Days spent on non-invasive ventilation support: can it determine when to initiate VV- ECMO? Observational study in a cohort of Covid-19 patients.

BACKGROUND: The study evaluates the impact of the time between commencing non-invasive ventilation (NIV) support and initiation of venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) in a cohort of critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). METHODS: Prospective observational study design in an intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a tertiary hospital in Barcelona (Spain). All patients requiring VV-ECMO support due to COVID-19 associated ARDS between March 2020 and January 2022 were analysed. Survival outcome was determined at 90 days after VV-ECMO initiation. Demographic data, comorbidities at ICU admission, RESP (respiratory ECMO survival prediction) score, antiviral and immunomodulatory treatments received, inflammatory biomarkers, the need for vasopressors, the thromboprophylaxis regimen received, and respiratory parameters including the length of intubation previous to ECMO and the length of each NIV support (high-flow nasal cannula, continuous positive airway pressure and bi-level positive airway pressure), were also collated in order to assess risk factors for day-90 mortality. The effect of the time lapse between NIV support and VV-ECMO on survival was evaluated using logistic regression and adjusting the association with all factors that were significant in the univariate analysis. RESULTS: Seventy-two patients finally received VV-ECMO support. At 90 days after commencing VV-ECMO 35 patients (48%) had died and 37 patients (52%) were alive. Multivariable analysis showed that at VV-ECMO initiation, age (p = 0.02), lactate (p = 0.001), and days from initiation of NIV support to starting VV-ECMO (p = 0.04) were all associated with day-90 mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In our small cohort of VV-ECMO patients with COVID-19 associated ARDS, the time spent between initiation of NIV support and VV-ECMO (together with age and lactate) appeared to be a better predictor of mortality than the time between intubation and VV-ECMO.

Severe Juvenile-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Case Series-Based Review and Update.

Juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (jSLE) is a multisystemic disease diagnosed in young patients based on the clinical criteria of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). The importance of this condition lies in its greater aggressiveness compared with lupus diagnosed during adulthood (aSLE). Management, which is based on supportive care and immunosuppressive drugs, aims to reduce the overall disease activity and to prevent exacerbation. Sometimes the onset is accompanied by life-threatening clinical conditions. In this paper, we introduce three recent cases of jSLE that required admission to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of a Spanish pediatric hospital. This manuscript aims to review some of the main complications associated with jSLE, such as diffuse alveolar hemorrhage, cerebral vasculitis, or an antiphospholipid syndrome; these are life-threatening conditions but they have a chance of favorable prognosis if treated early and aggressively.

La experiencia de una unidad de cuidados intensivos pediátricos en el manejo de pacientes adultos con enfermedad COVID-19 / A paediatric intensive care unit's experience in managing adult patients with COVID-19 disease

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End-of-life care in a pediatric intensive care unit: the impact of the development of a palliative care unit.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this paper is to describe how end-of-life care is managed when life-support limitation is decided in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and to analyze the influence of the further development of the Palliative Care Unit. METHODS: A 15-year retrospective study of children who died after life-support limitation was initiated in a pediatric intensive care unit. Patients were divided into two groups, pre- and post-palliative care unit development. Epidemiological and clinical data, the decision-making process, and the approach were analyzed. Data was obtained from patient medical records. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-five patients were included. The main reason for admission was respiratory failure (86/175). A previous pathology was present in 152 patients (61/152 were neurological issues). The medical team and family participated together in the decision-making in 145 cases (82.8%). The family made the request in 10 cases (9 vs. 1, p = 0.019). Withdrawal was the main life-support limitation (113/175), followed by withholding life-sustaining treatments (37/175). Withdrawal was more frequent in the post-palliative group (57.4% vs. 74.3%, p = 0.031). In absolute numbers, respiratory support was the main type of support withdrawn. CONCLUSIONS: The main cause of life-support limitation was the unfavourable evolution of the underlying pathology. Families were involved in the decision-making process in a high percentage of the cases. The development of the Palliative Care Unit changed life-support limitation in our unit, with differences detected in the type of patient and in the strategy used. Increased confidence among intensivists when providing end-of-life care, and the availability of a Palliative Care Unit may contribute to improvements in the quality of end-of-life care.

Procalcitonin to stop antibiotics after cardiovascular surgery in a pediatric intensive care unit-The PROSACAB study.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit after cardiovascular surgery usually require treatment with antibiotics due to suspicion of infection. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of procalcitonin in decreasing the duration of antibiotic treatment in children after cardiovascular surgery. METHODS: Prospective, interventional study carried out in a pediatric intensive care unit. Included patients under 18 years old admitted after cardiopulmonary bypass. Two groups were compared, depending on the implementation of the PCT-guided protocol to stop or de-escalate the antibiotic treatment (Group 1, 2011-2013 and group 2, 2014-2018). This new protocol was based on the decrease of the PCT value by 20% or 50% with respect to the maximum value of PCT. Primary endpoints were mortality, stewardship indication, duration of antibiotic treatment, and antibiotic-free days. RESULTS: 886 patients were recruited. There were 226 suspicions of infection (25.5%), and they were confirmed in 38 cases (16.8%). The global rate of infections was 4.3%. 102 patients received broad-spectrum antibiotic (4.7±1.7 days in group 1, 3.9±1 days in group 2 with p = 0.160). The rate of de-escalation was higher in group 2 (30/62, 48.4%) than in group 1 (24/92, 26.1%) with p = 0.004. A reduction of 1.1 days of antibiotic treatment (group 1, 7.7±2.2 and group 2, 6.7±2.2, with p = 0.005) and 2 more antibiotic free-days free in PICU in group 2 were observed (p = 0.001), without adverse outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Procalcitonin-guided protocol for stewardship after cardiac surgery seems to be safe and useful to decrease the antibiotic exposure. This protocol could help to reduce the duration of broad-spectrum antibiotics and the duration of antibiotics in total, without developing complications or adverse effects.

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support for neonatal and pediatric refractory septic shock: more than 15 years of learning.

The objective of the study was to report our institutional experience in the management of children and newborns with refractory septic shock who required venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) treatment, and to identify patient-and infection-related factors associated with mortality. This is a retrospective case series in an intensive care unit of a tertiary pediatric center. Inclusion criteria were patients ≤ 18 years old who underwent a VA ECMO due to a refractory septic shock due to circulatory collapse. Patient conditions and support immediately before ECMO, analytical and hemodynamic parameter evolution during ECMO, and post-canulation outcome data were collected. Twenty-one patients were included, 13 of them (65%) male. Nine were pediatric and 12 were newborns. Median septic shock duration prior to ECMO was 29.5 h (IQR, 20-46). Eleven patients (52.4%) suffered cardiac arrest (CA). Neonatal patients had worse Sepsis Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, Oxygenation Index and PaO2/FiO2 ratio, blood gas analysis, lactate levels, and left ventricular ejection fraction compared to pediatric patients. Survival was 33.3% among pediatric patients (60% if we exclude pneumococcal cases) and 50% among newborns. Hours of sepsis evolution and mean airway pressure (MAP) prior to ECMO were significantly higher in the non-survivor group. CA was not a predictor of mortality. Streptococcus pneumoniae infection was a mortality risk factor. There was an improvement in survival during the second period, from 14.3 to 57.2%, related to shorter sepsis evolution before ECMO placement, better candidate selection, and greater ECMO support once the patient was placed. CONCLUSION: Patients with refractory septic shock should be transferred precociously to a referral ECMO center. However, therapy should be used with caution in patients with vasoplegic pattern shock or S. pneumoniae sepsis. What is Known: • Children with refractory septic shock have significant mortality rates, and although ECMO is recommended, overall survival is low. • There are no studies regarding characteristics of infections as predictors of pediatric survival in ECMO. What is New: • Septic children should be transferred precociously to referral ECMO centers during the first hours if patients do not respond to conventional therapy. • Treatment should be used with caution in patients with vasoplegic pattern shock or S. pneumoniae sepsis.

Micafungin in the treatment of invasive fungal infection in an infant with extracorporeal / Micafungina como tratamiento de la infección fúngica invasiva en un paciente con oxigenación por membrana extracorpórea

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Is a nasopharyngeal tube effective as interface to provide bi-level noninvasive ventilation?

BACKGROUND: The nasopharyngeal tube (NT) is a potential interface for noninvasive ventilation (NIV) available in all health care centers. The aim of the study was to describe our experience in the use of the NT for bi-level NIV in infants and its effectiveness. METHODS: Prospective observational study from January 2007 to December 2010, including all patients ≤ 6 months old admitted to the pediatric ICU (PICU) and treated with NIV with two levels of pressure using the NT. Clinical data collected before starting NIV, and at 2, 8, 12 and 24 h, were analyzed following NIV initiation: first-line or initial NIV (i-NIV), elective postextubation NIV (e-NIV), and rescue postextubation NIV (r-NIV). The need for intubation was considered to be NIV failure. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-one episodes of NIV were included in the study, with 65% of patients having bronchiolitis. e-NIV was most frequently used (48%) (i-NIV 44%, r-NIV 8%), and the failure rate, 27% in total, was highest in the i-NIV group (37%) (e-NIV 18%, r-NIV 25%). Case patients with successful outcomes had shorter PICU stays (8.5 vs. 13 d, P = .001) and hospital stays (17 vs. 23 d, P = .03) stays. The NT needed to be changed for another interface in only 5 case patients, few complications (4 of 151 patients) were observed, and mortality (2 of 151 patients) was unrelated to NIV. CONCLUSIONS: Use of the NT showed 73% effectiveness, with few complications. The effectiveness was higher in e-NIV than i-NIV.