The Association Between Inter-Hospital Transfers and the Prognosis of Pediatric Injury in the Emergency Department.

BACKGROUND: Inter-hospital transfers of severely injured patients are inevitable due to limited resources. We investigated the association between inter-hospital transfer and the prognosis of pediatric injury using the Korean multi-institutional injury registry. METHODS: This retrospective observational study was conducted from January 2013 to December 2017; data for hospitalized subjects aged < 18 years were extracted from the Emergency Department-based Injury in Depth Surveillance database, in which 22 hospitals are participating as of 2022. The survival rates of the direct transfer group and the inter-hospital transfer group were compared, and risk factors affecting 30-day mortality and 72- hour mortality were analyzed. RESULTS: The total number of study subjects was 18,518, and the transfer rate between hospitals was 14.5%. The overall mortality rate was 2.3% (n = 422), the 72-hour mortality was 1.7% (n = 315) and the 30-day mortality rate was 2.2% (n = 407). The Kaplan-Meier survival curve revealed a lower survival rate in the inter-hospital transfer group than in the direct visit group (log-rank, P < 0.001). Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that inter-hospital transfer group had a higher 30-day mortality rate and 72-hour mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.681; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.232-2.294 and HR, 1.951; 95% CI, 1.299-2.930) than direct visit group when adjusting for age, sex, injury severity, and head injury. CONCLUSION: Among the pediatric injured patients requiring hospitalization, inter-hospital transfer in the emergency department was associated with the 30-day mortality rate and 72-hour mortality rate in Korea.

Ideal chest compression site for cardiopulmonary resuscitation in fontan circulation patients with dextrocardia.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to identify the ideal chest compression site for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in patients with a single ventricle with dextrocardia corrected by Fontan surgery. METHODS: The most recent stored chest computed tomography images of all patients with a single ventricle who underwent Fontan surgery were retrospectively analysed. We reported that the ideal chest compression site is the largest part of the compressed single ventricle. To identify the ideal chest compression site, we measured the distance from the midline of the sternum to the point of the maximum sagittal area of the single ventricle as a deviation and calculated the area fraction of the compressed structures. RESULTS: 58 patients (67.2% male) were analysed. The mean right deviation from the midline of the sternum to the ideal compression site was similar to the mean sternum width (32.85 ± 15.61 vs. 31.05 ± 6.75 mm). When chest compression was performed at the ideal site, the area fraction of the single ventricle significantly increased by 7%, which was greater than that of conventional compression (0.15 ± 0.10 vs. 0.22 ± 0.11, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: When performing CPR on a patient with Fontan circulation with dextrocardia, right-sided chest compression may be better than the conventional location.

Comparison of age-adjusted shock indices as predictors of injury severity in paediatric trauma patients immediately after emergency department triage: A report from the Korean multicentre registry.

INTRODUCTION: Shock index paediatric-adjusted (SIPA) was presented for early prediction of mortality and trauma team activation in paediatric trauma patients. However, the derived cut-offs of normal vital signs were based on old references. We established alternative SIPAs based on the other commonly used references and compared their predictive values. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of all paediatric trauma patients aged 1-15 years in the Emergency Department (ED)-based Injury In-depth Surveillance (EDIIS) database from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2019. A total of 4 types of SIPA values were obtained based on the references as follows: uSIPA based on the Nelson textbook of paediatrics 21st ed., SIATLS based on the ATLS 10th guideline, SIPALS based on the PALS 2020 guideline, and SIPA. In each SIPA group, the cut-off was established by dividing the group into 4 subgroups: toddler (age 1-3), preschooler (age 4-6), schooler (age 7-12), and teenager (age 13-15). We performed an ROC analysis and calculated the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) to compare the predicted values of each SIPA in mortality, ICU admission, and emergent surgery or intervention. RESULTS: A total of 332,271 patients were included. The proportion of patients with an elevated shock index was 14.9 % (n = 49,347) in SIPA, 22.8 % (n = 75,850) in uSIPA, 0.3 % (n = 1058) in SIATLS, and 4.3 % (n = 14,168) in SIPALS. For mortality, uSIPA achieved the highest sensitivity (57.0 %; 95 % confidence interval 56.9 %-57.2 %) compared to SIPA (49.4 %, 95 % CI 49.2 %-49.5 %), SIATLS (25.5 %, 95 % CI 25.4 %-25.7 %), and SIPALS (43.8 %, 95 % CI 43.7 %-44.0 %), but there were no significant differences in the negative predictive value (NPV) or area under the curve (AUC). The positive predictive value (PPV) was highest in SIATLS (5.7 %, 95 % CI 5.6 %-5.8 %) compared to SIPA (0.2 %, 95 % CI 0.2 %-0.3 %), uSIPA (0.2 %, 95 % CI 0.2 %-0.2 %), and SIPALS (0.7 %, 95 % CI 0.7 %-0.8 %). The same findings were presented in ICU admission and emergent operation or intervention. CONCLUSION: The ATLS-based shock index achieved the highest PPV and specificity compared to SIPA, uSIPA, and SIPALS for adverse outcomes in paediatric trauma.

Unpowered scooter injuries in children and risk factors for traumatic brain injuries: An 8-year cross-sectional study using a national registry in South Korea.

INTRODUCTION: Head trauma accounts for a large proportion of unpowered scooter injuries in children. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of considerable mortality and morbidity in children, who are the main users of unpowered scooters. The aim of this study was to explore the characteristics of unpowered scooter injuries in children and to identify predictors of the occurrence of TBI. METHODS: A multicentre observational retrospective study was conducted using the Emergency Department-based Injury In-depth Surveillance (EDIIS) database in South Korea. Children aged 2 to 18 years old with unpowered scooter injuries between 2011 and 2018 were eligible for inclusion in this study, and the primary outcome was TBI defined based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) code. RESULTS: The annual rate of unpowered scooter injuries per 1,000 injured patients increased throughout the study period from 1.4 in 2011 to 16.4 in 2018 (P for trend < 0.001). Of the 3,892 children who had unpowered scooter injuries, 353 (9.2 %) had TBI. Children were at a higher risk of unpowered scooter TBI if they were aged between 2 and 5 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.37; 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.09-1.73), were male (aOR: 1.45; 95 % CI: 1.14-1.86), were injured either on sidewalks (aOR: 1.80; 95 % CI: 1.20-2.70) or on driveways (aOR: 2.31; 95 % CI: 1.41-3.79), and experienced a fall (aOR: 1.98; 95 % CI: 1.15-3.43). Additionally, children injured after a blunt force were at a lower risk of TBI (aOR: 0.28; 95 % CI: 0.15-0.53). CONCLUSION: Unpowered scooter injuries in children are increasing in South Korea. It is essential for younger children riding unpowered scooters to wear helmets and for caregivers to actively supervise their children to prevent TBI.

Factors contributing to uncertainty in paediatric abdominal ultrasound reports in the paediatric emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Abdominal pain, which is a common cause of children presenting to the paediatric emergency department (PED), is often evaluated by ultrasonography (US). However, uncertainty in US reports may necessitate additional imaging. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we evaluated factors contributing to uncertainty in paediatric abdominal US reports in the PED. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included children younger than 18 years of age who underwent abdominal US in the PED of the study hospital between January 2017 and December 2019. After exclusion, the researchers manually reviewed and classified all US reports as 'certain' or 'uncertain'. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the factors contributing to uncertain reports. RESULTS: In total, 1006 patients were included in the final analysis., 796 patients were tagged as having certain reports, and 210 as having uncertain reports. Children with uncertain reports had a significantly higher rate of undergoing an additional computed tomography (CT) scan (31.0% vs. 2.5%, p < 0.001) and a longer PED median length of stay (321.0 (Interquartile range (IQR); 211.3-441.5) minutes vs. 284.5 (IQR; 191.8-439.5) minutes, p = 0.042). After logistic regression, US performed by a radiology resident (odds ratio, 5.01; 95% confidence interval, 3.63-7.15) was the most significant factor contributing to uncertainty in paediatric abdominal US reports followed by obesity and age. CONCLUSION: Several factors contribute to uncertainty in paediatric abdominal US reports. Uncertain radiological reports increase the likelihood of additional CT scans. Measures to improve the clarity of radiological reports must be considered to improve the quality of care for children visiting the PED.

Brain natriuretic peptide as a clinical screening tool for the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease.

N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) has been studied as a diagnostic screening tool for Kawasaki disease (KD). However, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) has been less studied while has less variability among age groups. We aimed to find out if BNP can be used as a diagnostic screening tool for KD in Korea. This was a retrospective cohort study performed in a single pediatric emergency department. Patients younger than 19 years of age who presented with fever and underwent BNP examination for suspected KD was included. The primary outcome was the diagnostic performance of BNP for KD, and the secondary outcome was the diagnostic performance of BNP for coronary artery aneurysm (CAA). We also derived a scoring system for predicting KD and CAA. Of the 778 patients who were finally included, 400 were not diagnosed with KD and 378 were diagnosed with KD. The odds ratio of BNP at the cutoff of 30 pg/mL for KD was 7.80 (95% CI, 5.67-10.73) in the univariate analysis and 3.62 (95% CI, 2.33-5.88) in the multivariable analysis. The odds ratio of BNP at the cutoff of 270 pg/mL for CAA was 3.67 (95% CI, 2.18-6.19) in the univariate analysis and 2.37 (95% CI, 1.16-8.74) in the multivariable analysis. The AUC of KD and CAA were 0.884 and 0.726, respectively, which was the highest AUCs among all variables. Additionally, we proposed a scoring system for KD and CAA. It is important to clinically suspect KD and CAA in children with high BNP levels.

Effect of a Virtual Reality Environment Using a Domed Ceiling Screen on Procedural Pain During Intravenous Placement in Young Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Distraction using virtual reality (VR) has been found to provide a clinically significant reduction in the experience of pain during various painful procedures. Commercially available VR systems usually require the user to wear a head-mounted display helmet, which can be challenging for young children, and whether VR can reduce pain during intravenous (IV) placement in young children is currently unknown. Objective: To determine whether a VR environment using a novel domed ceiling screen reduces distress among children over the course of IV placement compared with standard care in a pediatric emergency department. Design, Setting, and Participants: This randomized clinical trial was conducted from June 3, 2020, to February 8, 2021, at an urban tertiary academic children's hospital. Included were children aged 6 months to 4 years undergoing IV placement in the pediatric emergency department. Intervention: Children in the intervention group lay on a bed to experience a VR animation using a domed ceiling screen during the IV placement procedure, which was performed as usual. Children in the control group also lay on a bed during the procedure but did not view a VR animation. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was pain scores measured using the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability (FLACC) scale at 4 time points during IV placement: immediately after the child lay down on the bed (T1), the moment the tourniquet was applied (T2), the moment a sterile alcohol swab was applied (T3), and the moment the needle penetrated the skin (T4). Results: Of the 88 children included in the final analysis, 44 received VR distraction (median [IQR] age, 24.0 [14.5-44.0] months; 27 boys [61.4%]), and 44 received standard care (median [IQR] age, 23.0 [15.0-40.0] months; 26 boys [59.1%]). The median [IQR] FLACC scores at T4 were 6.0 (1.8-7.5) in the intervention group and 7.0 (5.5-7.8) in the control group. The ordinal logistic regression model showed that children in the VR intervention group vs the control group had a lower probability of higher FLACC scores (odds ratio, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.28-0.99; P = .046). Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this trial indicate that displaying VR using a domed ceiling screen may be an effective distraction method that reduces distress in young children undergoing IV placement. Trial Registration: isrctn.org Identifier: KCT0005122.

Clinical implications of discrepancies in predicting pediatric mortality between Pediatric Index of Mortality 3 and Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric Index of Mortality 3 (PIM 3) and Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2 (PELOD-2) are validated tools for predicting mortality in children. Research suggests that these tools may have different predictive performance depending on patient group characteristics. Therefore, we designed this study to identify the factors that make the mortality rates predicted by the tools different. METHODS: This retrospective study included patients (<18 years) who were admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit from July 2017 to May 2019. After defining the predicted mortality of PIM 3 minus the predicted mortality rate of PELOD-2 as "difference in mortality prediction," the clinical characteristics significantly related to this were analyzed using multivariable regression analysis. Predictive performance was analyzed through the Hosmer-Lemeshow test and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). RESULTS: In total, 945 patients (median [interquartile range] age, 3.0 [0.0-8.0] years; girls, 44.7%) were analyzed. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test revealed AUROCs of 0.889 (χ2=10.187, P=0.313) and 0.731 (χ2=6.220, P=0.183) of PIM 3 and PELOD-2, respectively. Multivariable linear regression analysis revealed that oxygen saturation, partial pressure of CO2, base excess, platelet counts, and blood urea nitrogen levels were significant factors. Patient condition-related factors such as cardiac bypass surgery, seizures, cardiomyopathy or myocarditis, necrotizing enterocolitis, cardiac arrest, leukemia or lymphoma after the first induction, bone marrow transplantation, and liver failure were significantly related (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Both tools predicted observed mortality well; however, caution is needed in interpretation as they may show different prediction results in relation to specific clinical characteristics.

Role of the urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase/creatinine (NAG/Cr) ratio in discriminating between true and false pyuria in sterile urine bag specimens.

INTRODUCTION: Urethral catheterization (CATH) and suprapubic aspiration (SA) are reliable methods of collecting urine for the diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTIs), but both are invasive and difficult. Therefore, urine collection through a sterile urine bag (SUB) is commonly used for UTI screening. However, when pyuria is found in SUB specimens, it is difficult to interpret whether this result is true or false. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the diagnostic performance of the urinary NAG/Cr ratio in detecting true pyuria in SUB specimens for children with suspected UTIs. STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective study included children 2-24 months of age presenting to the pediatric emergency department (PED) and in whom urinary NAG and creatinine levels were measured and a urine culture was performed between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2019. Children with the presence of pyuria in SUB specimens were categorized into true or false pyuria groups depending on whether pyuria was present in CATH specimens. The diagnostic performance of the urinary NAG/Cr ratio in detecting true pyuria was identified using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The optimal cutoff was calculated based on ROC curve analysis. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratios were assessed for optimal cutoff values. RESULTS: Among 606 children with measured urinary NAG levels, 144 children with pyuria in SUB specimens were included in the analyses. Pyuria was consistently present in the CATH specimens of 67 (46.5%) children and absent in those of 77 (44.5%) children. The urinary NAG/Cr ratio was significantly higher in the true pyuria group than in the false pyuria group (21.5 IU/g; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 12.3-35.6; vs 9.6 IU/g; 95% CI: 6.7-16.1, P < 0.001). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the urinary NAG/Cr ratio was 0.776 (95% CI: 0.700-0.851). The optimal cutoff of 18.85 IU/g corresponded to the best combination of sensitivity (58.2, 95% CI: 46.4-70.0) and specificity (83.3, 95% CI: 74.7-91.6), with positive and negative likelihood ratios of 3.49 (95% CI: 2.04-5.97) and 0.50 (95% CI: 0.37-0.68), respectively. CONCLUSION: The urinary NAG/Cr ratio may be a potential indicator discriminating true pyuria from false pyuria in SUB specimens in the PED. However, large prospective studies are required to implement the NAG/Cr ratio in clinical practice.

Early predictors of mortality in children with pulmonary complications after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

PC are a main cause of death following HSCT in children. We aimed to evaluate early predictors of mortality in paediatric recipients with PCs. A retrospective observational study of 35 patients with 49 episodes of PI on chest radiography (of 124 patients) who had undergone HSCT at a tertiary university hospital between January 2011 and December 2012 was performed. During follow-up (median 26.1 months), 15 episodes led to death (30.6%). An aetiologic diagnosis was made by non-invasive tests in 24 episodes (49.0%) and by adding bronchoalveolar lavage and/or lung biopsy in 7 episodes with diagnostic yield (77.8%, P = .001). Thus, a specific diagnosis was obtained in 63.3% of the episodes. Aetiology identification and treatment modification after diagnosis did not decrease mortality (P = .057, P = .481). However, the number of organ dysfunctions at the beginning of PI was higher in the mortality group, compared to the survivor group (1.7 ± 1.2 vs 0.32 ± 0.59; P = .001). Hepatic dysfunction (OR, 11.145; 95% CI, 1.23 to 101.29; P = .032) and neutropaenia (OR, 10.558; 95% CI, 1.07 to 104.65; P = .044) were independently associated with risk of mortality. Therefore, hepatic dysfunction and neutropaenia are independent early predictors of mortality in HSCT recipients with PCs.

Extensive and Progressive Cerebral Infarction after Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infection.

Acute cerebral infarctions are rare in children, however they can occur as a complication of a Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) infection due to direct invasion, vasculitis, or a hypercoagulable state. We report on the case of a 5-year-old boy who had an extensive stroke in multiple cerebrovascular territories 10 days after the diagnosis of MP infection. Based on the suspicion that the cerebral infarction was associated with a macrolide-resistant MP infection, the patient was treated with levofloxacin, methyl-prednisolone, intravenous immunoglobulin, and enoxaparin. Despite this medical management, cerebral vascular narrowing progressed and a decompressive craniectomy became necessary for the patient's survival. According to laboratory tests, brain magnetic resonance imaging, and clinical manifestations, the cerebral infarction in this case appeared to be due to the combined effects of hypercoagulability and cytokine-induced vascular inflammation.

Alcohol Intake and Reduced Mortality in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of our study was to determine whether alcohol intake influences short-term mortality in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), using a comprehensive trauma database. METHODS: We collected data from 7 emergency departments (EDs) between June 1, 2008 and May 31, 2010, using the same data form. Cases were included if they met the following criteria: (i) older than 15 and (ii) injuries including TBI. Demographics and outcomes were compared between patients with and without alcohol intake. We present the risk of mortality using hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: A total of 76,596 trauma patients visited the EDs during the study period; 12,980 patients were older than 15 and had TBI. There were 4,009 (30.9%) patients in the alcohol-intake group, of whom 3,306 (82.5%) patients were male, 1,450 (36.2%) patients were moved by ambulance, and 1,218 (30.4%) patients' injuries were intentional. The most frequent injury mechanism was falling down with alcohol intake and blunt injury without alcohol intake. Mortality rate was 1.0% with alcohol intake and 2.0% without alcohol intake. After adjusting for all factors related to mortality, the hazard ratio of mortality was 0.72 in the alcohol-intake group. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality rate due to TBI in the alcohol-intake group appears to be lower compared to that in the no-alcohol-intake group after adjusting for main confounding variables.