Paediatric respiratory reviews
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Paediatr Respir Rev · Feb 2019
ReviewExhaled breath testing - A tool for the clinician and researcher.
Exhaled breath is a robust matrix of biomarkers divided between three fractions - gaseous breath, volatile breath, and breath condensate. Breath is collected non-invasively through bags (for gaseous breath), cold condensation chambers (breath condensate), and adsorbent traps (volatile breath). Due to the incredibly dilute nature of breath matrices, breath biomarker analysis requires precise analytical techniques, highly sensitive technology and often challenges the limit of detection of even the most advanced assays. ⋯ Approved and validated breath tests are available as tools for researchers and clinicians. Novel development is ongoing. This article reviews the current applications for exhaled breath biomarkers.
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Paediatr Respir Rev · Feb 2019
ReviewPediatric donation after circulatory determination of death (pDCD): A narrative review.
Pediatric donation after circulatory death (pDCD) is an established pathway for organ donation. It remains, however, a relatively rare event worldwide, and most clinicians outside of the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) are unfamiliar with it. The goal of this review is to introduce the processes and concepts of pDCD. ⋯ The potential benefits of this practice to patients on the wait list are well known, but donation can also be an opportunity to honor a patient's or family's desire to altruistically improve the lives of others. Offering the possibility of donation requires careful attention to ethical principles to ensure that conflicts of interest are avoided and that the family is free to make an independent, fully informed decision. Doing so allows families and decision makers the autonomy to decide if donation is something they wish to incorporate into end-of-life care.