Hypothyroidism Due to Iodine Overload in Children Receiving Peritoneal Dialysis: A Report of 4 Cases.

Children who receive peritoneal dialysis (PD) are at increased risk for thyroid dysfunction. A rarely appreciated cause is iodine overload. We report 4 children who developed iodine overload and secondary hypothyroidism. All had kidney failure treated by PD. Each previously had normal thyroid function screening test results. At the time hypothyroidism was detected, the duration of PD ranged from 1 week to 27 months (median, 6 months). Three children had high thyrotropin values and all had high serum iodine levels. The sole source of iodine exposure in each child was a povidone-iodine-impregnated gauze in the sterile transfer set cap associated with PD. Iodine overload is a poorly appreciated problem associated with the provision of PD in infants and small children and can lead to thyroid dysfunction. Increased awareness among pediatric nephrologists should lead to the development of optimal monitoring and prevention recommendations.

Characteristics and Clinical Outcomes of Prolonged Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy in Critically Ill Pediatric Patients.

OBJECTIVES: Paralleling improved outcomes in critically ill patients, survival for pediatric acute kidney injury has improved. Continuous renal replacement therapy is the preferred modality to optimize fluid and electrolyte management as well as nutritional support for children developing acute kidney injury in the PICU. However, some patients remain too fragile for transition to intermittent renal replacement therapies and require continuous renal replacement therapy for a prolonged period. Characteristics of this cohort and factors impacting outcomes are not well known. We aimed to describe the characteristics of pediatric patients requiring prolonged continuous renal replacement therapy and evaluate the factors impacting hospital survival. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: Tertiary PICU. PATIENTS: Children requiring prolonged continuous renal replacement therapy. Prolonged continuous renal replacement therapy was defined as continuous renal replacement therapy dependence greater than or equal to 28 days. Primary outcome was hospital mortality. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: From 2013 to 2016, 344 patients received continuous renal replacement therapy, 36 (10%) received continuous renal replacement therapy for greater than or equal to 28 days. Seventeen patients (47%) were female. Overall mortality was 44% (16/36); 69% (11/16) of nonsurvivors died of sepsis. Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction score was significantly higher in nonsurvivors. Mortality rate was significantly higher in patients who were neutropenic at continuous renal replacement therapy start. Neutropenia (defined as absolute neutrophil count < 1,500/mm) at continuous renal replacement therapy start was the only independent predictor of mortality. One in four survivors did not recover renal function and remained dialysis dependent. CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged continuous renal replacement therapy patients are at high risk of nonrecovery of renal function and require close monitoring. The majority of nonsurvivors in the study group died from sepsis. Neutropenia at continuous renal replacement therapy initiation was associated with increased risk of mortality. Progression of underlying disease process could explain the higher death rate in patients with neutropenia; however, inadequate treatment of infectious complications could be another explanation to explore further in future studies.