Pediatr Crit Care Me
-
Pediatr Crit Care Me · May 2011
Handover after pediatric heart surgery: a simple tool improves information exchange.
To improve the quality of handover of complex patients after pediatric cardiac surgery through the use of a simple handover tool. ⋯ Use of a simple tool during handover of pediatric postcardiac surgery patients resulted in a more complete exchange of critical information with no significant prolongation of the handover duration.
-
Pediatr Crit Care Me · May 2011
Comparative StudyInfluenza A (pH1N1) infection in children admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit: differences with other respiratory viruses.
To describe the clinical features of patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) with acute lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) attributable to influenza A pH1N1 virus and compare them with those admitted with LRTI due to other viral pathogens. ⋯ Patients with influenza A pH1N1 respiratory virus infection presented with more severe illness. Outcomes were similar in both groups.
-
Pediatr Crit Care Me · May 2011
Standardized multidisciplinary protocol improves handover of cardiac surgery patients to the intensive care unit.
To determine whether the implementation of a standardized handover protocol could reduce the number of errors occurring during patient transitions from the operating room to the intensive care unit. ⋯ A formal, structured handover process for pediatric patients transitioning to the intensive care unit after cardiac surgery can reduce medical errors that occur during the admission process and improve teamwork among caregivers.
-
Pediatr Crit Care Me · May 2011
Prospective operationalization and feasibility of a glycemic control protocol in critically ill children.
To evaluate the feasibility and safe operationalization of a pediatric glycemic control protocol in the setting of a general pediatric intensive care unit in a developing country. ⋯ Hyperglycemia is frequent in critically ill children managed in a pediatric intensive care unit in a developing country. Using a glycemic control protocol, one-third of these children required insulin, but attendants should be aware of a significant risk of hypoglycemia in this setting. Based on these data, a trial to detect a 20% relative reduction in mortality (power 90%, p = .05) associated with insulin in a similar population would need to screen >10,000 patients.
-
Pediatr Crit Care Me · May 2011
Perioperative factors associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation after complex congenital heart surgery.
To evaluate perioperative factors associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation in children undergoing complex cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease. ⋯ Younger age, greater severity of illness at postoperative admission, healthcare-associated infections, noninfectious pulmonary complications, and the need for reintervention are associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation after complex cardiac surgery. Future studies and quality improvement initiatives should focus on those risk factors that are modifiable to promote early extubation in children recovering from complex congenital heart surgery.