Management of routine postoperative pain for children undergoing cardiac surgery: a Paediatric Acute Care Cardiology Collaborative Clinical Practice Guideline.

BACKGROUND: Pain following surgery for cardiac disease is ubiquitous, and optimal management is important. Despite this, there is large practice variation. To address this, the Paediatric Acute Care Cardiology Collaborative undertook the effort to create this clinical practice guideline. METHODS: A panel of experts consisting of paediatric cardiologists, advanced practice practitioners, pharmacists, a paediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, and a paediatric cardiac anaesthesiologist was convened. The literature was searched for relevant articles and Collaborative sites submitted centre-specific protocols for postoperative pain management. Using the modified Delphi technique, recommendations were generated and put through iterative Delphi rounds to achieve consensus. RESULTS: 60 recommendations achieved consensus and are included in this guideline. They address guideline use, pain assessment, general considerations, preoperative considerations, intraoperative considerations, regional anaesthesia, opioids, opioid-sparing, non-opioid medications, non-pharmaceutical pain management, and discharge considerations. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative pain among children following cardiac surgery is currently an area of significant practice variability despite a large body of literature and the presence of centre-specific protocols. Central to the recommendations included in this guideline is the concept that ideal pain management begins with preoperative counselling and continues through to patient discharge. Overall, the quality of evidence supporting recommendations is low. There is ongoing need for research in this area, particularly in paediatric populations.

Perioperative feeding management of neonates with CHD: analysis of the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium (PC4) registry.

UNLABELLED: Introduction The optimal perioperative feeding strategies for neonates with CHD are unknown. In the present study, we describe the current feeding practices across a multi-institutional cohort. METHODS: Inclusion criteria for this study were as follows: all neonates undergoing cardiac surgery admitted to the cardiac ICU for ⩾24 hours preoperatively between October, 2013 and July, 2014 in the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium registry. RESULTS: The cohort included 251 patients from eight centres. The most common diagnoses included the following: hypoplastic left heart syndrome (17%), coarctation/aortic arch hypoplasia (18%), and transposition of the great arteries (22%); 14% of the patients were <37weeks of gestational age. The median total hospital length of stay was 21 days (interquartile range (IQR) 14-35) and overall mortality was 8%. Preoperative feeding occurred in 133 (53%) patients. The overall preoperative feeding rates across centres ranged from 29 to 79%. Postoperative feeds started on median day 2 (IQR 1-4); for patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome postoperative feeds started on median day 4. Postoperative feeds were initiated in 89 (35%) patients before extubation (range across centres: 21-61%). The median cardiac ICU discharge feeding volume was 108 cc/kg/day, varying across centres. The mean discharge weight was 280 g above birth weight, ranging from +100 to 430 g across centres. A total of 110 (44%) patients had discharge feeding tubes, ranging from 6 to 80% across centres, and 40/110 patients had gastrostomy/enterostomy tubes placed. In addition, eight (3.2%) patients developed necrotising enterocolitis - three preoperatively and five postoperatively. CONCLUSION: In this cohort, neonatal feeding practices and outcomes appear to vary across diagnostic groups and institutions. Only half of the patients received preoperative enteral nutrition; almost half had discharge feeding tubes. Multi-institutional collaboration is necessary to determine feeding strategies associated with best clinical outcomes.

Improving teamwork, confidence, and collaboration among members of a pediatric cardiovascular intensive care unit multidisciplinary team using simulation-based team training.

Findings show that simulation-based team training (SBTT) is effective at increasing teamwork skills. Postpediatric cardiac surgery cardiac arrest (PPCS-CA) is a high-risk clinical situation with high morbidity and mortality. Whereas adult guidelines managing cardiac arrest after cardiac surgery are available, little exists for pediatric cardiac surgery. The authors developed a post-PPCS-CA algorithm and used SBTT to improve identification and management of PPCS-CA in the pediatric cardiovascular intensive care unit. Their goal was to determine whether participation aids in improving teamwork, confidence, and communication during these events. The authors developed a simulation-based training course using common postcardiac surgical emergency scenarios with specific learning objectives. Simulated scenarios are followed by structured debriefings. Participants were evaluated based on critical performance criteria, key elements in the PPCS-CA algorithm, and Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (Team STEPPS) principles. Surveys performed before, immediately after, and 3 months after participation evaluated perception of skill, knowledge, and confidence. The study had 37 participants (23 nurses, 5 cardiology/critical care trainees, 5 respiratory therapists, and 4 noncategorized subjects). Confidence and skill in the roles of team leader, advanced airway management, and cardioversion/defibrillation were increased significantly (p < 0.05) immediately after training and 3 months later. A significant increase (p < 0.05) also was observed in the use of Team STEPPS concepts immediately after training and 3 months later. This study showed SBTT to be effective in improving communication and increasing confidence among members of a multidisciplinary team during crisis scenarios. Thus, SBTT provides an excellent tool for teaching and implementing new processes.

Apical Left Ventriculotomy is Safe in Infants and Young Children Requiring Cardiac Surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Incisions in the left ventricle have previously been associated with increased mortality and morbidity, particularly in infants. In order to determine whether this assumption is still true in the current era, we reviewed our recent experience with apical left ventriculotomy in neonates and infants. METHODS: The records of five consecutive patients requiring a left ventriculotomy between 2007 and 2010 were reviewed. Weight and age ranged from 2.6 to 16 kilograms and 5 days to 2 years. The diagnoses were three multiple ventricular septal defects, one rhabdomyoma, and one apical aneurysm. The primary end point was left ventricular ejection fraction, with other end points being intensive care unit length of stay, time to extubation, inotrope requirement, arrhythmias, and mitral valve function. RESULTS: There were no early or late deaths. Although lower than their preoperative values, early postoperative ejection fractions were greater than 50% in all patients. Two patients required no inotropes, and 3 required only minimal support. Hospital length of stay was 9 ± 7 days for multiple ventricular septal defect patients, with intensive care unit stays of 2 to 5 days. There were no postoperative arrhythmias requiring pharmacological therapy, and one patient had a significant reduction in mitral insufficiency postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our experience, we believe that an apical left ventriculotomy does not significantly impair left ventricular function even in small infants, and is not associated with significant morbidity, based on short-term follow-up. Although the long-term effects are still unknown, early results suggest that a left ventriculotomy may safely be used when alternative approaches are inadequate for complex cardiac defects.