Incidence and associated factors of pediatric post-intensive care syndrome using the VSCAREMD model

BACKGROUND: The VSCAREMD model is used for evaluating vaccination, sleep, and parental care burden, which includes daily activity and social interaction, rehabilitation requirements, hearing, mood, and development. It has been proposed to detect post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) in children. This study aimed to outline the incidence of PICS in children using the VSCAREMD model and to describe the associated factors. METHODS: All children ages 1 month to 15 years and admitted to the intensive care unit for at least 48 hours were evaluated using the VSCAREMD model within 1 week of intensive care discharge. Abnormal findings were assorted into four domains: physical, cognitive, mental, and social. Descriptive statistics were performed using chi-square, univariate, and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: A total of 78 of 95 children (82.1%) had at least one abnormal domain. Physical, cognitive, mental, and social morbidity were found in 64.2%, 26.3%, 13.7%, and 38.9% of the children, respectively. Prolonged intensive care unit stay greater than 7 days was associated with dysfunction in physical (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 3.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31–11.00), cognitive (aOR, 10.11; 95% CI, 3.01–33.89), and social domains (aOR, 5.01; 95% CI, 2.01–12.73). Underlying medical conditions were associated with cognitive (aOR, 13.63; 95% CI, 2.64–70.26) and social morbidity (aOR, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.06–7.47). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of PICS using the VSCAREMD model was substantially high and associated with prolonged intensive care. This model could help evaluate PICS in children.