JAMA pediatrics
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Racial disparities in use of analgesia in emergency departments have been previously documented. Further work to understand the causes of these disparities must be undertaken, which can then help inform the development of interventions to reduce and eradicate racial disparities in health care provision. ⋯ Appendicitis pain is undertreated in pediatrics, and racial disparities with respect to analgesia administration exist. Black children are less likely to receive any pain medication for moderate pain and less likely to receive opioids for severe pain, suggesting a different threshold for treatment.
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Extubation failure is common in extremely preterm infants. The current paucity of data on the adverse long-term respiratory outcomes associated with reinitiation of mechanical ventilation prevents assessment of the risks and benefits of a trial of extubation in this population. ⋯ Among ELBW infants, a longer cumulative duration of mechanical ventilation largely accounts for the increased risk of chronic respiratory morbidity associated with reinitiation of mechanical ventilation. These results support attempts of extubation in ELBW infants receiving mechanical ventilation on low ventilator settings, even when success is not guaranteed.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Iron Supplementation in Iron-Replete and Nonanemic Pregnant Women in Tanzania: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Anemia is common in pregnancy and increases the risk of adverse outcomes. Iron deficiency is a leading cause of anemia in sub-Saharan Africa, and iron supplementation is the standard of care during pregnancy; however, recent trials among children have raised concerns regarding the safety of iron supplementation in malaria-endemic regions. There is limited evidence on the safety of iron supplementation during pregnancy in these areas. ⋯ Prenatal iron supplementation among iron-replete, nonanemic women was not associated with an increased risk of placental malaria or other adverse events in the context of good malaria control. Participants receiving supplementation had improved hematologic and iron status at delivery compared with the placebo group. These findings provide support for continued administration of iron during pregnancy in malaria-endemic regions.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Use of Intermittent vs Continuous Pulse Oximetry for Nonhypoxemic Infants and Young Children Hospitalized for Bronchiolitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Clinical practice guidelines for managing infants and children hospitalized for bronchiolitis recommend only obtaining intermittent or "spot check" pulse oximetry readings for those who show clinical improvement. The effect of such monitoring is currently unknown. ⋯ Intermittent pulse oximetry monitoring of nonhypoxemic patients with bronchiolitis did not shorten hospital length of stay and was not associated with any difference in rate of escalation of care or use of diagnostic or therapeutic measures. Our results suggest that intermittent pulse oximetry monitoring can be routinely considered in the management of infants and children hospitalized for bronchiolitis who show clinical improvement.
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Health care systems, payers, and hospitals use hospital readmission rates as a measure of quality. Although hospitals can track readmissions back to themselves (hospital A to hospital A), they lack information when their patients are readmitted to different hospitals (hospital A to hospital B). Because hospitals lack different-hospital readmission (DHR) data, they may underestimate all-hospital readmission (AHR) rates (hospital A to hospital A or B). ⋯ Different-hospital readmissions differentially affect hospitals' pediatric readmission rates and anticipated performance, making SHRs an incomplete surrogate for AHRs-particularly for certain hospital types. Failing to incorporate DHRs into readmission measurement may impede quality assessment, anticipation of penalties, and quality improvement.