Application of transport ventilator in the inter-hospital transport of critically ill children / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the application value of transport ventilator in the inter-hospital transport of critically ill children.@*METHODS@#The critically ill children in Hunan Children's Hospital who were transported with or without a transport ventilator were included as the observation group (from January 2019 to January 2020; n=122) and the control group (from January 2018 to January 2019; n=120), respectively. The two groups were compared in terms of general data, the changes in heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood oxygen saturation during transport, the incidence rates of adverse events, and outcomes.@*RESULTS@#There were no significant differences between the two groups in sex, age, oxygenation index, pediatric critical illness score, course of disease, primary disease, heart rate, respiratory rate, and transcutaneous oxygen saturation before transport (P>0.05). During transport, there were no significant differences between the two groups in the changes in heart rate, respiratory rate, and transcutaneous oxygen saturation (P>0.05). The incidence rates of tracheal catheter detachment, indwelling needle detachment, and sudden cardiac arrest in the observation group were lower than those in the control group during transport, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Compared with the control group, the observation group had significantly shorter duration of mechanical ventilation and length of stay in the pediatric intensive care unit and significantly higher transport success rate and cure/improvement rate (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The application of transport ventilator in the inter-hospital transport can improve the success rate of inter-hospital transport and the prognosis in critically ill children, and therefore, it holds promise for clinical application in the inter-hospital transport of critically ill children.

Association of fluid overload with acute kidney injury and prognosis in critically ill children / 临床儿科杂志

Objectives To investigate the association of fluid overload (FO) with the development and mortality of acute kidney injury (AKI) and to evaluate the predictive value of FO in mortality of critically ill children. Method A prospective study was conducted among critically ill children who were admitted to the children's intensive care unit (PICU). FO levels were assessed during the course of the disease and PRISM Ⅲ scores were evaluated within 24 hours of admission. Binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the association of FO with the development and mortality of AKI after adjusting for confounding factors. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was calculated to assess the predictive value of FO for mortality. Results In 362 children included, there were 26 children (7.18%) having average FO≥5%, and AKI in 24 children (6.63%) and 18 children (5.0%) died. The mean FO (OR=1.26, 95%CI: 1.10～1.43, P=0.001) and the maximum FO (OR=1.12, 95%CI: 1.02～1.23, P=0.018) were significantly correlated with the development of AKI in critically ill children within 7 days of admission to PICU. However, after adjusting for age and PRISM Ⅲ, both factors had no association with AKI (all P>0.05). After adjusting for the potential confounders such as AKI and the severity of disease, the average FO was significantly associated with mortality (AOR=1.34, 95%CI: 1.12～1.60, P=0.002). The AUC of mean FO that predicted mortality risk was 0.801 (P<0.001). Conclusion Fluid overload is associated with the development and the prognosis of AKI in critically ill children, and has important predictive value for mortality.

Management of Raised Intracranial Pressure.

Appropriate management of raised intracranial pressure begins with stabilization of the patient and simultaneous assessment of the level of sensorium and the cause of raised intracranial pressure. Stabilization is initiated with securing the airway, ventilation and circulatory function. The identification of surgically remediable conditions is a priority. Emergent use of external ventricular drain or ventriculo-peritoneal shunt may be lifesaving in selected patients. In children with severe coma, signs of herniation or acutely elevated intracranial pressure, treatment should be started prior to imaging or invasive monitoring. Emergent use of hyperventilation and mannitol are life saving in such situations. Medical management involves careful use of head elevation, osmotic agents, and avoiding hypotonic fluids. Appropriate care also includes avoidance of aggravating factors. For refractory intracranial hypertension, barbiturate coma, hypothermia, or decompressive craniectomy should be considered.

A Child with Serious Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV) Infection Requiring Intensive Care, After an Outbreak.

A 5 1/2-yr-old boy presented with high grade fever for 4 days, and cervical adenitis, body ache, arthralgia, followed by sudden onset of breathlessness. He had clinical, electrocardiographic and echo evidence of myocarditis and congestive cardiac failure. An enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (MAC-IgM ELISA) with serum collected 5 days after disease onset showed IgM antibodies to CHIKV. He was managed conservatively and started showing symptomatic improvement by 3 days. At discharge, a repeat Echocardiogram (a week later) showed normal left ventricular (LV) function with mild Mitral regurgitation. On follow up, after 2 months, child remains asymptomatic. Other common aetiological agents were screened for and found negative. This may indicate a probable cardiac tropism for the virus.