Schiltz, Brenda

In severe pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome, data are lacking on methods to measure and set optimal positive end-expiratory pressure. We present a 2-year-old girl with Trisomy 21 who developed severe pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome and refractory hypoxemia from human metapneumovirus pneumonia. Esophageal manometry was utilized to measure transpulmonary pressure, and positive end-expiratory pressure was increased to 19 cm H 2 O, resulting in rapid improvement in oxygenation. Hemodynamics remained adequate without intervention. The patient improved and survived without sequelae. Our case suggests that transpulmonary pressure monitoring should be studied as an adjunct to improve outcomes in pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Abstract Background: Although the need for palliative care is gaining recognition in Southeast Asia, knowledge about how decisions are made for children near the end of life remains sparse. Objective: To explore pediatric intensivists' attitudes and practices surrounding end-of-life care in Vietnam. Methods: This is a mixed-methods study conducted at a tertiary pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit in Hanoi. Physicians and nurses completed a quantitative survey about their views on end-of-life care. A subset of these providers participated in semistructured interviews on related topics. Analysis of surveys and interviews were conducted. Results were triangulated. Results: Sixty-eight providers (33 physicians and 35 nurses) completed the quantitative survey, and 18 participated in interviews. Qualitative data revealed three overarching themes with numerous subthemes and supporting quotations. The first theme was factors influencing providers' decision-making process to escalate or withdraw treatment. Quantitative data showed that 40% of providers valued the family's ability to pay to continue life-sustaining treatment. Second, communication dynamics in decision making were highlighted; 72% of providers would be willing to override a family's wishes to withdraw life-sustaining treatment. Third, provider perceptions of death varied, with 68% regarding their patients' deaths as a personal failure. Conclusions: We elicited and documented how pediatric intensivists in Vietnam currently think about and provide end-of-life care. These findings indicate a need to strengthen palliative care training, increase family involvement in decision making, implement standardized and official do-not-resuscitate documentation, and expand pediatric hospice services at the individual, hospital, and national levels in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: An increasing proportion of pediatric hospital days are attributed to technology-dependent children. The impact that a pediatric home care nursing (HCN) shortage has on increasing length of hospital stay and readmissions in this population is not well documented. METHODS: We conducted a 12-month multisite prospective study of children with medical complexity discharging with home health. We studied the following 2 cohorts: new patients discharging for the first time to home nursing and existing patients discharging from the hospital to previously established home nursing. A modified delay tool was used to categorize causes, delayed discharge (DD) days, and unplanned 90-day readmissions. RESULTS: DD occurred in 68.5% of 54 new patients and 9.2% of 131 existing patients. Lack of HCN was the most frequent cause of DD, increasing costs and directly accounting for an average length of stay increase of 53.9 days (range: 4–204) and 35.7 days (3–63) for new and existing patients, respectively. Of 1582 DDs, 1454 (91.9%) were directly attributed to lack of HCN availability. DD was associated with younger age and tracheostomy. Unplanned 90-day readmissions were due to medical setbacks (96.7% of cases) and occurred in 53.7% and 45.0% of new and existing patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: DD and related costs are primarily associated with shortage of HCN and predominantly affect patients new to HCN. Medical setbacks are the most common causes of unplanned 90-day readmissions. Increasing the availability of home care nurses or postacute care facilities could reduce costly hospital length of stay.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are a commonly used and often effective class of medications in the treatment of mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. Sertraline (1S,4S-N-methyl-4-[3,4-dichlorophenyl]-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-naphthylamine [Zoloft; Pfizer, New York City, NY]) is a frequently used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor that has shown efficacy in children, adolescents, and adults. We report the case of a 13-year-old boy with sertraline-induced rhabdomyolysis and renal failure, trismus, and cardiopulmonary arrest. Pharmacogenetic testing later revealed our patient had serotonin transporter polymorphisms and enzymatic alterations that put him at risk for increased levels of sertraline and greater likelihood for untoward side effects.

Background: The dynamin 1-like gene ( DNM1L) encodes a GTPase that mediates mitochondrial and peroxisomal fission and fusion. We report a new clinical presentation associated with a DNM1L pathogenic variant and review the literature. Results: A 13-year-old boy with mild developmental delays and paroxysmal dystonia presented acutely with multifocal myoclonic super-refractory status epilepticus. Despite sustained and aggressive treatment, seizures persisted and care was ultimately withdrawn in the context of extensive global cortical atrophy. Rapid trio-whole exome sequencing revealed a de novo heterozygous c.1207C>T (p.R403C) pathogenic variant in DNM1L. Immunofluorescence staining of fibroblast mitochondria revealed abnormally elongated and tubular morphology. Conclusions: This case highlights the diagnostic importance of rapid whole exome sequencing within a critical care setting and reveals the expanding phenotypic spectrum associated with DNM1L variants. This now includes progressive paroxysmal dystonia and adolescent-onset super-refractory myoclonic status epilepticus contributing to strikingly rapid and progressive cortical atrophy and death.

Objectives: There is no evidence regarding the effect of ondansetron on the QT interval in pediatric patients in the ICU. This study aimed to describe the effect of ondansetron on the corrected QT interval in patients cared for in the PICU. Design: Retrospective cohort, consecutive enrollment study. Setting: Single-center, tertiary-level, medical/surgical PICU. Patients: All patients less than 8 years old who received ondansetron over an 11-month period were included. Exclusion criteria were atrial arrhythmia, bundle-branch block, known congenital long QT syndrome, and concomitant administration of proarrhythmic antiarrhythmic agents. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Overall, 210 doses of ondansetron were administered to 107 patients, with a mean age 10.5 ± 4.8 years; 49% were men. Corrected QT interval increased to 460–500 ms in 29% and to more than 500 ms in 11% of events of ondansetron administration. The mean baseline corrected QT interval even before ondansetron administration was higher for these groups (460–500 and > 500 ms; 457 ± 33 and 469 ± 45, respectively; p ≤ 0.05). In multivariate analysis, both groups were associated significantly with underlying electrolyte abnormalities (odds ratio, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.1–4.4 and odds ratio, 5.1; 95% CI, 1.8–15.7, respectively); the group with corrected QT interval more than 500 ms was also significantly associated with organ dysfunction (odds ratio, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.1–9.4). As the numbers of risk factors increased from only ondansetron to three additional QT aggravating factors (electrolyte abnormalities, administration of other QT-prolonging drugs, and organ dysfunction), the likelihood of being associated with corrected QT interval more than 500 ms increased. Conclusions: Prolonged QT interval is observed commonly in PICUs following the administration of ondansetron. Underlying risk factors, such as electrolyte abnormalities and organ dysfunction, seem to pose the highest risk of prolongation of QT interval in these patients. The awareness of prevalent risk factors for increased corrected QT interval may help identify patients at high risk for arrhythmias.

Abstract We report the case of a 16-year-old healthy adolescent male who presented to the local emergency department with altered mental status. En route to a tertiary care facility, he began to decompensate and was found to be markedly acidotic. Further investigation revealed an elevated anion gap, and physical examination showed only abdominal pain and decreased level of consciousness. A broad differential diagnosis was considered at the time of the patient's presentation at the tertiary care center including ingestion of a volatile alcohol, sepsis, and an abdominal catastrophe. Although fomepizole and emergent dialysis were being initiated, laboratory tests confirmed ethylene glycol poisoning. This case demonstrates the importance of early recognition of potential ingestions in patients with altered mental status and supportive laboratory findings.