Impact of PICU Admission on Neurocognitive Function in Children

Abstract

his prospective study assessed children (ages between 2 and 18 years) admitted to the Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Ain Shams University Children Hospital. Children were excluded if they presented with a condition likely to have an effect on neurocognitive function such as meningoencephalitis, a pre-existing neurological condition, developmental disorder or psychiatric disorder. The study enrolled 50 cases and 75 age and gender matched controls. Children’s neurocognitive functions were assessed 3 months after PICU discharge by the Stanford Binet scoring system(Becker,2003).