Every year, seriously ill children in Denmark require intensive care. Mary Elizabeth's Data Powerhouse investigates pediatric and neonatal intensive care in Denmark based on national register data. Through a series of epidemiological and methodological studies, we map the use of intensive care, which children receive it, and how it can best be identified in the Danish National Patient Registry.
Publications
Pediatric Intensive Care Utilization and Outcomes in Denmark. Buchardt A, Nielsen JSA, Jensen A (2026)
Fortunately, intensive care is rarely needed for children, but it is essential for those with life-threatening illness or serious injuries. In this nationwide study, we mapped intensive care for children and adolescents in Denmark from 2019 to 2024. In total, 9,458 children and adolescents were admitted to an intensive care unit during the study period, corresponding to approximately 1.2% of all pediatric hospital admissions.
The study shows that the number of children admitted to intensive care declined during the study period. At the same time, annual all-cause mortality remained low at 2-4% of intensive care patients per year even though approximately half (52%) of the children admitted to intensive care were living with a severe chronic condition, such as congenital malformations, neurological disorders, or heart disease.
Until now, Denmark has had no dedicated pediatric ICU. The study therefore provides a national picture of pediatric intensive care before the establishment of the first dedicated pediatric ICU at Mary Elizabeth's Hospital and a baseline for monitoring future developments.
The study is part of the project Intensive Care for Children and Adolescents in
Denmark 2019-2024, supported by Børneriget Fonden.