Characteristics of children with Kawasaki disease requiring intensive care: 10 years' experience at a tertiary pediatric hospital

Background/Purpose: Kawasaki disease (KD) is a febrile systemic vasculitis, and some patients may develop serious complications requiring intensive care. We aim to ascertain the clinical presentations and outcomes of these patients. Methods: From October 2004 to October 2014, children with KD who had stayed in the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) for acute stage treatment were defined as case patients; for each case, three age/sex-matched patients with KD but without ICU stay, if identified, were selected as control patients. Clinical data were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Results: Among the total of 1065 KD patients, we identified 26 case patients and 71 controls for statistical analysis. ICU patients had a longer fever duration, and tended to have hemoglobin level < 10 g/dL, platelet count < 150 × 10⁹/L, band cell percentage > 10%, peak serum C-reactive protein level > 200 mg/L, serum albumin value < 3 g/dL, and often presented with multiorgan system involvement. Time from symptom onset to the diagnosis of KD was similar between the two groups, but ICU patients were less likely to have KD as a leading admission diagnosis. Shock (73.1%, n = 19) was the most common reason for ICU admission. ICU patients were more likely to receive antibiotics, albumin infusion, and require a second dose of intravenous immunoglobulin or steroid therapy. No in-hospital mortality was observed. Conclusion: Patients with KD requiring ICU admission are significantly associated with multiorgan involvement, abnormal hematological and biochemistry biomarkers, KD recognition difficulty at the time of admission, and intravenous immunoglobulin-refractory KD.