Frequency of Metabolic Acidosis in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Frequency of Metabolic Acidosis Among Patients Admitted to Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Status

Not yet recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT07803263

Enrollment

140

Registered

2026-09-03

Start date

2026-10-01

Completion date

2027-11-01

Last updated

2026-09-03

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Acid-Base Imbalance, Critical Illness in Children, Metabolic Acidosis

Keywords

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, PICU, Arterial Blood Gas, Acidemia, Base Deficit, Serum Bicarbonate, Pediatric Critical Care, Mortality

Brief summary

Metabolic acidosis is one of the most common acid-base disturbances encountered in critically ill children and often reflects underlying disease severity. Despite its clinical importance, prospective epidemiological data regarding its frequency, underlying etiologies, and associated clinical outcomes among pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admissions in Upper Egypt remain limited. The primary objective of this prospective observational cohort study is to determine the frequency of metabolic acidosis among pediatric patients admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Assiut University Children Hospital. Secondary objectives include identifying the common etiologies and types of metabolic acidosis, as well as evaluating its relationship with clinical outcomes such as mortality, duration of PICU stay, need for mechanical ventilation, and requirement for vasoactive support. A total of 140 eligible pediatric patients aged 1 month to 18 years admitted to the PICU will be enrolled. Eligible patients will undergo arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis and standard clinical and laboratory evaluations upon admission. Metabolic acidosis will be defined based on admission ABG criteria (serum/arterial bicarbonate \< 22 mmol/L and/or base deficit ≥ 5 mmol/L). Patients will be monitored throughout their hospital stay to assess clinical outcomes without interfering with routine medical management.

Interventions

None listed

Study design

Observational model

COHORT

Time perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

1 Months to 1 Years

Inclusion criteria

* Pediatric patients aged 1 month up to 18 years. * Admission to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). * Arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis performed on admission.

Exclusion criteria

* Neonates (age \< 1 month). * Readmission during the same hospital admission. * Patients with incomplete clinical or laboratory data. * Patients discharged or transferred before complete initial clinical and laboratory assessment

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Percentage of Participants With Metabolic Acidosis on Admission	Baseline	Metabolic acidosis is defined based on arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis performed at admission as a serum or arterial bicarbonate concentration less than 22 mmol/L and/or a base deficit greater than or equal to 5 mmol/L. The outcome is measured as the percentage of participants meeting these criteria.

Outcome results