Influenza is a highly contagious respiratory virus that can cause very severe health complications in people, and can be especially dangerous for young children. The peak influenza season occurs in the winter months with February usually being the month with the highest number of reported infections. As the virus can cause serious illness, pediatric institutions during the winter months see a very large number of patients who have influenza or influenza related complications. Pediatric Emergency Departments (ED) similarly see a dramatic increase in the number of patients who visit the ED during the winter influenza season. Therefore, it is important that pediatric EDs develop ways to handle the increased patient population while still maintaining quality care to the rest of the ED. Thus, a novel influenza clinic run entirely by non-ED Nurse Practitioners (NP) was implemented into the operations of the ED as an annexed clinic in February 2013 during the winter influenza season. The clinic was beneficial in improving the average quality measures of the ED against similar days without the influenza clinic, lowering the average length of stay (LOS) by 24 minutes (13% decrease) and lowering the left without being seen rates (LWBS) by 1.35% (3 fewer patients on average). In addition, using NPs instead of higher cost physicians dramatically lowered the cost of the clinic by nearly half. While the influenza clinic was beneficial in lowering the average LOS and LWBS rates against similar days without the clinic the data did not reach statistical significance, perhaps due to the small amount of data available. The results, despite the statistical insignificance, show a promising future in addition of an NP run influenza clinic to handle the increased patient population during the winter influenza season.

Hospital systems in the United States are facing a dilemma regarding capacity management in the emergency department (ED) and the inpatient care setting. The average wait time in EDs across the United States exceeds 98 minutes, which is also the point at which patients begin to abandon healthcare treatment. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the use of queueing theory in capacity management on length-of-stay (LOS) rates, left-without-being-seen (LWBS) rates, and boarding rates in the ED and inpatient setting. The boarding rates represent the rate in which patients were roomed in the ED but required inpatient care. This study assessed the relationships between capacity management using queueing theory and a reduction in the aforementioned rates compared to traditional processes across systems within the continental United States. A linear regression analysis with a confidence interval 95% paired with an independent sample t test was used to analyze the secondary datasets. A sample size of approximately 33,000 patients was tested in the areas of LOS, LWBS, and boarding. The results of the analysis determined that access was improved in the ED and inpatient setting when queueing theory was deployed within the hospital system compared to traditional processes for managing capacity within the system. Queuing theory used for capacity management resulted in lower LOS, LWBS, and boarding rates. The implications of this study for positive social change include the opportunity to provide greater access to care for the population as a whole, and better health outcomes for the promotion of population health.

Youth who are placed in the Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) program come from families with multiple risk factors. The MTFC program is based on social learning theory, which posits that youth learn from modeling those in their environment. It is unclear whether motivation for social learning decreases over time. Past research has indicated that there is an efficacious time period for treatment in the MTFC program (6 to 9 months). The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the behavior effects of remaining in treatment foster care for an extended length of time. This was measured through pre- and posttreatment scores on the Children's Functional Assessment Rating Scale (CFARS) and specific negative behaviors tracked through the Foster Parent Daily Report. Archival data were used for a sample of 34 youth placed in an MTFC program in a northwestern state. The repeated measures ANOVA results demonstrated increased scores on the CFARS from intake to exit date. Regression analysis indicated that the behaviors of arguing and defiance were observed at higher instances for youth in the MTFC program longer than 6 to 9 months. There were no significant findings related to the behavior of destructiveness/vandalism and the length of stay. The implications for social change include social workers being able to move youth out of MTFC sooner. Also, if behaviors are targeted and treated successfully as youth, then there is a decreased likelihood of the youth having negative and criminal behavior as adults.

No description available.

Each year approximately five million people are treated in the nation's intensive care units making intensive care one of the most expensive components of the U.S. healthcare system. Of these patients, 400,000-500,000 will die annually giving the ICU the distinction of having the highest rate of mortality and complications in the hospital setting. Studies have demonstrated that one in ten patients who die each day in ICUs might survive if intensivists were present to manage clinical care and direct treatment plans (Randolph & Pronovost, 2002; Dimick, Pronovost, Heitmiller & Lipsett, 2001; Pronovost et al., 2002). The utilization of supplemental remote telemedicine has been investigated as a means of compensating for the limited resource of intensivists (Breslow et al., 2004; Rosenfeld et al., 2000). One specific use of this technology, the electronic intensive care unit or eICU®, has previously demonstrated the potential to improve physiological and economic outcomes in ICU patients through the use of integrated decision-support and patient data systems. The present study focuses on the eICU® as a 21st century technology capable of improving the quality of patient care and identifies those factors most likely to impact the success of this clinical intervention. This research utilizes a non-experimental pre-and post-intervention study design and examines patient data collected on all admissions to five ICUs managed by two regional tertiary care hospitals during a 36-month time period. Each ICU is equipped with eICU® software systems that allow intensivist surveillance of patients from a remote facility. The data is analyzed using both structural equation modeling and decision tree regression modeling to statistically evaluate the effects of patient, hospital and unit characteristics on proximal and distal outcomes in ICU patients. As the development of clinical complications subsequently affects patient length of stay, cost of stay, and mortality, it becomes increasingly imperative to seek interventions capable of reducing the risk of unfavorable patient outcomes. This study closely examines one such intervention, the eICU®.

<p>Hronična opstruktivna bolest pluća (HOBP) je rastući zdravstveni problem radno sposobne populacije. Akutne egzacerbacije hronične opstruktivne bolesti pluća (AEHOBP) značajno doprinose pogor&scaron;anju bolesti i sa aspekta kvaliteta života bolesnika i sa aspekta tro&scaron;kova. Cilj istraživanja je bila identifikacija faktora visokih tro&scaron;kova lečenja AEHOBP koja može pomoći u definisanju strategija smanjenja HOBP egzacerbacija ove bolesti i analiza podataka o prehospitalnom lečenju obolelih od HOBP. Materijal i metode: Istraživanjem je obuhvaćeno 130 pacijenata koji su ispunjavali uključujuće kriterijume studije. Rezultati: Ukupni godi&scaron;nji direktni tro&scaron;kovi hospitalizacija usled AEHOBP čine17,3% od tro&scaron;kova svih hospitalizovanih pacijenata. Prosečna dužina hospitalizacije je bila duža kod pacijenata sa te&scaron;kom AEHOBP u odnosu na srednje te&scaron;ku, razlika je statistički značajna (p = 0,044). Prema rezultatima istraživanja o potro&scaron;nji lekova godinu dana pre hospitalizacije, adekvatnu terapiju je koristilo 41,7% pacijenata, a neadekvatnu 58,3% pacijenata i postojala je negativna korelacija između adekvatnosti lečenja i stepena težine akutne egzacerbacije. Multivarijantnom logističkom regresijom dobijena je formula za predikciju ukupnih tro&scaron;kova. Zaključak: Nezavisni prediktori direktnih tro&scaron;kova lečenja su: mu&scaron;ki pol, pu&scaron;ačka navika, te&scaron;ka AEHOBP, postojanje acidoze, primena neadekvatne ili adekvatne terapije trajanja kraćeg od devet meseci tokom godine koja je prethodila hospitalnom lečenju egzacerbacije.</p> / <p>Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a rising health issue of working population. Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) are significantly contributing to worsening of the disease prognosis, consequently leading to decline of patient&rsquo;s quality of life and increasing costs of treatment. Objective of the study was identification of factors for high AECOPD treatment costs, which can help in defining strategy for decreasing COPD exacerbations and data analysis of prehospital treatment of COPD patients. Material and Methods: The study included 130 patients who fulfilled including criteria of the study. Results: Total direct costs of AECOPD hospitalizations demonstrated 17.3% of all hospitalized patients costs. Average length of hospitalization was longer in patients with severe AECOPD compared to patients with moderate AEHOBP, there was statistically significant difference (p= 0,044). According to research results of medication usage one year before the hospitalization, adequate treatment used 41.7% of patients, and inadequate 58.3%; there was negative correlation between adequate treatment and level of severance of acute exacerbations. Multivariate logistic regression was used for obtaining total costs predictions formula. Conclusion: Independent predictors of direct treatment costs were: male patients, smokers, prehospital treatment, inadequate or adequate, not longer than nine months per year.</p>

INTRODUÇÃO: O sucesso do tratamento de dependentes de álcool e outras drogas numa comunidade terapêutica (CT) depende fundamentalmente da adesão ao tratamento, ou seja, o tempo de permanência na comunidade. Sabe-se que pacientes que permanecem em tratamento por um período de pelo menos três meses têm uma evolução melhor do que aqueles que abandonam o tratamento precocemente. O ambiente emocional familiar tem grande influência na adesão ao tratamento, e pode ser medido por meio da emoção expressa EE). MÉTODOS: Foram avaliados familiares de 31 dependentes de substâncias psicoativas e/ou de álcool, internados involuntariamente, por meio da versão abreviada e traduzida para o português da Entrevista Familiar de Camberwell (EFC). A partir de então, mediu-se a taxa de permanência na CT após seis, 12 e 18 meses. Foram avaliados os aspectos hostilidade, superenvolvimento e calor afetivo. A hostilidade foi abordada como ausente (pontuação igual a zero) ou presente (pontuação igual a 1, 2 ou 3). O superenvolvimento e o calor afetivo foram considerados de forma contínua (pontuação de zero a 5) e categorizada. Todos os possíveis pontos de corte foram estudados na procura de novas relações e significados dos componentes da EE para esta população específica e os achados da amostra. RESULTADOS: Foram considerados com alta EE para hostilidade 41,9% dos familiares entrevistados e 71% para superenvolvimento emocional; 25,8% destes familiares pontua ram para ambos os componentes da EE (hostilidade e superenvolvimento). Dos 31 pacientes, cinco (16,1%) desistiram do tratamento até os seis meses; dois pacientes desistiram entre o 6 o e o 12 o mês (25% de desistência em 12 meses) e quatro abandonaram o tratamento entre o 12 o e o 18 o mês (47,8% de abandono em 18 meses). Houve uma associação significativa entre a presença de hostilidade e o abandono do tratamento antes dos seis meses (p = 0,008, teste exato de Fischer). Houve diferença significativa na frequência de superenvolvimento familiar entre o grupo que permaneceu 18 meses e o grupo que abandonou o tratamento (p = 0,037, teste de Mann-Whitney). Os pacientes que permanceram em tratamento até os 18 meses tiveram uma freqüência maior de familiares com alto nível de superenvolvimento familiar (> 4) (p = 0,012; teste exato de Fisher). Não houve nenhuma associação entre o tempo de permanência e o calor afetivo. CONCLUSÕES: Alta EE tem influência significativa sobre o tempo de permanência do dependente químico ou de álcool na CT. A presença de hostilidade foi mais freqüente no grupo com o abandono prematuro do tratamento, enquanto o alto superenvolvimento do familiar foi mais freqüente no grupo de pacientes que permaneceu em tratamento até os 18 meses. Estudos com uma população maior são necessários para apoiar esses achados. / BACKGROUND: The success of treatment for alcohol and other substance dependence in a therapeutic community (TC) depends greatly on the treatment adherence, i.e., the length of stay at the TC. It is well known that subjects who stay on treatment for ate least three months have a better outcome, compared with those who early withdraw. The family emotional environment can be measured through expressed emotion (EE) and has great influence on treatment adherence. METHODS: 31 key-relatives of alcoholics and other substance dependents, who involuntarily began a treatment in a TC, were assessed through the Camberwell Family Interview (CFI) (shorter translated to Portuguese version). The proportion of subjects who remained on treatment in the TC was then measured after six, 12 and 18 months. Evaluated aspects included hostility, overinvolvement and warmth. Hostility was assessed as absent (score = 0) or present (score = 1, 2 or 3). Overinvolvement and warmth were considered as continuous and categorized values (scores 0 to 5). Every possible cutoff points were studied, in order to find new associations and meanings of EE components of this specific population and the length pf stay in a TC. RESULTS: 41.9% of the relatives were considered as having high EE for hostility and 71% for overinvolvement; among those relatives with high EE, 25.8% had presence for both hostility and overinvolvement. Among the 31 patients, five (16.1%) abandoned treatment up to 6 months; 2 patients abandoned treatment between 6th and 12th month (25% treatment abandon in 12 months) and four abandoned the treatment between 12th and 18th month (47.8% treatment abandon at 18 months). There was a significant higher frequency of presence of hostility in the group that abandoned before six months (p = 0.008, Fischer exact test). A significant difference of familiar overinvolvement was found between the group who remained in the treatment up to 18 months and the group that abandoned treatment earlier (p = 0.037, Mann-Whitney test). Families with score = 4 for overinvolvement were more frequent in the group that remained on treatment up to 18 months (p = 0.0012; Fischer exact test). No correlation was found between warmth and length of stay at TC. CONCLUSIONS: High EE has a significant influence over the length of stay of the alcoholic or other substance dependent in a TC. The presence of hostility is more frequent among families of patients who prematurely abandon treatment, while higher score of overinvolvement was more frequent in the families of the group that completed 18 months of treatment in the TC. Further studies with larger population are needed to support those findings.

INTRODUÇÃO. As crianças dependentes de ventilação mecânica constituem um dos grupos de pacientes que mais utilizam de recursos de saúde em pediatria. Uma de suas características é o longo tempo de permanência hospitalar, o que diminui a disponibilidade de leitos para novas internações, principalmente em unidades de terapia intensiva. Neste trabalho descrevemos o perfil desta população através do conceito de criança com complexidade médica. Analisamos a potencial disponibilização de leitos em unidades de terapia intensiva decorrente da transferência de pacientes para unidades para pacientes dependentes de ventilação mecânica. MÉTODOS: A população de estudo foi constituída por pacientes internados na unidade de pediatria do Hospital Auxiliar de Suzano, e os critérios de inclusão foram: estar internado entre janeiro de 2001 e dezembro de 2010, e estar em ventilação mecânica por um período de pelo menos de três meses, após falha no desmame. Foram levantadas as suas características de acordo os quatro domínios do conceito de criança com complexidade médica, que são: doença crônica grave, limitações funcionais (mensuradas pelo índice de Barthel), utilização de recursos de saúde (medida em tempo de permanência), e necessidades das famílias devido à condição da criança (mensurada pela necessidade de benefício financeiro pelo estado). RESULTADOS: Foram contabilizadas 65 internações, correspondentes a 54 pacientes. Identificaram-se 30 doenças de base, sendo que as mais frequentes foram: encefalopatia hipóxico-isquêmica, atrofia muscular espinhal tipo I e hidrocefalia. A maioria das internações foi proveniente de unidades de terapia intensiva (54%). As faixas etárias com maior número de crianças foram as menores de 1 ano e entre 1 e 4 anos. A mediana do tempo de permanência hospitalar do grupo foi de 194 dias. Na avaliação das limitações funcionais pelo índice de Barthel, foi detectado que 50 pacientes apresentam pontuação zero (total dependência de cuidados) e quatro apresentaram 40 pontos (num máximo de 100). Foram levantados dados sociais de 31 famílias de pacientes (57%). Dez famílias receberam a concessão do benefício de prestação continuada (32%). A renda média destas famílias foi de 1,7 salários-mínimos, enquanto que a das famílias que não receberam era de 5 salários-mínimos. As internações ocuparam 26.751 pacientes/dia na unidade de pediatria, sendo que 14.445 pacientes/dia correspondem a internações provenientes de unidades de terapia intensiva. Isto possibilitou nestas unidades a disponibilização em potencial de 120 leitos/dia por mês, ou 18 internações/mês, em média, durante dez anos. CONCLUSÕES: As crianças dependentes de ventilação mecânica consomem grande volume de recursos, o que é expresso pelo longo tempo de permanência hospitalar. Isto afeta o atendimento de outros pacientes, ao diminuir a disponibilidade de leitos para internação. Fatores que influenciam este longo tempo de permanência são a sua elevada utilização de recursos, suas limitações funcionais, e o perfil socioeconômico das famílias. A transferência destes pacientes para unidades para dependentes de ventilação mecânica melhora a disponibilidade de leitos nas unidades de terapia intensiva, porém sua capacidade de atendimento é limitada. Políticas de saúde, como programas de cuidado domiciliar, podem provavelmente reduzir este problema / INTRODUCTION: Children who are dependent on mechanical ventilation are a group of patients with one of the highest health resource utilization in pediatrics. One of their features is the long hospital stays, which reduces bed availability for new admissions, especially in intensive care units. In this study the characteristics of this group are described, through the concept of children with medical complexity. We analyze potential bed availability in intensive care units as a consequence of transferring these patients to a unit for mechanical ventilation dependent patients. METHODS: The population of study was constituted by patients from the pediatric unit of Hospital Auxiliar de Suzano, and the criteria for admission to the study were: to be hospitalized between January/2001 to December/2010, and to be in mechanical ventilation for at least three months, after fail to wean. Their characteristics were studied according to the four domains of the concept of children with medical complexity, which are: severe chronic disease, severe functional limitations (measured by the Barthel Index), high health resource utilization (measured by length of stay), e family necessities due to the child\'s condition (measured by necessity of state financial aid). RESULTS: We counted 65 admissions, due to 54 patients. Thirty different diseases were identified, of which the most frequent were: hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, spinal muscular atrophy type I, and hydrocephalus. Most of admissions came from intensive care units (54%). The age groups with greatest number of children children were those bellow 1 year and those between 1 and 4 years. The median of the length of stay was 194 days. Functional limitation assessment through Barthel index found that 50 patients had zero points (total care dependency), and four had 40 points in that scale (maximum was 100). It was possible to access social data from 31 families (57%). Ten families received a state financial aid (32%). The average income from these families was 1.7 minimum salaries, while the average income from families which did not receive that aid was 5 minimum salaries. The admissions occupied 26751 patient-days in the pediatric unit, from which 14445 patient-days were related to admissions which came from intensive care units. These admissions have made possible the potential availability of 120 bed-days per month in the intensive care units, or an average of 18 new admissions per month, during ten years. CONCLUSION: Children dependent on mechanical ventilation needs a great amount of health resources, which is expressed by their long length of stay in hospitals. This situation affects the care of other children by reducing bed availability for new admissions. The factors that influence this length of stay are their high resource utilization, their functional limitations, and the social and economical profile of their families. The transfer of these children to units for mechanical ventilation dependent patients improves bed availability in intensive care units, but their capacity is limited. Health policies, like home care programs, can probably reduce these problems

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-22T22:06:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Alaidistania.pdf: 996243 bytes, checksum: 6850b7af7a594fe3f0d4c8fb6de490db (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-03-29 / Despise advances in health in health, tuberculosis control needs to progress. It is curable with free outpatient treatment, in Brazil indicates that the performance in primary care, hospitalization being recommended for special cases. The hospital and its duration generate physical and psychological suffering for the patient and their families, patient costs, services and the health system, on the other hand, there is need for studies addressing factors associated with hospitalization with tuberculosis. The objective of this research was to identify and describe the clinical and epidemiological factors, socioeconomic, and its association with the duration of hospitalization in patients with tuberculosis hospitalized in Manaus / AM, in the year 2010. We conducted a clinical epidemiological study with primary data (interviews) and secondary (data records) for the monitoring of patients hospitalized with TB in the city of Manaus. Every procedure of the survey was executed from the use of a field manual, which constitutes a general guide the research. The interview was conducted with tuberculoses in the hospitals surveyed. The data entry was performed using the SPSS 16.0 descriptive analysis, bivariate and multivariate analysis was performed using the STATA 9.0. The associated factors were identified by chi-square or Student t test at 5%. We used the following variables: age, sex, comorbidities (hypertension, HIV-AIDS, malnutrition and diabetes) education, race / color, income, lifestyle habits (smoking, alcoholism, drug abuse) treatment regimen ; adverse reactions; smear; death, clinical presentation, type of discharge, and length of stay. The following factors were associated with risk of hospitalization of patients with tuberculosis: Male; Cachexia; TB-HIV coinfection, multidrug-resistance, previous episode of TB, pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB, previous opportunistic infection, chronic lung disease, lack of social support; smoking, presence of pulmonary cavities, smear-positive or negative, alcoholism, smoking, injecting drug use. The factors associated with hospitalization detected in this study shows the diversity of this important causal public health problem, which gathered here, allows to recognize the profile of the patient at higher risk for hospitalization, which would allow early intervention, and the adoption of control strategies the TB program. The profile of patients at risk for hospitalization, suggest that public policies show, as opposed to its effectiveness. The results also point to the need for the tuberculosis control program is revised basic health care, with assurance, and monitoring strategies for patients, being able to perform all the actions recommended by the national program of tuberculosis control / Apesar dos avanços na saúde, o controle da tuberculose necessita de progressos. Trata-se de doença curável, com tratamento gratuito ambulatorial, que no Brasil se indica a realização na atenção básica, ficando a internação recomendada para casos especiais. A internação e sua duração geram sofrimento físico e psíquico para o paciente e seus familiares, custos ao paciente, aos serviços e ao sistema de saúde, por outro lado, há necessidade de estudos abordando fatores associados à internação com tuberculose. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi identificar e descrever os fatores clínico-epidemiológicos e socioeconômicos, e sua associação com a duração da internação em doentes com tuberculose hospitalizados em Manaus/AM, no ano 2010. Realizou-se um estudo clínico epidemiológico, exploratório e analítico, que utiliza analise quantitativa dos dados individuais de internação por tuberculose, ocorridas de janeiro a dezembro de 2010 em Manaus-AM. Realizou o estudo com dados primários (entrevistas) e secundários (dados de prontuários) de acompanhamento de doentes internados com TB na cidade de Manaus. Todo procedimento da pesquisa foi executado a partir da utilização de um manual campo, o qual se constitui em um guia geral da pesquisa. A entrevista foi realizada com 329 pacientes, sendo 313 adultos internados e 16 crianças com tuberculose nos hospitais pesquisados. A digitação dos dados foi realizada no programa estatístico SPSS 16.0, para as analises descritiva, bivariada e multivariada foi utilizado o programa STATA 9.0. Os fatores associados foram identificados pelo teste qui-quadrado ou pelo teste t student ao nível de 5%. Utilizaram-se as seguintes variáveis: idade; sexo; comorbidades: (hipertensão arterial sistêmica, HIV-Aids, desnutrição e diabetes) escolaridade; raça/cor; renda; hábitos de vida: (tabagismo, etilismo, uso de drogas) esquema de tratamento; reações adversas; baciloscopia; óbito; forma clínica; tipo de alta; e, tempo de internação. Os seguintes fatores foram associados ao risco de internação de doentes com tuberculose: Sexo masculino; Caquexia; coinfecção TB-HIV; multirresistência às drogas; episódio prévio de TB; TB pulmonar e extrapulmonar, infecção oportunista anterior; doença pulmonar crônica ausência de suporte social; tabagismo; presença de cavidades pulmonares; baciloscopia positiva ou negativa; alcoolismo; tabagismo; uso de drogas injetáveis. Os fatores associados a internação detectados neste estudo mostra a diversidade causal deste importante problema de saúde pública, que aqui reunidos, permite reconhecer o perfil do doente com maior risco para internação, o que permitiria a intervenção precoce, bem como a adoção de estratégias de controle do programa de tuberculose. O perfil de doentes com risco para internação apontam que as políticas públicas evidenciam, de forma oposta, a sua eficácia. Os resultados também apontam para a necessidade de que o programa de controle da tuberculose seja revisto na atenção básica de saúde, com garantia, monitoramento e com estratégias para os pacientes, sendo capaz de desenvolver todas as ações preconizadas pelo programa nacional de controle da tuberculose

INTRODUÇÃO. As crianças dependentes de ventilação mecânica constituem um dos grupos de pacientes que mais utilizam de recursos de saúde em pediatria. Uma de suas características é o longo tempo de permanência hospitalar, o que diminui a disponibilidade de leitos para novas internações, principalmente em unidades de terapia intensiva. Neste trabalho descrevemos o perfil desta população através do conceito de criança com complexidade médica. Analisamos a potencial disponibilização de leitos em unidades de terapia intensiva decorrente da transferência de pacientes para unidades para pacientes dependentes de ventilação mecânica. MÉTODOS: A população de estudo foi constituída por pacientes internados na unidade de pediatria do Hospital Auxiliar de Suzano, e os critérios de inclusão foram: estar internado entre janeiro de 2001 e dezembro de 2010, e estar em ventilação mecânica por um período de pelo menos de três meses, após falha no desmame. Foram levantadas as suas características de acordo os quatro domínios do conceito de criança com complexidade médica, que são: doença crônica grave, limitações funcionais (mensuradas pelo índice de Barthel), utilização de recursos de saúde (medida em tempo de permanência), e necessidades das famílias devido à condição da criança (mensurada pela necessidade de benefício financeiro pelo estado). RESULTADOS: Foram contabilizadas 65 internações, correspondentes a 54 pacientes. Identificaram-se 30 doenças de base, sendo que as mais frequentes foram: encefalopatia hipóxico-isquêmica, atrofia muscular espinhal tipo I e hidrocefalia. A maioria das internações foi proveniente de unidades de terapia intensiva (54%). As faixas etárias com maior número de crianças foram as menores de 1 ano e entre 1 e 4 anos. A mediana do tempo de permanência hospitalar do grupo foi de 194 dias. Na avaliação das limitações funcionais pelo índice de Barthel, foi detectado que 50 pacientes apresentam pontuação zero (total dependência de cuidados) e quatro apresentaram 40 pontos (num máximo de 100). Foram levantados dados sociais de 31 famílias de pacientes (57%). Dez famílias receberam a concessão do benefício de prestação continuada (32%). A renda média destas famílias foi de 1,7 salários-mínimos, enquanto que a das famílias que não receberam era de 5 salários-mínimos. As internações ocuparam 26.751 pacientes/dia na unidade de pediatria, sendo que 14.445 pacientes/dia correspondem a internações provenientes de unidades de terapia intensiva. Isto possibilitou nestas unidades a disponibilização em potencial de 120 leitos/dia por mês, ou 18 internações/mês, em média, durante dez anos. CONCLUSÕES: As crianças dependentes de ventilação mecânica consomem grande volume de recursos, o que é expresso pelo longo tempo de permanência hospitalar. Isto afeta o atendimento de outros pacientes, ao diminuir a disponibilidade de leitos para internação. Fatores que influenciam este longo tempo de permanência são a sua elevada utilização de recursos, suas limitações funcionais, e o perfil socioeconômico das famílias. A transferência destes pacientes para unidades para dependentes de ventilação mecânica melhora a disponibilidade de leitos nas unidades de terapia intensiva, porém sua capacidade de atendimento é limitada. Políticas de saúde, como programas de cuidado domiciliar, podem provavelmente reduzir este problema / INTRODUCTION: Children who are dependent on mechanical ventilation are a group of patients with one of the highest health resource utilization in pediatrics. One of their features is the long hospital stays, which reduces bed availability for new admissions, especially in intensive care units. In this study the characteristics of this group are described, through the concept of children with medical complexity. We analyze potential bed availability in intensive care units as a consequence of transferring these patients to a unit for mechanical ventilation dependent patients. METHODS: The population of study was constituted by patients from the pediatric unit of Hospital Auxiliar de Suzano, and the criteria for admission to the study were: to be hospitalized between January/2001 to December/2010, and to be in mechanical ventilation for at least three months, after fail to wean. Their characteristics were studied according to the four domains of the concept of children with medical complexity, which are: severe chronic disease, severe functional limitations (measured by the Barthel Index), high health resource utilization (measured by length of stay), e family necessities due to the child\'s condition (measured by necessity of state financial aid). RESULTS: We counted 65 admissions, due to 54 patients. Thirty different diseases were identified, of which the most frequent were: hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, spinal muscular atrophy type I, and hydrocephalus. Most of admissions came from intensive care units (54%). The age groups with greatest number of children children were those bellow 1 year and those between 1 and 4 years. The median of the length of stay was 194 days. Functional limitation assessment through Barthel index found that 50 patients had zero points (total care dependency), and four had 40 points in that scale (maximum was 100). It was possible to access social data from 31 families (57%). Ten families received a state financial aid (32%). The average income from these families was 1.7 minimum salaries, while the average income from families which did not receive that aid was 5 minimum salaries. The admissions occupied 26751 patient-days in the pediatric unit, from which 14445 patient-days were related to admissions which came from intensive care units. These admissions have made possible the potential availability of 120 bed-days per month in the intensive care units, or an average of 18 new admissions per month, during ten years. CONCLUSION: Children dependent on mechanical ventilation needs a great amount of health resources, which is expressed by their long length of stay in hospitals. This situation affects the care of other children by reducing bed availability for new admissions. The factors that influence this length of stay are their high resource utilization, their functional limitations, and the social and economical profile of their families. The transfer of these children to units for mechanical ventilation dependent patients improves bed availability in intensive care units, but their capacity is limited. Health policies, like home care programs, can probably reduce these problems