Journal of pediatric surgery
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The emerging "pay for performance" national initiative mandates the development of valid metrics for risk stratification and performance assessment. The International Classification Injury Severity Score (ICISS) predicts survival from injury and is calculated as the product of survival risk ratios (SRRs) for a patient's 3 worst injuries. Survival risk ratios are derived as the proportion of fatalities for every International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition, Clinical Modification, diagnosis in a "benchmark" population. We hypothesized that the ICISS prediction model derived from the National Pediatric Trauma Registry (NPTR) would accurately predict mortality in an independent sample from a single pediatric trauma center (PTC) and could be applied to the NSQIP methodology to analyze performance. ⋯ These data validate the application of injury diagnosis derived survival probabilities as objective metrics for determining performance using the NSQIP methodology. Incorporation of these objective predictors of expected outcome to calculation of the risk adjusted O/E ratio enables trend analysis of program performance over time. The lack of significant correlation between O/E and mean Ps demonstrates that NSQIP does indeed reflect process of care while adjusting for severity of patient pathologic condition.
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Increasing health care expense and rising numbers of uninsured Americans have led many to propose a national health insurance. This study describes the process, rationale, and requirements in creating a regional pediatric surgical service in the setting of a single-payer system. ⋯ Establishing a multidisciplinary, comprehensive pediatric perioperative plan provided standards for supporting pediatric surgical services at community hospitals. This regional service may be a model for the future of specialty care, especially in the setting of a single-payer system.
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After a successful course of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), patients can deteriorate and a second ECMO course may be contemplated. When a second ECMO course becomes necessary in pediatric patients, survival rates comparable to the first ECMO course are possible. The perceived difficulties involved in recannulation after an initial ECMO course can prevent clinicians from reliably offering a second ECMO run to an eligible pediatric patient. We hypothesized that national ECMO registry data could provide cannulation templates for pediatric patients requiring a second ECMO course. ⋯ Second ECMO courses in pediatric patients can achieve survival comparable to the first course, but more often require central cannulation. Reusing cannulation sites for a second ECMO course is associated with fewer total complications than cannulating at new sites. These data provide guidance when considering cannulation strategies for second ECMO courses in pediatric patients.
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Equestrian activities are regarded by some as high-risk sports, and our recent experience suggested this to be true. We undertook this study to review our experience with pediatric equestrian injuries. ⋯ In our experience, more than one third of the children admitted after sustaining injuries in horse-related sports required surgical interventions. Children participating in equestrian activities are at risk for substantial injury, and pediatric care providers must maintain a high index of suspicion when evaluating these children.