Pediatr Crit Care Me
-
Pediatr Crit Care Me · Jul 2005
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyGram-negative bacilli associated with catheter-associated and non-catheter-associated bloodstream infections and hand carriage by healthcare workers in neonatal intensive care units.
Bloodstream infections caused by Gram-negative bacilli are a substantial cause of morbidity and mortality in infants in neonatal intensive care units. This study describes the species of Gram-negative bacilli causing bloodstream infections in two neonatal intensive care units, compares characteristics of catheter-related and non-catheter-related bloodstream infections, and compares species and antibiotic resistance patterns of these organisms with those isolated from the hands of nurses working in the same neonatal intensive care units. ⋯ Gram-negative bacilli species isolated from neonatal bloodstream infections and nurses' hands varied significantly. Clean hands of providers are an unlikely source of endemic Gram-negative bacilli, suggesting that prevention strategies should focus more on control of endogenous neonatal flora or environmental sources.
-
Pediatr Crit Care Me · Jul 2005
Multicenter StudySteroid use before pediatric cardiac operations using cardiopulmonary bypass: an international survey of 36 centers.
Steroid administration before pediatric cardiac operations using cardiopulmonary bypass has been shown to modulate the inflammatory response and reduce myocardial injury. We hypothesized that current steroid administration practices among pediatric cardiac surgical centers are highly variable. ⋯ Although nearly all centers surveyed administer steroids before cardiopulmonary bypass, the type, dosing, route, and timing of administration are highly variable. The inconsistencies in these data and the pediatric literature would support the undertaking of a large, multiple-center clinical trial to evaluate the risks and benefits of steroid administration before pediatric cardiopulmonary bypass.
-
Pediatr Crit Care Me · May 2005
Multicenter StudyExtubation failure in pediatric intensive care incidence and outcomes.
To evaluate the hypotheses that children requiring reintubation are at an increased risk of prolonged hospitalizations, congenital heart disease, and death compared with age- and disease-severity-matched control patients. ⋯ In the present trial, 4.1% of mechanically ventilated children failed extubation. Pediatric intensive care unit patients with failed extubation have longer hospital, pediatric intensive care unit, and ventilator courses but are not at increased risk of death relative to nonfailed extubation patients.
-
Pediatr Crit Care Me · May 2005
Multicenter StudyEvolution of the medical practices and modes of death on pediatric intensive care units in southern Brazil.
To study the possible change on mode of deaths, medical decision practices, and family participation on decisions for limiting life-sustaining treatments (L-LST) over a period of 13 yrs in three pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) located in southern Brazil. ⋯ We observed that the modes of deaths in southern Brazilian PICUs changed over the last 13 yrs, with an increment in L-LST. However, this change was not uniform among the studied PICUs and did not reach the levels described in countries of the Northern Hemisphere. Family participation in the L-LST decision-making process has increased over time, but it is still far behind what is observed in other parts of the world.
-
Pediatr Crit Care Me · May 2004
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyForgoing life-sustaining treatments in children: a comparison between Northern and Southern European pediatric intensive care units.
This study was conducted to determine how the decision-making process to forgo life support differs between southern and northern European pediatric intensive care units. ⋯ The decision-making process appears to be similar between northern and southern European countries. The respective contributions of the parents and the medical staff in the final decision itself seem to be identical between northern and southern countries. However, in northern European countries, the level of parents' information about the decision-making process appears higher and the decision is more often documented in the medical chart.