ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:The Broselow? Pediatric Emergency Tape indicates standardized, pre-calculated medication doses, dose delivery volumes, and equipment sizes using color-coded zones based on height-weight correlations. The present study attempted to provide more evidence on the effectiveness of the Broselow? Pediatric Emergency Tape by comparing the tape-estimated weights with actual weights. We hypothesized that the Broselow? Pediatric Emergency Tape would overestimate weights in Indian children aged<10 years, leading to inaccurate dosing and equipment sizing in the emergency setting. METHODS:This prospective study of pediatric patients aged <10 years who were divided into three groups based on actual body weight:<10 kg, 10–18 kg, and >18 kg. We calculated the percentage difference between the Broselow-predicted weight and the measured weight as a measure of tape bias. Concordant results were those with a mean percent difference within 3％. Standard deviation was measured to determine precision. Accuracy was determined as color-coded zone prediction and measured weight concordance, including the percentage overestimation by 1–2 zones. RESULTS:The male-to-female ratio of the patients was 1.3:1. Total agreement between color-coding was 63.18％ (K=0.582). The Broselow? color-coded zone agreement was 74.8％ in the <10 kg group, 61.24％ in the 10–18 kg group, and 53.42％ in the >18 kg group. CONCLUSIONS:The Broselow? Pediatric Emergency Tape showed good evidence for being more reliable in children of the <10 kg and 10–18 kg groups. However, as pediatric weight increased, predictive reliability decreased. This raises concerns over the use of the Broselow? Pediatric Emergency Tape in Indian children because body weight was overestimated in those weighing >18 kg.
ABSTRACT
Over the last few years, sildenafil is increasingly being used in the neonatal ICU for a variety of indications. The use is even more so in the developing world due to the limited availability of nitric oxide and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). There are still no clear cut guidelines for its use. At present the drug appears relatively safe and effective when other treatment options have been optimized. However, the use of sildenafil must be monitored and reported. Due to its easy availability and ease of administration we must guard against its inappropriate use.