Chief of Critical Care Dr. Lara Shekerdemian is the lead author on multicenter research that came out this week in JAMA Pediatrics. The research describes characteristics and outcomes of children with COVID-19 admitted to U.S. and Canadian Pediatric Intensive Care Units.
The study looked at 48 cases from 14 hospitals, infants up to age 21, during late March and early April. Two of the children died. Eighteen were placed on ventilators and two of them remain on the breathing machines more than a month later. None of the children in the study were stricken by the new mysterious inflammatory syndrome linked to the coronavirus that can cause life-threatening cardiac issues in children. They suffered from the virus’s primary line of attack: the severe respiratory problems that have afflicted tens of thousands of American adults.
Over all, the research both reinforces the evidence that only a small percentage of children will be severely affected by the virus and confirms that some can become devastatingly ill. Shekerdemian has conducted several interviews with national media about her findings. To learn more, click here to read the story published in JAMA and click here to read a story about the study in the New York Times.