Influenza A H1N1 respiratory infection in an intensive care unit in Argentina

Introduction: During the Influenza A H1N1 pandemic an aggressive manifestation of the disease was observed in children and some cases required admittance to intensive care unit. We describe the initial presentation and clinical behavior of critical pediatric patients treated in our unit. Material and methods: Observational, descriptive and retrospective study performed in a 20 bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). All patients with H1N1 presence confirmed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) admitted from June 1st 2009 to August 1st 2009 were included. Results: Influenza A H1N1 virus was positive in 20 out of 113 patients (17,7%) tested, with 95% (19) of these patients requiring mechanical ventilation. Out of these 20, 18 (90%) had respiratory distress, 16 of them (80%) at admittance and 2 (10%) during their stay in PICU. The mortality rate was 50%. Conclusion: We observed severe respiratory disease that required mechanical ventilation in confirmed cases admitted to the PICU and a mortality rate of 50%. (C) 2009 Asociacion Espanola de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.