The Relationship Between Estimated Median Household Income and Critical Care Length of Stay in Children With Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is an important diagnosis in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and is associated with significant morbidity. We hypothesized children with DKA living in poorer communities would have unfavorable outcomes while critically ill. This single-center retrospective study included children with DKA admitted to a PICU over a 27-month period. Patients were classified as low-income if they lived in a ZIP code where the median household income was estimated to be less than 200% of the federal poverty threshold, or $48 016 for a family of 4. In this study, living in a low-income ZIP code was not associated with increased severity of illness, longer PICU length of stay (LOS), or readmission.