Pediatr Crit Care Me
-
Pediatr Crit Care Me · Sep 2012
Long-stay children in intensive care: long-term functional outcome and quality of life from a 20-yr institutional study.
Long-stay patients (≥28 days) in pediatric intensive care units consume a disproportionate amount of resources, and very few studies have reported their outcome. We determined the long-term outcome of these children admitted to intensive care over a 20-yr period (January 1, 1989 to December 31, 2008). ⋯ More than two-thirds of children who stay in intensive care for ≥28 days have an unfavorable outcome (moderate disability, severe disability, or death). Long-stay patients in pediatric intensive care utilized a large proportion of resources and this utilization has considerably increased with time. Service provision and policy making should expect worsening of these trends in the future; its effects on critical care bed availability and overall activity levels could be substantial.
-
Pediatr Crit Care Me · Sep 2012
Change in regional (somatic) near-infrared spectroscopy is not a useful indicator of clinically detectable low cardiac output in children after surgery for congenital heart defects.
Near-infrared spectroscopy correlation with low cardiac output has not been validated. Our objective was to determine role of splanchnic and/or renal oxygenation monitoring using near-infrared spectroscopy for detection of low cardiac output in children after surgery for congenital heart defects. ⋯ Splanchnic and/or renal hypoxemia as detected by near-infrared spectroscopy may not be an accurate indicator of low cardiac output after surgery for congenital heart defects.
-
Pediatr Crit Care Me · Sep 2012
Futility: unilateral decision making is not the default for pediatric intensivists.
Many hospitals have established medical futility policies allowing a physician to withdraw or withhold treatment considered futile against families' wishes, although little is known on how these policies are used. The goal of our study was to elucidate the perspective of pediatric critical care physicians on futility. ⋯ The majority of pediatric intensivists are not in support of unilateral do-not-attempt resuscitation or withholding care against families' wishes for a variety of reasons. Given this understandable reluctance on the part of the physicians for enforcing decisions, providing unqualified support to families at this difficult time is imperative. Further research is needed to facilitate decision making that respects the moral integrity of families and physicians.
-
Pediatr Crit Care Me · Sep 2012
Prophylactic zinc supplementation reduces bacterial load and improves survival in a murine model of sepsis.
We previously demonstrated that altered zinc homeostasis is an important feature of pediatric sepsis, thus raising the possibility of zinc supplementation as a therapeutic strategy in sepsis. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that prophylactic zinc supplementation would be beneficial in a murine model of peritoneal sepsis. ⋯ Prophylactic zinc supplementation reduces bacterial load and is beneficial in a murine model of peritoneal sepsis.