Pediatr Crit Care Me
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A systematic review of weaning and extubation for pediatric patients on mechanical ventilation. ⋯ Despite the importance of minimizing time on mechanical ventilation, only limited guidance on weaning and extubation is available from the pediatric literature. A significant proportion of patients being evaluated for weaning are actually ready for extubation, suggesting that weaning is often not considered early enough in the course of ventilation. Indications for extubation are even less clear, although a trial of spontaneous breathing would seem a prerequisite. Several indices have been developed in an attempt to predict weaning and extubation success but the available literature would suggest they offer no improvement over clinical judgment. Extubation failure rates range from 2% to 20% and bear little relationship to the duration of mechanical ventilation. Upper airway obstruction is the single most common cause of extubation failure. A reliable method of assessing readiness for weaning and predicting extubation success is not evident from the pediatric literature.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Jan 2009
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyEvaluation of ultrasound-guided radial artery cannulation in children.
To compare ultrasound (US)-guided radial artery cannulation with the traditional palpation technique. ⋯ US guidance did not facilitate faster cannulation of the radial artery in children in our study.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Jan 2009
ReviewClinical decision support systems in the pediatric intensive care unit.
To review the use of clinical decision support systems (CDSS) available in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). ⋯ CDSS have the potential to improve clinical practice in PICU settings. Care should be taken when selecting and implementing such systems to achieve the goal of improved clinical practice while avoiding potential adverse impacts sometimes associated with the implementation of new technologies in complex healthcare settings.
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The aims of this review were to summarize a) the consensus definitions of normal and pathologic intra-abdominal pressure (IAP); b) the techniques to measure IAP; c) the risk factors for intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS); d) the pathophysiology of ACS; and e) the current recommendations for management and prevention of ACS. ⋯ A widespread awareness of the recognition and current approach to management and prevention of IAH and ACS is needed among pediatric intensivists, so outcome of these life-threatening disease processes might be improved.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Jan 2009
Comparative StudyMeropenem use and colonization by antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacilli in a pediatric intensive care unit.
The carbapenems are broad-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics with activity against most organisms encountered in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). In anticipation of their increased use in critically ill children, we measured the effect of sustained meropenem use on the pattern of Gram-negative bacillus colonization in patients admitted to a tertiary care PICU. ⋯ There was no statistically detectable effect on the prevalence of colonization by Gram-negative organisms resistant to one or more classes of broad-spectrum parenteral antibiotics, or to colonization by organisms resistant specifically to meropenem, when meropenem was the preferred antibiotic in a PICU.