Pediatr Crit Care Me
-
Pediatr Crit Care Me · Aug 2016
Clinical TrialScreening Criteria Improve Access to Palliative Care in the PICU.
To test the ability of palliative care screening criteria to improve access to palliative care services in the PICU and examine the association between palliative care team involvement and ICU and hospital length of stay. ⋯ Palliative care screening criteria are effective tools for improving access to palliative care services in the PICU; however, widespread adoption may produce a significant increase in palliative care demand. The association between an existing palliative care relationship and reduction in resource utilization deserves further investigation as does the perceived benefit of palliative care involvement in the patient, family, and staff experience.
-
To describe the effect of inhaled sevoflurane in the treatment of severe refractory bronchospasm in children. ⋯ Inhaled sevoflurane therapy decreases the levels of PaCO2 and peak inspiratory pressure values, and it may be considered as a rescue therapy in patients with life-threatening bronchospasm refractory to conventional therapy.
-
Pediatr Crit Care Me · Aug 2016
A Pediatric Sedation Protocol for Mechanically Ventilated Patients Requires Sustenance Beyond Implementation.
To reevaluate the effect of a nursing-driven sedation protocol for mechanically ventilated patients on analgesic and sedative medication dosing durations. We hypothesized that lack of continued quality improvement efforts results in increased sedation exposure, as well as mechanical ventilation days, and ICU length of stay. ⋯ Sedation quality improvement measures related to the use of opiate infusions, total days of sedation exposure, PICU length of stay, and mechanical ventilation days all deteriorated following initial successful implementation of a PICU sedation protocol. Implementation of a protocol alone may not lead to sustained quality improvement without routine monitoring and ongoing education to ensure effectiveness.
-
The objectives of this review are to discuss the pathophysiology, clinical impact and treatment of major noncardiac anomalies, and prematurity in infants with congenital heart disease. ⋯ Mortality risk is significantly higher in patients with congenital heart disease and associated anomalies compared with those in whom the heart defect occurs in isolation. Although most noncardiac structural anomalies do not require surgery in the neonatal period, several require surgery for survival. Management of such infants poses multiple challenges. Premature infants with congenital heart disease face challenges imposed by their immature organ systems, which are susceptible to injury or altered function by congenital heart disease and abnormal circulatory physiology independent of congenital heart disease. For optimal outcomes in premature infants or in infants with multiple congenital anomalies, a collaborative interdisciplinary approach is necessary.
-
Pediatr Crit Care Me · Aug 2016
Children and Young Adults Who Received Tracheostomies or Were Initiated on Long-Term Ventilation in PICUs.
To characterize patients who received tracheostomies for airway compromise or were initiated on long-term ventilation for chronic respiratory failure in PICUs and to examine variation in the incidence of initiation, patient characteristics, and modalities across sites. ⋯ Although the PICU incidence of initiation of tracheostomies and long-term ventilation was relatively uncommon, it suggests that thousands of children and young adults receive these interventions each year in North American PICUs. The majority of them have conditions and comorbidities that impose on-going care needs, beyond those required by artificial airways and long-term ventilation themselves.