Pediatr Crit Care Me
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Nov 2011
Very high serum ferritin levels are associated with increased mortality and critical care in pediatric patients.
To determine whether an elevated serum ferritin level is independently associated with mortality and receipt of critical care in pediatric patients. ⋯ In this pediatric population, with serum ferritin levels of >3000 ng/mL, there was increased risk for both receipt of critical care and subsequent death.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Nov 2011
Diagnostic efficacy of activated partial thromboplastin time waveform and procalcitonin analysis in pediatric meningococcal sepsis.
A biphasic activated partial thromboplastin time waveform predicts sepsis and disseminated intravascular coagulation in adults. This has not been previously investigated in children. Our aim is to ascertain whether there are changes in the activated partial thromboplastin time waveform in children with meningococcal disease and to compare its diagnostic use with procalcitonin. ⋯ The activated partial thromboplastin time waveform is abnormal in children with meningococcal disease and may be a useful adjunct in the diagnosis and management of sepsis in children.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Nov 2011
Toward the inclusion of parents on pediatric critical care unit rounds.
Inclusion of parents on interprofessional patient rounds is increasingly recognized as a parental right and as a marker of quality care in pediatric intensive care units. Creating policies and practices that welcome parents and their contributions into patient rounds has proven challenging in many settings. ⋯ The participants in this study believed that parents' participation on rounds is an important consideration. For inclusion of parents to be effective and sustainable, policy and practice change in this direction requires measures to recognize parents as important contributors to pediatric intensive care unit rounds while accounting for the complex responsibility of healthcare providers in the physical and social space of the pediatric intensive care unit.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Nov 2011
Case ReportsNeurogenic stunned myocardium presenting as left ventricular hypertrabeculation in childhood: a variant of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy?
To report the first case of neurogenic stunned myocardium presenting with heart left ventricle noncompaction requiring intensive care in the perioperative period of tension tumor-induced hydrocephalus. ⋯ This report describes a unique presentation of myocardial stunning in association with an intracranial illness, namely, a hypertensive hydrocephalus complicating an intracranial neoplasm.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Nov 2011
Patient safety culture in a Dutch pediatric surgical intensive care unit: an evaluation using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire.
Nowadays, the belief is widespread that a safety culture is crucial to achieving patient safety, yet there has been virtually no analysis of the safety culture in pediatric hospital settings so far. Our aim was to measure the safety climate in our unit, compare it with benchmarking data, and identify potential deficiencies. ⋯ Although on most domains the safety culture in our unit was good when compared to benchmark data, there is still room for improvement. This requires us to continue working on interventions intended to improve the safety culture, including crew resource management training, safety briefings, and senior executive walk rounds. More research is needed into the impact of creating a safety culture on patient outcomes.