Turkish Archives of Pediatrics
Original Article

COVID-19 Transmission and Clinical Features in Pediatric Intensive Care Health Care Workers

1.

Department of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

2.

Department of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Ankara City Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

3.

Department of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Health Sciences University, Ankara Dr. Sami Ulus Women, Children’s Health and Diseases Education And Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

4.

Department of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Health Sciences University Bakırköy Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey

5.

Department of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Fırat University Faculty of Medicine, Elazığ, Turkey

6.

Department of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine, Antalya, Turkey

7.

Department of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Elazığ Fethi Sekin City Hospital, Elazığ, Turkey

8.

Department of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Göztepe Prof. Dr. Süleyman Yalçın City Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey

9.

Department of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, University of Health Sciences Bursa Highly Specialized Training and Research Hospital, Bursa, Turkey

10.

Department of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Afyonkarahisar University of Health Sciences, Afyon, Turkey

11.

Department of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Health Sciences University Van Training and Research Hospital, Van, Turkey

12.

Department of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Mersin City Education and Research Hospital, Mersin, Turkey

13.

Department of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Marmara University Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey

14.

Department of Pediatric Intensive Care, University of Health Sciences Dr. Behçet Uz Pediatric Diseases and Surgery Training and Research Hospital, İzmir, Turkey

15.

Department of Pediatric Intensive Care, Samsun Ondokuz Mayıs University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey

16.

Department of Pediatric Intensive Care, Istinye University Liv Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey

17.

Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

18.

Department of Pediatric Intensive Care, Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Adana, Turkey

Turk Arch Pediatr 2022; 57: 93-98
DOI: 10.5152/TurkArchPediatr.2022.21205
Read: 1299 Downloads: 537 Published: 01 January 2022

Objective: This study aims to investigate modes of transmission and clinical features of coronavirus disease 2019 in healthcare workers in pediatric intensive care units.

Materials and Methods: This multicenter descriptive study was conducted between March and November 2020. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, origin of coronavirus disease 2019, treatment modalities, and loss of workdays were recorded.

Results: Seven hundred and sixty-eight healthcare workers from 16 pediatric intensive care units were enrolled and 114 (14.8%) healthcare workers with a mean age of 29.7 ± 6.7 years became coronavirus disease 2019 patients. Seventy-six (66.7%) patients were female. Approximately half (54.3%) of the patients were physicians, 34.2% were nurses, and 11.4% were ancillary staff. Transmission was deemed to occur through patient contact in 54.3% of the patients. Comorbid illness was present 10.5% of the patients. Transmission occurred during endotracheal intubation in 21%, cardiopulmonary resuscitation in 9.6%, and non-invasive ventilation in 12.2% of patients, while transmission was a result of multiple possible procedures in 43.8%. Intensive care admission was needed for 13.1% of the patients. Five patients needed oxygen by cannula, 7 needed oxygen with a non-rebreathing mask, 5 needed high-flow nasal cannula support, 5 needed non-invasive ventilation, and 3 needed invasive mechanical ventilation. Fortunately, no infected healthcare workers died.

Conclusion: Coronavirus disease 2019 in healthcare workers is a significant problem in pediatric intensive care units. Transmission seems to occur particularly frequently during patient care procedures such as intubation, ventilation and aerosol therapy, which highlights the importance of proper use of full sets of personal protective equipment during all procedures during care of coronavirus disease 2019 patients. 

Cite this article as: Botan E, Uyar E, Öztürk Z, et al. COVID-19 transmission and clinical features in pediatric intensive care health care workers. Turk Arch Pediatr. 2022;57(1):93-98.

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