Racial disparities in pediatric intensive care unit admissions.

Objectives: Racial disparities in therapies and outcomes in adult and neonatal ICUs are well documented; however, little is known regarding racial disparities in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Our objective was to determine whether racial disparities exist in the admission of critically ill children to the PICU.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed admissions to a PICU in a tertiary care pediatric hospital. Summarized demographic data was analyzed from the county health department.

Results: Of the 4676 admissions to the PICU between January 1, 1997 and December 31, 1999, 1030 children were <48 months of age, lived in Shelby County, TN, and were either African American (789, 76.6%) or non-Hispanic white (241, 23.4%). The surrounding county was comprised of approximately 58% African American and 41% non-Hispanic white children ≤ 48 months of age. A history of premature birth was more common in African American children than non-Hispanic white children (46.8% vs. 32.8%; P < 0.0001). Mortality was 5.7% overall and was not significantly different between African Americans and non-Hispanic whites but was higher for those children with a history of premature birth (4.6% vs. 7.1%, P < 0.026). The overall relative risk of admission to the PICU for African American children was 2.12 (95% CI, 1.66-2.74), for African American children with a history of premature birth was 1.44 (95% CI, 0.96-2.21), and for full-term African American children was 1.82 (95% CI, 1.33 -2.49).

Conclusions: Racial differences in admission to the PICU exist with African American children having a greater risk for PICU admission than non-Hispanic white children.