Pediatr Crit Care Me
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Sep 2011
Comparative StudyDifferences in the perceptions of parents and healthcare professionals on pediatric intensive care practices.
To explore similarities and differences in perceptions on pediatric intensive care practices between parents and staff by using data from two studies. ⋯ Compared with the parents' perceptions, nurses and physicians undervalued a substantial number of pediatric intensive care unit care items. This finding may reflect a gap in the understanding of parental experiences as well as incongruity in recognizing the needs of parents.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Sep 2011
Brain injuries and neurological system failure are the most common proximate causes of death in children admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit.
Mortality rates from critical illness in children have declined over the past several decades, now averaging between 2% and 5% in most pediatric intensive care units. Although these rates, and mortality rates from specific disorders, are widely understood, the impact of acute neurologic injuries in such children who die and the role of these injuries in the cause of death are not well understood. We hypothesized that neurologic injuries are an important cause of death in children. ⋯ Brain injury was exceedingly common in children who died in our pediatric intensive care unit and was the proximate cause of death in a large majority of cases. Neuroprotective measures for a wide variety of admission diagnoses and initiatives directed to prevention or treatment of brain injury are likely to attain further improvements in mortality in previously healthy children in the modern pediatric intensive care unit.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Sep 2011
Glial fibrillary acidic protein as a brain injury biomarker in children undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
To determine whether, in children, plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein is associated with brain injury during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and with mortality. ⋯ High glial fibrillary acidic protein during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is significantly associated with acute brain injury and death. Brain injury biomarkers may aid in outcome prediction and neurologic monitoring of patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation to improve outcomes and benchmark new therapies.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Sep 2011
Children with genetic disorders undergoing open-heart surgery: are they at increased risk for postoperative complications?
Children with congenital heart disease and genetic disorders may be at increased risk for postoperative mortality and morbidity compared with children with congenital heart disease alone. The aim of the present study was to determine differences in postcardiopulmonary bypass outcome between these two groups. ⋯ Infants with congenital heart disease and genetic disorders are not at increased risk for postoperative mortality. However, a genetic disorder is a risk factor for reintubation and renal insufficiency, whereas infants with trisomy 21 have a higher risk of chylothorax and sepsis. Intensive care providers need to be aware of these differences in morbidity to improve management decisions and parental counseling.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Sep 2011
Intracranial pressure-monitoring systems in children with traumatic brain injury: combining therapeutic and diagnostic tools.
To compare the correlation of intracranial pressure (ICP) measurement and time to detection of ICP crises (defined as ICP ≥ 20 mm Hg for ≥ 5 mins) between an intraparenchymal (IP) monitor and external ventricular drain (EVD) in children for whom continuous cerebrospinal fluid diversion was used as a therapy for severe traumatic brain injury. ⋯ EVD and IP measurements of ICP were highly correlated, although intermittent EVD ICP measurements may fail to identify ICP events when continuously draining cerebrospinal fluid. In institutions that use continuous cerebrospinal fluid diversion as a therapy, a two-monitor system may be valuable for accomplishing monitoring and therapeutic goals.