Pediatr Crit Care Me
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Aug 2016
The Current State of the Diagnosis and Management of Acute Kidney Injury by Pediatric Critical Care Physicians.
Increasingly prevalent in pediatric intensive care, acute kidney injury imparts significant short- and long-term consequences. Despite advances in acute kidney injury research, clinical outcomes are worsening. We surveyed pediatric critical care physicians to describe the current state of acute kidney injury diagnosis and management in critically ill children. ⋯ Half of PICU attending physicians surveyed are not using recent acute kidney injury guidelines or diagnostic criteria in their practice. There is a positive association between awareness and clinical use of acute kidney injury guidelines. Serum creatinine and urine output are still the primary diagnostics; novel biomarkers are frequently unavailable.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Aug 2016
ReviewChronic Critical Illness in Infants and Children: A Speculative Synthesis on Adapting ICU Care to Meet the Needs of Long-Stay Patients.
In this review, we examine features of ICU systems and ICU clinician training that can undermine continuity of communication and longitudinal guidance for decision making for chronically critically ill infants and children. Drawing upon a conceptual model of the dynamic interactions between patients, families, clinicians, and ICU systems, we propose strategies to promote longitudinal decision making and improve communication for infants and children with prolonged ICU stays. ⋯ As the number of chronically critically ill infants and children increases, specific communication and decision-making models targeted at this population could improve the feedback between acute, daily ICU decisions and the patient's overall goals of care. Adaptations to ICU systems of care and ICU clinician training will be essential components of this progress.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Aug 2016
ReviewNeurodevelopmental Outcomes in Children With Congenital Heart Disease-What Can We Impact?
The objectives of this review are to discuss the scope of neurologic injuries in newborns with congenital heart disease, the mechanisms of injury, including prenatal, pre-, intra-, and postoperative factors, neurodevelopmental outcomes, and therapeutic strategies for the timely intervention and prevention of neurologic injury. ⋯ At the current time, important research is underway to 1) better understand the developing brain in the fetus with complex congenital heart disease, 2) to identify modifiable risk factors in the operating room and ICU to maximize long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes, and 3) develop strategies to improve family psychosocial health, childhood development, and health-related quality of life following hospital discharge. Crucial in this effort is the identification of an early postoperative surrogate variable with good predictive validity for long-term outcomes. If an appropriate surrogate variable for long-term outcomes can be identified, and measured relatively early after surgical intervention for complex congenital heart disease, reliable clinical trials can be undertaken to improve upon current outcomes.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Aug 2016
ReviewRight Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction: Pulmonary Atresia With Intact Ventricular Septum, Pulmonary Stenosis, and Ebstein's Malformation.
The objectives of this review are to discuss the anatomy, pathophysiology, clinical course, and current treatment strategies for pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum, pulmonary stenosis, and Ebstein's anomaly. ⋯ Considerable advances have been made in management strategies for these complex congenital heart lesions, which have led to improved outcomes.
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The objectives of this review are to discuss the paradigms used to stage heart failure in children, the classification and physiologic profile of cardiomyopathies, and the acute and chronic pharmacologic management of heart failure. ⋯ The etiology of chronic heart failure in pediatrics is vast. The paradigm of extrapolating adult clinical trials and technological advancements to treat heart failure in children has become a nonsustainable model. The field of pediatric heart failure continues to advance with more robust guideline-directed care and the imminent creation of a dynamic, contemporary international database. As the field involves a markedly heterogeneous patient population, it is imperative to use pediatric specific descriptors of disease impact. The fields of pediatric heart failure and critical care medicine will continue to evolve together as childhood specific registries, quality improvement guidelines, and research will lead to practice models eliciting optimal therapy for patients with heart failure in the intensive care setting.