Althaqafi Wesam, Alqahtani Bader M, Khan Mohammed A, AlAbdulkarim Ahmed A, Alkhars Abdullah Z
Pediatrics, King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital, Riyadh, SAU.
Pediatrics, Maternity and Children Hospital, Al-Ahsa, SAU.
Cureus. 2023 Nov 18;15(11):e49032. doi: 10.7759/cureus.49032. eCollection 2023 Nov.
Background Palliative care is defined as a comprehensive care approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illnesses by alleviating the pain by different means. The death of children receiving palliative care is mainly due to congenital anomalies (26% of infants) and cancer (17% of children). This study aims to identify the demographic data, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of patients who received specialized pediatric palliative care (PPC) services in a tertiary care center in Saudi Arabia. Method This five-year retrospective chart review examines all children who received specialized palliative care services at King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital (KASCH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2016 to 2021. The data include the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, as well as the referral process information and the used PPC interventions. Results A total of 138 patients were included in this study. The gender distribution was 50.40% male and 49.60% female. Children aged 1-10 years accounted for 52.9% (n=73) of the sample size. Malignancy was the predominant diagnosis. Tube feeding was the most common intervention provided (28%, n=39). The most common symptom was chronic pain (61.6%, n=85). Morphine was used in more than half of the patients (53%, n=73). Conclusion In our study, children between 1 and 10 years of age comprised 52.9% (n=73) of the total sample. Malignancy was the most common diagnosis. The most common reason for consulting the PPC unit was symptomatic treatment (87.7%, n=121). The symptom reported most commonly by children was chronic pain (61.6%, n=85). The medical technology most commonly used was tube feeding (28%, n=39). The most common medication given to patients was morphine (53%, n=73). To sum up, identifying the demographics and clinical characteristics of children who previously required PPC would help healthcare professionals identify future cases in need of PPC.
姑息治疗被定义为一种全面的护理方法，通过不同方式缓解疼痛，提高面临危及生命疾病相关问题的患者及其家属的生活质量。接受姑息治疗的儿童死亡主要归因于先天性异常（占婴儿的26%）和癌症（占儿童的17%）。本研究旨在确定在沙特阿拉伯一家三级护理中心接受专科儿科姑息治疗（PPC）服务的患者的人口统计学数据、临床特征和结局。
这项为期五年的回顾性病历审查研究了2016年至2021年期间在沙特阿拉伯利雅得阿卜杜拉国王专科医院（KASCH）接受专科姑息治疗服务的所有儿童。数据包括社会人口统计学和临床特征，以及转诊过程信息和所使用的PPC干预措施。
本研究共纳入138例患者。性别分布为男性占50.40%，女性占49.60%。1至10岁的儿童占样本量的52.9%（n = 73）。恶性肿瘤是主要诊断。鼻饲是最常见的干预措施（28%，n = 39）。最常见的症状是慢性疼痛（61.6%，n = 85）。超过一半的患者使用了吗啡（53%，n = 73）。
在我们的研究中，1至10岁的儿童占总样本的52.9%（n = 73）。恶性肿瘤是最常见的诊断。咨询PPC科室最常见的原因是对症治疗（87.7%，n = 121）。儿童最常报告的症状是慢性疼痛（61.6%，n = 85）。最常用的医疗技术是鼻饲（28%，n = 39）。给予患者最常见的药物是吗啡（53%，n = 73）。总之，确定先前需要PPC的儿童的人口统计学和临床特征将有助于医疗保健专业人员识别未来需要PPC的病例。
