Outcomes of critically ill children with pre‐existing mental health conditions

ABSTRACT Importance Critically ill children with pre‐existing mental health conditions may have an increased risk of poor health outcomes. Objective We aimed to evaluate if pre‐existing mental health conditions in critically ill pediatric patients would be associated with worse clinical outcomes, compared to children with no documented mental health conditions. Methods This retrospective observational cohort study utilized the TriNetX electronic health record database of critically ill subjects aged 12–18 years. Data were analyzed for demographics, pre‐existing conditions, diagnostic, medication, procedural codes, and mortality. Results From a dataset of 102 027 critically ill children, we analyzed 1999 subjects (284 [14.2%] with a pre‐existing mental health condition and 1715 [85.8%] with no pre‐existing mental health condition). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that death within one year was associated with the presence of pre‐existing mental health conditions (odds ratio 8.97 [3.48–23.15], P < 0.001), even after controlling for the presence of a complex chronic condition. Interpretation The present study demonstrates that the presence of pre‐existing mental health conditions was associated with higher odds of death within 1 year after receiving critical care. However, the confidence interval was wide and hence, the findings are inconclusive. Future studies with a larger sample size may be necessary to evaluate the true long‐term impact of children with pre‐existing mental health conditions who require critical care services.