Child Deaths in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: Unveiling Preventable Risks and Urging Awareness

Abstract

Objective: Child mortality remains a global public health concern and a key indicator of societal development. Despite advances in healthcare, many children-especially in low- and middle-income countries-continue to die from preventable causes. Pediatric intensive care units (PICUs), which provide critical care and continuous monitoring, offer a unique opportunity to systematically analyze preventable child deaths and identify areas for intervention. This study aims to identify preventable causes of death in a tertiary PICU and highlight systemic and clinical factors contributing to these outcomes. It seeks to raise awareness and guide quality improvement efforts to reduce avoidable pediatric mortality. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study included patients admitted to the PICU of Mersin City Training and Research Hospital between April 2022 and August 2024. Included patients were previously healthy, aged 1 month to 18 years, and died due to preventable causes. Demographic, clinical, and cause-specific data were analyzed using SPSS. Results: Of 3038 PICU admissions, 207 children died, and 47 (23%) of these deaths were determined to be preventable. The leading cause was traffic accidents (n=15, 32%), followed by home accidents (n = 10,21%), vaccine-preventable diseases (n= 7, 15%), suicides (n = 5, 11%), and drownings (n=5, 11%). Conclusion: Nearly 1 in 4 deaths in the PICU were preventable. These results emphasize the importance of implementing targeted preventive strategies, such as public education, environmental safety improvements, and early health interventions, to reduce avoidable pediatric mortality.