Hospital costs associated with nosocomial infections in a pediatric intensive care unit / Coste asociado a la infección nosocomial en una unidad de cuidados intensivos pediátricos

Objective: To estimate the additional cost attributable to nosocomial infection (NI) in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and related factors. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in all children admitted to the PICU of a tertiary-care pediatric hospital between 2008 and 2009. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted of total direct costs due to PICU stay and medical procedures in patients with and without NI. A log-linear regression model was performed to determine the factors associated with higher total cost. Results: A total of 443 patients were studied and the prevalence of NI was 11.3%. The difference in the median total cost was €30,791.4 per patient between groups with and without NI. The median cost of PICU length of stay in patients with NI was almost eight times higher than the median cost of patients without NI. In patients with NI, the highest costs related to medical procedures were associated with antibiotics, enteral and parenteral feeding, and imaging tests. In the multivariate model, the factors associated with higher cost were infection, the performance of cardiovascular surgery, urgent admission, a higher pediatric risk mortality score, and the presence of immunosuppression. By contrast, older children and those with surgical admission generated lower cost. Conclusions: NI was associated with an increase in total cost, which implies that the prevention of these infections through specific interventions could be cost-effective and would help to increase the safety of healthcare systems (AU)

Objetivo: El objetivo del estudio es estimar el coste adicional atribuible a la infección nosocomial (IN) en una Unidad Pediátrica de Cuidados Intensivos (UCIP) y sus factores asociados. Método: estudio de cohortes prospectivo de todos los pacientes ingresados en una UCIP de tercer nivel entre 2008 y 2009. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo y bivariante del coste total asociados a estancia en UCIP y procedimientos en pacientes con y sin IN. Mediante regresión lineal múltiple, se estimaron los factores asociados al incremento del coste total. Resultados: se estudiaron 443 pacientes, la incidencia de IN fue 11,3%. La diferencia de las medianas en el coste total fue de 30.791,4€ por paciente entre los grupos con y sin IN. El coste mediano de la estancia de pacientes con IN fue casi ocho veces mayor que el coste mediano de los pacientes sin IN. En pacientes con IN, el coste asociado a procedimientos más elevado fue el de antibióticos, nutrición enteral y parenteral y pruebas de imagen. En el modelo multivariante los factores asociados con un mayor coste fueron: presencia de infección nosocomial, cirugía cardiovascular, tipo ingreso urgente, mayor índice pronóstico de mortalidad al ingreso y la presencia de inmunosupresión. Por el contrario, los de mayor edad y aquellos ingresados por cirugía presentaron un menor coste. Conclusiones: La IN está asociada al incremento del coste total, lo que implica que la prevención de estas infecciones mediante intervenciones específicas podría resultar costo-efectiva, redundando en sistemas de salud más seguros (AU)

Hospital costs associated with nosocomial infections in a pediatric intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the additional cost attributable to nosocomial infection (NI) in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and related factors. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted in all children admitted to the PICU of a tertiary-care pediatric hospital between 2008 and 2009. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted of total direct costs due to PICU stay and medical procedures in patients with and without NI. A log-linear regression model was performed to determine the factors associated with higher total cost. RESULTS: A total of 443 patients were studied and the prevalence of NI was 11.3%. The difference in the median total cost was €30,791.4 per patient between groups with and without NI. The median cost of PICU length of stay in patients with NI was almost eight times higher than the median cost of patients without NI. In patients with NI, the highest costs related to medical procedures were associated with antibiotics, enteral and parenteral feeding, and imaging tests. In the multivariate model, the factors associated with higher cost were infection, the performance of cardiovascular surgery, urgent admission, a higher pediatric risk mortality score, and the presence of immunosuppression. By contrast, older children and those with surgical admission generated lower cost. CONCLUSIONS: NI was associated with an increase in total cost, which implies that the prevention of these infections through specific interventions could be cost-effective and would help to increase the safety of healthcare systems.

[Accidental cannabis poisoning in children: report of four cases in a tertiary care center from southern Spain]. / Intoxicación accidental por cannabis: presentación de cuatro casos pediátricos en un hospital terciario del sur de España.

INTRODUCTION: Cannabis is the most frequently consumed illicit substance in Spain. Pediatric accidental cannabis poisoning is an uncommon but life-threatening intoxication. OBJECTIVE: To describe clinical findings, diagnosis and management of children with accidental cannabis poisoning in a tertiary care pediatric hospital. We report four patients with accidental cannabis poisoning. Clinical presentation included reduced level of consciousness, drowsiness, ataxia, tremble, apnea, hypotonia, and seizures. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was detected by urine screening for cannabinoids and other toxic substances in all cases. The four patients were treated with supportive care. All cases recovered uneventfully and were discharged within 24 hours of admission. CONCLUSION: The possibility of cannabis poisoning should be considered in cases of unexplained acute onset of neurological findings in previously healthy children.

[Experience with the Norwood operation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome]. / Resultados de la intervención de Norwood para el síndrome del corazón izquierdo hipoplásico.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: To describe our experience and to identify risk factors for in-hospital mortality. METHODS: Between October 1991 and June 2005, 42 children underwent the Norwood procedure. In the first 30 patients, pulmonary circulation was established using a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt (Group 1), while a right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit was used in the remaining 12 (Group 2). Preoperative anatomic features and procedural factors were analyzed with respect to their impact on mortality. Postoperatively, data were collected on arterial blood pressure, arterial and venous oxygen saturation, arterial pH, venous pCO2, the PaO2/FiO2 ratio, tissue oxygen extraction, and dead space fraction. The association between each individual variable and mortality was investigated. RESULTS: Thirty patients (71.4%) had both aortic and mitral atresia, eight (19%) had either aortic or mitral atresia, and four (9.5%) had no valvular atresia. There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative mortality between the groups 1 and 2 (12/22 [54.5%] vs 7/12 [58.3%]; P=.56). The only significant risk factor for in-hospital mortality was a longer cardiopulmonary bypass time (P=.01) and, for intraoperative mortality, primary rather than delayed sternal closure (P=.004). Venous pCO2, the mean dead space fraction, and tissue oxygen extraction all tended to be higher among infants who died, but the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Use of a right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit did not improve postoperative survival. Both a long cardiopulmonary bypass time and primary sternal closure were associated with increased mortality.

Resultados de la intervención de Norwood para el síndrome del corazón izquierdo hipoplásico / Experience with the norwood operation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome

Introducción y objetivos. Describir nuestra experiencia e identificar factores de riesgo de mortalidad hospitalaria. Métodos. Entre octubre de 1991 y junio de 2005 intervinimos a 42 niños con la técnica de Norwood. Los 30 primeros recibieron una fístula de Blalock-Taussig (grupo 1) y los 12 restantes, un conducto entre el ventrículo derecho y la arteria pulmonar (grupo 2). Se analizaron los factores anatómicos y de la técnica con respecto a la mortalidad. Se recogieron variables del postoperatorio, incluidas la presión arterial, la saturación arterial y venosa de oxígeno, el pH arterial, la pCO2 venosa, la relación PaO2/FiO2, la extracción tisular de oxígeno y el espacio muerto, para estudiar su asociación con la mortalidad. Resultados. En total, 30 (71,4%) pacientes tenían atresia aórtica y mitral; 8 (19%) tenían atresia aórtica o mitral y 4 (9,5%) no tenían atresia. No hubo diferencias significativas en la mortalidad postoperatoria entre los grupos 1 y 2 (12/22 [54,5%] frente a 7/12 [58,3%]; p = 0,56). El único factor de riesgo de mortalidad hospitalaria fue un tiempo de circulación extracorpórea prolongado (p = 0,01), y el de mortalidad intraoperatoria, el cierre primario del esternón (p = 0,004). La pCO2 venosa, el espacio muerto pulmonar y la extracción tisular de oxígeno fueron superiores en los niños fallecidos, pero las diferencias no fueron significativas. Conclusiones. El uso de un conducto entre el ventrículo derecho y la arteria pulmonar no mejoró la supervivencia postoperatoria. Un tiempo de circulación extracorpórea prolongado y el cierre primario del esternón se asociaron con un aumento de la mortalidad (AU)

Introduction and objectives. To describe our experience and to identify risk factors for in-hospital mortality. Methods. Between October 1991 and June 2005, 42 children underwent the Norwood procedure. In the first 30 patients, pulmonary circulation was established using a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt (Group 1), while a right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit was used in the remaining 12 (Group 2). Preoperative anatomic features and procedural factors were analyzed with respect to their impact on mortality. Postoperatively, data were collected on arterial blood pressure, arterial and venous oxygen saturation, arterial pH, venous pCO2, the PaO2/FiO2 ratio, tissue oxygen extraction, and dead space fraction. The association between each individual variable and mortality was investigated. Results. Thirty patients (71.4%) had both aortic and mitral atresia, eight (19%) had either aortic or mitral atresia, and four (9.5%) had no valvular atresia. There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative mortality between the groups 1 and 2 (12/22 [54.5%] vs 7/12 [58.3%]; P=.56). The only significant risk factor for in-hospital mortality was a longer cardiopulmonary bypass time (P=.01) and, for intraoperative mortality, primary rather than delayed sternal closure (P=.004). Venous pCO2, the mean dead space fraction, and tissue oxygen extraction all tended to be higher among infants who died, but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions. Use of a right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit did not improve postoperative survival. Both a long cardiopulmonary bypass time and primary sternal closure were associated with increased mortality (AU)

[Risk factors associated with arterial switch operation for transposition of the great arteries]. / Factores de riesgo de la corrección anatómica para la transposición de grandes arterias.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The present study was undertaken to determine the risk factors for early mortality following an arterial switch operation. PATIENTS AND METHOD: From January 1994 through October 2003, 78 pediatric patients underwent surgical repair. Simple transposition was present in 48 patients (61.5%), 29 (37.2%) had an associated ventricular septal defect, and one had a Taussig-Bing anomaly. The risk factors analyzed were: the patient's age and weight at the time of the intervention, repair of a coexisting ventricular septal defect, coronary artery anatomical pattern, duration of cardiopulmonary bypass, duration of aortic cross-clamping, and duration of circulatory arrest. All factors were evaluated for strength of association with the duration of mechanical ventilation, the length of intensive care unit stay, and mortality. RESULTS: Overall, the early mortality rate was 9% (7/78). Some 14 patients (17.9%) underwent simultaneous repair of a ventricular septal defect. Patients with an intramural coronary artery (n=3, 3.8%) or a single coronary ostium (n=5, 6.4%) were the only ones who had a significant (P<.05) mortality risk, at 50% (4/8). Circulatory arrest was implemented in 53 (68%) patients. There were significant correlations between the duration of circulatory arrest and the ventilator support time (r=0.3, P<.05) and the duration of stay in the intensive care unit (r=0.3, P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of early death was increased when more complex coronary artery anatomical variants were present. As the period of circulatory arrest lengthened, the mechanical ventilation time and duration of intensive care unit stay increased.

Factores de riesgo de la corrección anatómica para la transposición de grandes arterias / Risk factors associated with arterial switch operation for transposition of the great arteries

Introducción y objetivos. Este estudio se realizó para determinar los factores de riesgo que pueden influir en la mortalidad precoz después de la corrección anatómica. Pacientes y método. Entre enero de 1994 y octubre de 2003 intervenimos a 78 pacientes; 48 (61,5%) eran transposiciones simples, 29 (37,2%) presentaban asociada una comunicación interventricular y 1 tenía una anomalía de Taussing-Bing. Se analizaron la edad y el peso en el momento de la intervención, el cierre o no de la comunicación interventricular, la anatomía coronaria y los tiempos de circulación extracorpórea, la anoxia miocárdica y la parada circulatoria. Evaluamos la relación entre estas variables con los tiempos de ventilación mecánica, la estancia en la unidad de cuidados intensivos pediátricos y la mortalidad. Resultados. De los 78 niños fallecieron 7 (9%). En 14 (17,9%) se cerró, además, una comunicación interventricular. Los que presentaron una arteria coronaria intramural (n = 3, 3,8%) o tenían un orificio coronario único (n = 5, 6,4%) fueron los que tuvieron una mayor mortalidad (4/8, 50%) (p < 0,05). En 53 niños (68%) se realizó parada circulatoria; el tiempo de parada se correlacionó de forma directa tanto con las horas de ventilación mecánica (r = 0,3; p < 0,05) como con los días de estancia (r = 0,3; p < 0,05). Conclusiones. Las variantes más complejas en la anatomía coronaria se asociaron con un mayor riesgo de muerte precoz. La duración de la parada circulatoria influyó en los tiempos de ventilación mecánica y en la estancia en cuidados intensivos

Introduction and objectives. The present study was undertaken to determine the risk factors for early mortality following an arterial switch operation. Patients and method. From January 1994 through October 2003, 78 pediatric patients underwent surgical repair. Simple transposition was present in 48 patients (61.5%), 29 (37.2%) had an associated ventricular septal defect, and one had a Taussig-Bing anomaly. The risk factors analyzed were: the patient's age and weight at the time of the intervention, repair of a coexisting ventricular septal defect, coronary artery anatomical pattern, duration of cardiopulmonary bypass, duration of aortic cross-clamping, and duration of circulatory arrest. All factors were evaluated for strength of association with the duration of mechanical ventilation, the length of intensive care unit stay, and mortality. Results. Overall, the early mortality rate was 9% (7/78). Some 14 patients (17.9%) underwent simultaneous repair of a ventricular septal defect. Patients with an intramural coronary artery (n=3, 3.8%) or a single coronary ostium (n=5, 6.4%) were the only ones who had a significant (P<.05) mortality risk, at 50% (4/8). Circulatory arrest was implemented in 53 (68%) patients. There were significant correlations between the duration of circulatory arrest and the ventilator support time (r=0.3, P<.05) and the duration of stay in the intensive care unit (r=0.3, P<.05). Conclusions. The risk of early death was increased when more complex coronary artery anatomical variants were present. As the period of circulatory arrest lengthened, the mechanical ventilation time and duration of intensive care unit stay increased