Objectives:

To describe the state of pediatric intensive care and high dependency care in Nepal. Pediatric intensive care is now a recognized specialty in high-income nations, but there are few reports from low-income countries. With the large number of critically ill children in Nepal, the importance of pediatric intensive care is increasingly recognized but little is known about its current state.

Design:

Survey.

Setting:

All hospitals in Nepal that have separate physical facilities for PICU and high dependency care.

Patients:

All children admitted to these facilities.

Interventions:

None.

Measurements and Main Results:

A questionnaire survey was sent to the chief of each facility. Eighteen hospitals were eligible and 16 responded. Two thirds of the 16 units were established in the last 5 years; they had a total of 93 beds, with median of 5 (range, 2–10) beds per unit. All 16 units had a monitor for each bed but only 75% could manage central venous catheters and only 75% had a blood gas analyzer. Thirty two percent had only one functioning mechanical ventilator and another 38% had two ventilators, the other units had 3–6 ventilators. Six PICUs (38%) had a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1: 2 and the others had 1: 3 to 1: 6. Only one institution had a pediatric intensive care specialist. The majority of patients (88%) came from families with an income of just over a dollar per day. All patients were self funded with a median cost of PICU bed being $25 US dollars (interquartile range, 15–31) per day. The median stay was 6 (interquartile range, 4.8–7) days. The most common age group was 1–5. Sixty percent of units reported respiratory distress/failure as their primary cause for admission. Mortality was 25%(interquartile range, 20–35%) with mechanical ventilation and 1%(interquartile range, 0–5%) without mechanical ventilation.

Conclusions:

Pediatric intensive care in Nepal is still in its infancy, and there is a need for improved organization, services, and training.