• Shan L Ward, Autumn Turpin, Aaron C Spicer, Marsha J Treadwell, Gwynne D Church, and Heidi R Flori.
• 1Division of Pediatric Critical Care, Department of Pediatrics, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, San Francisco and Oakland, CA.2Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA.3Department of Hematology/Oncology, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, Oakland, CA.4Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Department of Pediatrics, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, CA.5Division of Pediatric Critical Care, University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI.
• Pediatr Crit Care Me. 2017 Jan 1; 18 (1): e48-e55.

ObjectivesTo determine the feasibility of pulmonary function and quality of life evaluations in children after acute respiratory distress syndrome.DesignA prospective follow-up feasibility study.SettingA tertiary PICU.PatientsChildren less than 18 years old with acute respiratory distress syndrome admitted between 2000 and 2005.InterventionPulmonary function testing and patient and parental quality of life surveys approximately 12-month after acute respiratory distress syndrome.Measurements And Main ResultsOne hundred eighty patients met acute respiratory distress syndrome criteria; 37 (20%) died, 90 (51%) declined participation, 28 (16%) consented but did not return, and 24 (13%) returned for follow-up visit. Twenty-three patients completed quality of life testing and 17 completed pulmonary functions. Clinical characteristics of those who returned were no different from those who did not except for age (median age, 4.9 vs 1.8 yr). One-third had mild to moderate pulmonary function deficits. Quality of life scores were marginal with general health perception, physical functioning, and behavior being areas of concern. These scores were lower than scores in children with chronic asthma. Parental quality of life assessments report lower scores in single-parent homes but no differences were noted by race or parental employment status.ConclusionsValuable information may be discerned from acute respiratory distress syndrome patients who return for follow-up evaluation. In this pilot study, up to one-third of children with acute respiratory distress syndrome exhibit pulmonary function deficits and 12-month postillness quality of life scores are lower than in children with chronic asthma. Parental perceptions of postillness quality of life may be negatively impacted by socioeconomic constraints. Long-term follow of children with acute respiratory distress syndrome is feasible and bears further investigation.

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