJ open · 2022Article
- Clinical and organizational framework of repurposing pediatric intensive care unit to adult critical care in a resource-limited setting: Lessons from the response of an urban general hospital to the COVID-19 pandemic.Journal of critical care · 2022Article
- Up to the Challenge: Adapting Pediatric Intensive Care During a Global Pandemic.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2022Article
- Responses of paediatric emergency departments to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe: a cross-sectional survey study.BMJ paediatrics open · 2021Article
- In the eye of the storm: impact of COVID-19 pandemic on admission patterns to paediatric intensive care units in the UK and Eire.Critical care (London, England) · 2021Article
- Nursing-Sensitive Outcomes among Patients Cared for in Paediatric Intensive Care Units: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Finding ways for children's doctors to care for big 'Kids' and save adults in a pandemic.Archives of disease in childhood · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo describe the experience of paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in England that repurposed their units, equipment and staff to care for critically ill adults during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
designDescriptive study.
settingSeven PICUs in England.
main outcome measures(1) Modelling using historical Paediatric Intensive Care Audit Network data; (2) space, staff, equipment, clinical care, communication and governance considerations during repurposing of PICUs; (3) characteristics, interventions and outcomes of adults cared for in repurposed PICUs.
resultsSeven English PICUs, accounting for 137 beds, repurposed their space, staff and equipment to admit critically ill adults. Neighbouring PICUs increased their bed capacity to maintain overall bed numbers for children, which was informed by historical data modelling (median 280-307 PICU beds were required in England from March to June). A total of 145 adult patients (median age 50-62 years) were cared for in repurposed PICUs (1553 bed-days). The vast majority of patients had COVID-19 (109/145, 75%); the majority required invasive ventilation (91/109, 85%). Nearly, a third of patients (42/145, 29%) underwent a tracheostomy. Renal replacement therapy was provided in 20/145 (14%) patients. Twenty adults died in PICU (14%).
conclusionIn a rapid and unprecedented effort during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, seven PICUs in England were repurposed to care for adult patients. The success of this effort was underpinned by extensive local preparation, close collaboration with adult intensivists and careful national planning to safeguard paediatric critical care capacity.
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