Pediatric toxic epidermal necrolysis: an institutional review of patients admitted to an intensive care unit

Abstract

Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are rare debilitating mucocutaneuous diseases most commonly associated with severe drug reactions. A review of SJS/TEN cases was undertaken to describe the etiology, patient characteristics, treatment, and outcome in children affected at a large tertiary pediatric hospital. A retrospective chart review examined SJS/TEN cases admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) between 2001 and 2011. Data concerning total body surface area (TBSA) involvement, causative agents, length of stay, and treatment were reviewed. PICU mortality predictors including Severity-of-Illness Score for Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (SCORTEN), Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 scores, and Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction scores were also reviewed. Nutritional feeding information was collected and compared with calculated and measured (calorimetry) requirements. There were 10 SJS/TEN pediatric patients (mean age = 6.6 years) with significant skin involvement (mean TBSA = 42.2%) requiring PICU admission. Prescription drugs were the most common causative factor (n = 7). Intravenous immunoglobulin and corticosteroids were used for treatment in eight and two of the cases, respectively. The mean length of stay in the PICU was 10.2 days. There were no mortalities, and all mortality scores predicted high likelihood of survival. Actual feeds (n = 9) were uniformly lower than the calculated feeding requirements (mean = 1059 kcal/day vs mean = 2027 kcal/day). This data will help to provide insight into the management of SJS/TEN in an intensive care setting, and will help form the best treatment approach for future cases in a pediatric population.