Pediatr Crit Care Me
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · May 2013
Multicenter StudyCritical pertussis illness in children: a multicenter prospective cohort study.
Pertussis persists in the United States despite high immunization rates. This report characterizes the presentation and acute course of critical pertussis by quantifying demographic data, laboratory findings, clinical complications, and critical care therapies among children requiring admission to the PICU. ⋯ Pulmonary hypertension may be associated with mortality in pertussis critical illness. Elevated WBC is associated with the need for mechanical ventilation, pulmonary hypertension, and mortality risk. Research is indicated to elucidate how pulmonary hypertension, immune responsiveness, and elevated WBC contribute to morbidity and mortality and whether leukoreduction might be efficacious.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · May 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialBaseline serum concentrations of zinc, selenium, and prolactin in critically ill children.
To describe serum concentrations of zinc, selenium, and prolactin in critically ill children within 72 hours of PICU admission, and to investigate relationships between these immunomodulators and lymphopenia. ⋯ Serum concentrations of zinc, selenium, and prolactin are often low in critically ill children early after PICU admission. Low serum zinc levels are associated with lymphopenia, whereas low selenium and prolactin levels are not. The implications of these findings and the mechanisms by which they occur merit further study.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · May 2013
The role of the Data and Safety Monitoring Board in a clinical trial: the CRISIS study.
Randomized clinical trials are commonly overseen by a Data and Safety Monitoring Board comprised of experts in medicine, ethics, and biostatistics. Data and Safety Monitoring Board responsibilities include protocol approval, interim review of study enrollment, protocol compliance, safety, and efficacy data. Data and Safety Monitoring Board decisions can affect study design and conduct, as well as reported findings. Researchers must incorporate Data and Safety Monitoring Board oversight into the design, monitoring, and reporting of randomized trials. ⋯ The design and operating procedures of a multicenter randomized trial must consider a pivotal Data and Safety Monitoring Board role. Maximum study design flexibility must be allowed, and investigators must be prepared for protocol modifications due to interim findings. The Data and Safety Monitoring Board must have sufficient clinical and statistical expertise to assess potential importance of interim treatment differences in the setting of multiple looks at accumulating data with numerous outcomes and subgroups.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · May 2013
Comparative StudyComparison of nasal continuous positive airway pressure delivered by seven ventilators using simulated neonatal breathing.
Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) is an established treatment for respiratory distress in neonates. Most modern ventilators are able to provide NCPAP. There have been no large studies examining the properties of NCPAP delivered by ventilators. The aim of this study was to compare pressure stability and imposed work of breathing (iWOB) for NCPAP delivered by ventilators using simulated neonatal breathing. ⋯ Some of the tested ventilators unexpectedly provided a minor degree of pressure support. In terms of pressure stability, we have not found any advantages of ventilators as a group compared with Bubble CPAP, Neopuff, and variable flow generators that were tested in our previous study. The variation between individual systems is great within both categories. The clinical importance of these findings needs further investigation.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · May 2013
Pediatric Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, End-Stage renal disease score identifies acute kidney injury and predicts mortality in critically ill children: a prospective study.
To determine whether Pediatric Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, End-Stage renal disease (pRIFLE) criteria serve to characterize the pattern of acute kidney injury in critically ill pediatric patients. To identify if pRIFLE score will predict morbidity and mortality in our patient's cohort. ⋯ In this cohort of critically ill pediatric patients, acute kidney injury identified by pRIFLE and fluid overload greater than or equal to 10% predicted increased morbidity and mortality. Implementation of pRIFLE scoring and close monitoring of fluid overload upon admission may help develop early interventions to prevent and treat acute kidney injury in critically ill children.