Stories Category: PICU
Practice Change From Intermittent Medication Boluses to Bolusing From a Continuous Infusion in Pediatric Critical Care
Implementation of bolus medications from continuous infusion in PICUs significantly decreased time to begin a bolus dose and increased nursing satisfaction. The practice change also improved medication utilization without... read more
Distinguishing Pneumonia From Pneumonitis to Safely Discontinue Antibiotics
Consequences of pulmonary aspiration can be biphasic with dissimilar sequelae. An early phase, coined pneumonitis, involves an inflammatory reaction to gastrointestinal contents with a pH typically less than 2.4 resulting... read more
Hemodynamic Support of Pediatric and Neonatal Septic Shock
Margaret Parker, MD, MCCM, speaks with Joseph A. Carcillo, MD, about the article, "American College of Critical Care Medicine Clinical Practice Parameters for Hemodynamic Support of Pediatric and Neonatal Septic Shock," published... read more
Hyponatremia and Death in Healthy Children From Plain Dextrose and Hypotonic Saline Solutions after Surgery
Standards of practice should be established for postoperative IV solutions that are used to hydrate patients, particularly children. The standards should acknowledge that the administration of solutions with saline in maintenance... read more
FIRST-line Support for Assistance in Breathing in Children (FIRST-ABC)
A multicentre pilot randomised controlled trial of high-flow nasal cannula therapy versus continuous positive airway pressure in pediatric critical care. Our pilot trial confirms that, following minor changes to consent procedures... read more
PICU Outcomes and Outcome Predictions
Interview with Dr. Murray Pollack, the Director of Outcomes Research at the Children's National Medical Center and Professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine. Severity of illness research... read more
Early Noninvasive Ventilation and Nonroutine Transfusion for Acute Chest Syndrome in Sickle Cell Disease in Children
Early noninvasive ventilation combined with nonroutine transfusion is well tolerated in acute chest syndrome in children and may spare transfusion in some patients. Early recognition of patients still requiring transfusion... read more
Blood Cultures Drawn From Arterial Catheters Are Reliable for the Detection of Bloodstream Infection in Critically Ill Children
Arterial catheters may serve as an additional source for blood cultures in children when peripheral venipuncture is challenging. The aim of the study was to evaluate the accuracy of cultures obtained through indwelling arterial... read more
Comparison of Transplant Waitlist Outcomes for Pediatric Candidates Supported by Ventricular Assist Devices Versus Medical Therapy
This is a comparative study of ventricular assist devices versus medical therapy in children. Age is a significant modulator of waitlist outcomes for children with end-stage heart failure supported by ventricular assist device,... read more
Benzodiazepines and Development of Delirium in Critically Ill Children
Benzodiazepines are an independent and modifiable risk factor for development of delirium in critically ill children, even after carefully controlling for time-dependent covariates, with a dose-response effect. This temporal... read more
Time of Admission to the PICU and Mortality
Margaret Parker, MD, MCCM, speaks with Michael C. McCrory, MD, MS, about the article, "Time of Admission to the PICU and Mortality," published in the October 2017 issue of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. Dr. McCrory discusses... read more
A Fundamentals Train-the-Trainer Approach to Building Pediatric Critical Care Expertise in the Developing World
Pediatric Fundamental Critical Care Support (PFCCS) is an educational tool for training non-intensivists, nurses, and critical care practitioners in diverse health-care settings to deal with the acute deterioration of pediatric... read more
Sophia Observation Withdrawal Symptoms-Pediatric Delirium Scale
The SOS-PD scale shows promising validity for early screening of Pediatric Delirium (PD). Further evidence should be obtained from an international multicentre study. A total of 2088 assessments were performed in 146 children... read more
Acute kidney injury common in children, young adults in ICU
Among children and young adults admitted to intensive care, as many as 1 in 4 may have acute kidney injury and 1 in 10 may have severe acute kidney injury. Acute kidney injury is common in children and young adults admitted... read more
