Predicting inpatient mortality in pediatric traumatic brain injury: insights from a national database.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine factors significantly associated with mortality and length of stay (LOS) in admissions to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for traumatic brain injury (TBI). METHODS: A cross-sectional, retrospective cohort study that identified PICU admissions with TBI from forty-nine hospitals in the USA using the Pediatric Health Information System database from 2016 to 2021. Univariable analyses comparing those who did and did not experience mortality were performed. The following regression analyses were conducted: logistic regression with mortality as dependent variable; linear regression with LOS as the dependent variable; logistic regression with mortality as the dependent variable but only included patients with cerebral edema; and linear regression with LOS as the dependent variable but only included patients who survived. From the regression analysis for mortality in all TBI patients was utilized to develop a mortality risk score. RESULTS: A total of 3041 admissions were included. Those with inpatient mortality (18.5%) tended to be significantly younger (54 vs. 92 months, p < 0.01), have < 9 pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale on admission (100% vs. 52.9%, p < 0.01) and more likely to experience acute renal, hepatic and respiratory failure, acidosis, central diabetes insipidus, hyperkalemia, and hypocalcemia. Regression analysis identified that pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale, alkalosis and cardiac arrest significantly increased risks of mortality. The TBI mortality risk score had an area under the curve of 0.89 to identify those with mortality; a score of 6 ≤ was associated with 88% mortality. CONCLUSION: Patients admitted to the PICU with TBI have 18.5% risk of inpatient mortality with most occurring the first 48 h and these are characterized with greater multisystem organ dysfunction, received medical and mechanical support. TBI mortality risk score suggested is a practical tool to identify patients with an increase likelihood to die.

Altmetric score, reads, and citations in paediatric cardiology: do they correlate and what do they mean?

INTRODUCTION: The primary objective of this study was to determine whether Altmetric score, number of reads, and citations for paediatric cardiology manuscripts correlate with one another. A secondary objective was to determine the extent to which factors mediated citation number for paediatric cardiology manuscripts. METHODS: Data for this study came from manuscripts published in Cardiology in the Young (2010-2021). Data were extracted by using data shared on the journal website. Spearman's correlation analyses were conducted between manuscript reads, citations, and Altmetric score. Regression analyses were conducted with number of citations as the dependent variable and year of publication, publication type, number of reads, and Altmetric score as independent variables. RESULTS: A total of 2642 manuscripts were included in the final analyses. Reads and citations had poor correlation (r-value 0.32); reads and Altmetric score had negligible correlation (r-value 0.26); and Altmetric score and citations had negligible correlation (r-value 0.07). Year of publication was independently associated with number of citations (ß -0.95, p-value <0.01). Manuscript type was independently associated with number of citations (ß 1.04, p-value <0.01). Number of reads was independently associated with citations (ß 0.01, p-value <0.01). Altmetric score was independently associated with number of citations (ß 0.05, p-value <0.01). CONCLUSION: This study describes the correlation of reads, citations, and Altmetric score in manuscripts published in Cardiology in the Young, demonstrating poor correlation, at best, between these metrics. Each bibliometric index seems to represent a different phenomenon of manuscript consumption. No single bibliometric index in isolation offers ample representation of manuscript consumption.

Using Implementation Science to Guide the Process of Adapting a Patient Engagement Intervention for Inpatient Spinal Cord Injury/Disorder Rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe the process of adapting an evidence-based patient engagement intervention, enhanced medical rehabilitation (E-MR), for inpatient spinal cord injury/disease (SCI/D) rehabilitation using an implementation science framework. DESIGN: We applied the collaborative intervention planning framework and included a community advisory board (CAB) in an intervention mapping process. SETTING: A rehabilitation hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Stakeholders from inpatient SCI/D rehabilitation (N=7) serving as a CAB and working with the research team (N=7) to co-adapt E-MR. INTERVENTIONS: E-MR. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Logic model and matrices of change used in CAB meetings to identify areas of intervention adaptation. RESULTS: The CAB and research team implemented adaptations to E-MR, including (1) identifying factors influencing patient engagement in SCI/D rehabilitation (eg, therapist training); (2) revising intervention materials to meet SCI/D rehabilitation needs (eg, modified personal goals interview and therapy trackers to match SCI needs); (3) incorporating E-MR into the rehabilitation hospital's operations (eg, research team coordinated with CAB to store therapy trackers in the hospital system); and (4) retaining fidelity to the original intervention while best meeting the needs of SCI/D rehabilitation (eg, maintained core E-MR principles while adapting). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that structured processes guided by an implementation science framework can help researchers and clinicians identify adaptation targets and modify the E-MR program for inpatient SCI/D rehabilitation.

The Acute Effect of Packed Red Blood Cell Transfusion in Mechanically Ventilated Children after the Norwood Operation.

Packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusions are commonly administered in pediatric patients following the Norwood operation. This study was conducted to determine the effect of PRBC transfusions on hemodynamic parameters in pediatric patients with single-ventricle physiology and parallel circulation. A single-center, retrospective chart review was conducted. Pediatric patients admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit after Norwood operation between 2017 and 2018 were identified. Hemodynamic parameters were collected within a four-hour period before and after a PRBC transfusion. Univariate analyses using paired t tests were conducted to compare blood gas values before and after PRBC transfusion. Next, multivariate regression analyses were conducted to model the impact of transfusion volume, change in hemoglobin levels, and change in FiO2 on the change in PaO2 and PaCO2. These analyses included data from 33 eligible patients who received a PRBC transfusion following a Norwood operation. The hemoglobin levels (p < 0.01) and the PaO2/FiO2 ratio (p = 0.04) were significantly increased, while arterial lactate levels (p = 0.03) were significantly decreased following the transfusion. Transfusion for a pre-transfusion hemoglobin of 12.4 g/dL appears to provide greatest reduction in lactate, used as a surrogate marker for systemic oxygen delivery. No significant changes were found in arterial pH, PaO2, and PaCO2. PRBC transfusions following the Norwood operation may be a useful intervention to increase systemic oxygen delivery, improving PaO2/FiO2 ratio and improving serum lactate. The benefits of PRBC transfusions must be weighed against previously identified risks on a patient-specific basis. Further studies are warranted to further delineate the effects of such transfusions in this population.

Predictors of smoking relapse in patients with thoracic cancer or head and neck cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cancer patients who continue smoking are at increased risk for adverse outcomes including reduced treatment efficacy and poorer survival rates. Many patients spontaneously quit smoking after diagnosis; however, relapse is understudied. The goal of this study was to evaluate smoking-related, affective, cognitive, and physical variables as predictors of smoking after surgical treatment among patients with lung cancer and head and neck cancer. METHODS: A longitudinal study was conducted with 154 patients (57% male) who recently quit smoking. Predictor variables were measured at baseline (ie, time of surgery); smoking behavior was assessed at 2, 4, 6, and 12 months after surgery. Analyses of 7-day point prevalence were performed using a Generalized Estimating Equations approach. RESULTS: Relapse rates varied significantly depending on presurgery smoking status. At 12 months after surgery, 60% of patients who smoked during the week prior to surgery had resumed smoking versus only 13% who were abstinent prior to surgery. Smoking rates among both groups were relatively stable across the 4 follow-ups. For patients smoking before surgery (N = 101), predictors of smoking relapse included lower quitting self-efficacy, higher depression proneness, and greater fears about cancer recurrence. For patients abstinent before surgery (N = 53), higher perceived difficulty quitting and lower cancer-related risk perceptions predicted smoking relapse. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts to encourage early cessation at diagnosis, and increased smoking relapse-prevention efforts in the acute period following surgery, may promote long-term abstinence. Several modifiable variables are identified to target in future smoking relapse-prevention interventions for cancer patients.

Patient-provider communication and perspectives on smoking cessation and relapse in the oncology setting.

OBJECTIVE: To fill a gap in research by examining cancer patient-provider communication regarding tobacco use and patients' perspectives regarding their experiences with smoking cessation and relapse. METHODS: In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 lung and head and neck cancer patients and 11 health care providers. RESULTS: Qualitative analyses revealed that cancer patients express high levels of motivation to quit smoking; however, patients do not ask providers for assistance with quitting and maintaining abstinence and relapsed patients are reluctant to disclose smoking behavior due to stigma and guilt. Health care providers vary in the advice and type of assistance they supply, and their awareness and sensitivity to relapsed patients' feelings. Whereas providers emphasized long-term risks of continued smoking in their interactions with patients and recommendations for intervention content, patients expressed a preference for a balance between risks and benefits. CONCLUSION: Findings underscore the need for increased awareness, emphasis, and communication about the immediate risks of continued smoking and the benefits of continued abstinence specifically for cancer patients. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Our findings demonstrate the potential to affect cancer outcomes by improved training in conducting smoking cessation and relapse-prevention interventions. Additional training could be given to health care providers to increase adherence to clinical practice guidelines (5 A's), to learn ways to enhance patients' motivation to maintain abstinence, and to deliver smoking messages in a non-threatening manner.