Pediatr Crit Care Me
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Nov 2023
Death and Ultrasound Evidence of the Akinetic Heart in Pediatric Cardiac Arrest.
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is an expanding noninvasive diagnostic modality used for the management of patients in multiple intensive care and pediatric specialties. POCUS is used to assess cardiac activity and pathology, pulmonary disease, intravascular volume status, intra-abdominal processes, procedural guidance including vascular access, lumbar puncture, thoracentesis, paracentesis, and pericardiocentesis. POCUS has also been used to determine anterograde flow following circulatory arrest when organ donation after circulatory death is being considered. Published guidelines exist from multiple medical societies including the recent guidelines for the use of POCUS in neonatology for diagnostic and procedural purposes.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Nov 2023
Critical Care Unit Characteristics and Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Survival in the Pediatric Cardiac Population: Retrospective Analysis of the Virtual Pediatric System Database.
Existing literature provides limited data about ICU characteristics and pediatric extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (E-CPR) outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the associations between patient and ICU characteristics, and outcomes after E-CPR in the pediatric cardiac population. ⋯ The overall prevalence of E-CPR among critically ill children with cardiac disease observed in the VPS database is low. We failed to identify an association between ICU cohort type and survival. Further investigation into organizational factors is warranted.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Nov 2023
Durable Vascular Access in Neonates in the Cardiac ICU: A Novel Technique for Tunneled Femoral Central Venous Catheters.
There is an ongoing need for a method of obtaining long-term venous access in critically ill pediatric patients that can be completed at the bedside and results in a durable, highly functional device. We designed a novel technique for tunneled femoral access to address this need. Herein, we describe the procedure and review the outcomes at our institution. ⋯ tfCVCs can be placed by the intensivist team using a two-puncture technique at the bedside with a high-rate of procedural success and low rate of complications. Advantages of this novel technique of obtaining vascular access include a low rate of CLABSIs, the ability to place it at the bedside, and preservation of the upper extremity vasculature.