Children with cancer who received anthracyclines, especially at higher doses, and who develop cardiac dysfunction are at higher risk of critical illness, have higher rates of multiple organ dysfunction and higher rates of mortality than anthracycline-exposed patients without cardiac dysfunction.

Charts of 734 patients were reviewed and 545 were included in analysis. Anthracycline-exposed pediatric oncology patients with cardiac dysfunction were more likely to be admitted to the PICU than those without cardiac dysfunction (87% vs 37% rate of PICU admission).

This study demonstrates that more than 30% of anthracycline-exposed children required a PICU admission and of those admitted to the PICU, 8% died. However, of anthracycline-exposed children with CD, 87% required PICU admission and had a mortality rate of 26%.

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