Thrombectomy for Acute Stroke in Childhood: A Case Report, Literature Review, and Recommendations.

The updated American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines include recommendation for thrombectomy in certain adult stroke cases. The safety and efficacy of thrombectomy in children are unknown. An 8-year-old girl experienced acute stroke symptoms on two occasions while therapeutically anticoagulated on Novalung. Computed tomography scans showed proximal vessel thrombi, which were retrieved using a Trevo device without hemorrhagic complications. Postprocedural assessment found respective decreases in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score from 10 to 4 and 12 to 7. The indications for treatment and early benefits observed in our case are consistent with other pediatric thrombectomy cases reported. However, publication bias and the heterogeneity of reported cases prevent drawing conclusions about the safety and efficacy of thrombectomy in children. Anticipating that updates to adult stroke guidelines would likely incite stroke providers to consider thrombectomy in children, our institution developed guidelines for thrombectomy before the index patient. Establishing institutional guidelines before considering thrombectomy in children may optimize patient safety.

Description of PICU Unplanned Readmission.

OBJECTIVES: ICU readmission within 48 hours of discharge is associated with increased mortality. The objectives of this study were to describe the frequency of, factors associated with, and outcomes associated with unplanned PICU readmission. DESIGN: A retrospective case-control study was performed. We evaluated 13 candidate risk factors and report patient outcomes following readmission. Subgroup analyses were performed for patients discharged from the cardiac PICU and medical-surgical PICU. SETTING: The study was undertaken at the Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Critical Care Medicine. PATIENTS: Eligible patients were discharged from the PICU to an inpatient ward between December 2006 and January 2013. Case patients were readmitted to the PICU within 48 hours of discharge. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: There were 10,422 eligible patient discharges; 264 (2.5%) were readmitted within 48 hours. In the univariable analysis, unplanned readmission was associated with PICU patient admissions of younger age, lower weight, greater duration of PICU stay, greater cumulative stay in PICU in the past 2 years, higher Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction score on PICU discharge, discharge outside goal discharge time (06:00-11:59 hr), use of extracorporeal organ support during ICU stay, greater Bedside Pediatric Early Warning Score, at discharge and discharge from the cardiac PICU. In the multivariable analysis, the factors most significantly associated with unplanned PICU readmission were length of stay more than 48 hours, greater cumulative length of PICU stay in the past 2 years, discharge from cardiac PICU, and higher Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction and Bedside Pediatric Early Warning Scores on index discharge. Mortality was 1.8 times (p = 0.03) higher in patients with an unplanned PICU readmission compared with patients during their index PICU admission. CONCLUSIONS: The only potentially modifiable factors we found associated with PICU readmission within 48 hours of discharge were discharge time of day and the Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction and Bedside Pediatric Early Warning Scores at the time of PICU discharge.

The development and implementation of an inter-professional simulation based pediatric acute care curriculum for ward health care providers.

An interprofessional, simulation based, acute care course for ward health care providers was developed and implemented with the objectives of teaching identification of deteriorating patients, practicing crisis resource management and basic life support skills, and using the SBAR (Situation Background Assessment Recommendation) communication tool. Thirty-eight physicians and 51 nurses attended the four separate courses. Nine questions on a 5-point Likert scale and two open-ended questions revealed that over 95% of respondents strongly agreed/agreed that facilitators encouraged active participation, lectures were presented in an interesting manner, and that simulations were useful for practical skills and for practicing communication. Open-ended questions revealed that participants felt more confident, understood the importance of communication, roles, teamwork and valued the day. Based on this evaluation, the program was regarded as feasible and acceptable to all health care providers.

The use of levosimendan in children with cancer with severe acute cardiac dysfunction: case series and a review of the literature.

We report the use of levosimendan in two febrile, neutropenic children with cancer - one post bone marrow transplant - with acute heart failure following chemotherapy. Initial management with epinephrine, milrinone, and diuresis was unsuccessful. Infusion of levosimendan without a loading dose was added to the ongoing heart failure therapy, which resulted in persistent symptomatic and echocardiographic improvement without major side effects.

Management of raised intracranial pressure in children with traumatic brain injury.

Increased intracranial pressure (ICP) is associated with worse outcome after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The current guidelines and management strategies are aimed at maintaining adequate cerebral perfusion pressure and treating elevated ICP. Despite controversies, ICP monitoring is important particularly after severe TBI to guide treatment and in developed countries is accepted as a standard of care. We provide a narrative review of the recent evidence for the use of ICP monitoring and management of ICP in pediatric TBI.

Implementation of a multicenter rapid response system in pediatric academic hospitals is effective.

OBJECTIVES: This is the first large multicenter study to examine the effectiveness of a pediatric rapid response system (PRRS). The primary objective was to determine the effect of a PRRS using a physician-led team on the rate of actual cardiopulmonary arrests, defined as an event requiring chest compressions, epinephrine, or positive pressure ventilation. The secondary objectives were to determine the effect of PRRSs on the rate of PICU readmission within 48 hours of discharge and PICU mortality after readmission and urgent PICU admission. METHODS: A PRRS was developed, implemented, and evaluated in a standardized manner across 4 pediatric academic centers in Ontario, Canada. The team responded to activations for inpatients and followed patients discharged from the PICU for 48 hours. A 2-year, prospective, observational study was conducted after implementation, and outcomes were compared with data collected 2 years before implementation. RESULTS: After PRRS implementation, there were 55 963 hospital admissions and a team activation rate of 44 per 1000 hospital admissions. There were 7302 patients followed after PICU discharge. Implementation of the PRRS was not associated with a reduction in the rate of actual cardiopulmonary arrests (1.9 vs 1.8 per 1000 hospital admissions; P=.68) or PICU mortality after urgent admission (1.3 vs 1.1 per 1000 hospital admissions; P=.25). There was a reduction in the PICU mortality rate after readmission (0.3 vs 0.1 death per 1000 hospital admissions; P=.05). CONCLUSION: The standardized implementation of a multicenter PRRS was associated with a decrease in the rate of PICU mortality after readmission but not actual cardiopulmonary arrests.

Evaluation of a new pediatric continuous oximetry catheter.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the accuracy of central venous oxygen saturation recordings from a new in-line pediatric oximetry catheter. DESIGN: Prospective, observational study. STUDY POPULATION: Eighteen pediatric patients who needed central venous access for monitoring and/or treatment between January 2006 and June 2006 in the pediatric intensive care unit of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. METHODS AND MAIN RESULTS: Measurements were done at the baseline and then every 4-8 hrs. The monitor was calibrated in vivo at the baseline and then daily. In vitro calibration of the monitor was also performed in the last five patients. The hemoglobin value was updated when there was a significant change. The maximum duration of sampling was 72 hrs (if indicated). There were 131 measurements in 17 patients; each subject had a different number of paired measurements (median 5). Three patients were excluded due to violation of the protocol, and 113 measurements were left in analysis. The mean difference of catheter value from the laboratory value was -1.01 (median 0). The interquartile range was 5. The difference of both methods was evenly distributed as per a Bland-Altman plot, with one patient's data lying outside of the comparable limits of ± 1.96 sd from the mean differences. The relationship of the difference between the catheter data and the lab data to the independent variables (age, weight, gender, catheter tip, diagnosis, and signal quality index) was estimated by using the multiple regression analysis (version 9.1, SAS Institute, Cary, NC). All variables were eliminated. The Pearson correlation coefficient between lab-mixed venous oxygen saturation and oximetry catheter readings for measurements was 0.88. CONCLUSION: In this limited number of patients, use of the PediaSat venous oximetry catheter was safe and had good agreement with co-oximetry-measured values.

Pulmonary hypertension in congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

Clinically significant pulmonary hypertension (PHTN) is a common finding in newborn infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) resulting in right to left shunting at pre- and postductal level, hypoxemia, and acute right heart failure in those most severely affected. Even in those without clinical manifestations of ductal shunting, cardiac echo studies would suggest that increased pulmonary vascular resistance and right ventricular pressures are almost a universal finding in this disease, and in some instances, may persist well into the postnatal period. The lung is small and structurally abnormal, and the pulmonary vascular bed is not only reduced in size, but responds abnormally to vasodilators. During the last 20 years, "gentle" ventilation, delayed surgery, and improved peri-operative care have made the greatest impact in decreasing mortality in this condition. Use of PGE1 should be considered early if there is hemodynamically significant PHTN, right ventricular dysfunction, and the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is becoming restrictive. In individual patients, inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) might be helpful, but the response to iNO should be confirmed using echocardiography. In patients who survive operation and leave the hospital, there are chronic causes of morbidity that need to be looked for and managed in a multi-disciplinary follow-up clinic.

Somatostatin analog (octreotide) in management of neonatal postoperative chylothorax: is it safe?

OBJECTIVE: Somatostatin and its analogs have recently been introduced in the treatment of chylous effusions in infants and children following surgery. The safety profile of this treatment in critically ill patients has not been fully evaluated. DESIGN: Retrospective case review. SETTING: Tertiary pediatric cardiac center. PATIENTS: A male infant born by cesarean section with a birth weight of 2.6 kg. INTERVENTIONS: None. CONCLUSIONS: We report the association of postoperative chylothorax treated with somatostatin analog (octreotide) and necrotizing enterocolitis in an infant following aortic coarctation repair.