Use of Negative Pressure Ventilation in Pediatric Critical Care: Experience in 56 PICUs in the Virtual Pediatric Systems Database (2009-2019).

OBJECTIVES: Negative pressure ventilation may be more physiologic than positive pressure ventilation, but data describing negative pressure ventilation use in the PICU are limited. We aimed to describe the epidemiology and outcomes of PICU patients receiving negative pressure ventilation. DESIGN: Descriptive analysis of a large, quality-controlled multicenter database. SETTING: Fifty-six PICUs in the Virtual Pediatric Systems database who reported use of negative pressure ventilation. PATIENTS: Children admitted to a participating PICU between 2009 and 2019 who received negative pressure ventilation. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Among 788 subjects, 71% were less than 2 years old, and 45% had underlying health conditions. Two concurrent aspiration events were the only adverse events reported. After excluding one over-represented center, the 3 years with the most negative pressure ventilation usage were 2017-2019 (all > 25 cases/yr and ≥ 13 centers reporting usage). Among those 187 children, the most common primary diagnoses were bronchiolitis and cardiac disease (both 15.5%), 24.1% required endotracheal intubation after negative pressure ventilation, and 9.1% died. CONCLUSIONS: Negative pressure ventilation is being used in many PICUs, most commonly for pulmonary infections or cardiac disease, in children with high rates of subsequent intubation and mortality and with few documented adverse events. Use at individual centers is rare but increasing, suggesting need for prospective collaboration to better evaluate the role of negative pressure ventilation in the PICU.

Factors Associated With Pediatric Ventilator-Associated Conditions in Six U.S. Hospitals: A Nested Case-Control Study.

OBJECTIVES: A newly proposed surveillance definition for ventilator-associated conditions among neonatal and pediatric patients has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality among ventilated patients in cardiac ICU, neonatal ICU, and PICU. This study aimed to identify potential risk factors associated with pediatric ventilator-associated conditions. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. SETTING: Six U.S. hospitals PATIENTS:: Children less than or equal to 18 years old ventilated for greater than or equal to 1 day. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We identified children with pediatric ventilator-associated conditions and matched them to children without ventilator-associated conditions. Medical records were reviewed for comorbidities and acute care factors. We used bivariate and multivariate conditional logistic regression models to identify factors associated with ventilator-associated conditions. We studied 192 pairs of ventilator-associated conditions cases and matched controls (113 in the PICU and cardiac ICU combined; 79 in the neonatal ICU). In the PICU/cardiac ICU, potential risk factors for ventilator-associated conditions included neuromuscular blockade (odds ratio, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.08-4.87), positive fluid balance (highest quartile compared with the lowest, odds ratio, 7.76; 95% CI, 2.10-28.6), and blood product use (odds ratio, 1.52; 95% CI, 0.70-3.28). Weaning from sedation (i.e., decreasing sedation) or interruption of sedation may be protective (odds ratio, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.18-1.11). In the neonatal ICU, potential risk factors included blood product use (odds ratio, 2.99; 95% CI, 1.02-8.78), neuromuscular blockade use (odds ratio, 3.96; 95% CI, 0.93-16.9), and recent surgical procedures (odds ratio, 2.19; 95% CI, 0.77-6.28). Weaning or interrupting sedation was protective (odds ratio, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.01-0.79). CONCLUSIONS: In mechanically ventilated neonates and children, we identified several possible risk factors associated with ventilator-associated conditions. Next steps include studying propensity-matched cohorts and prospectively testing whether changes in sedation management, transfusion thresholds, and fluid management can decrease pediatric ventilator-associated conditions rates and improve patient outcomes.

The effects of wearing facemasks on oxygenation and ventilation at rest and during physical activity.

BACKGROUND: Facemasks are recommended to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, but concern about inadequate gas exchange is an often cited reason for non-compliance. RESEARCH QUESTION: Among adult volunteers, do either cloth masks or surgical masks impair oxygenation or ventilation either at rest or during physical activity? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: With IRB approval and informed consent, we measured heart rate (HR), transcutaneous carbon dioxide (CO2) tension and oxygen levels (SpO2) at the conclusion of six 10-minute phases: sitting quietly and walking briskly without a mask, sitting quietly and walking briskly while wearing a cloth mask, and sitting quietly and walking briskly while wearing a surgical mask. Brisk walking required at least a 10bpm increase in heart rate. Occurrences of hypoxemia (decrease in SpO2 of ≥3% from baseline to a value of ≤94%) and hypercarbia (increase in CO2 tension of ≥5 mmHg from baseline to a value of ≥46 mmHg) in individual subjects were collected. Wilcoxon signed-rank was used for pairwise comparisons among values for the whole cohort (e.g. walking without a mask versus walking with a cloth mask). RESULTS: Among 50 adult volunteers (median age 33 years; 32% with a co-morbidity), there were no episodes of hypoxemia or hypercarbia (0%; 95% confidence interval 0-1.9%). In paired comparisons, there were no statistically significant differences in either CO2 or SpO2 between baseline measurements without a mask and those while wearing either kind of mask mask, both at rest and after walking briskly for ten minutes. INTERPRETATION: The risk of pathologic gas exchange impairment with cloth masks and surgical masks is near-zero in the general adult population.

AARC Clinical Practice Guideline: Management of Pediatric Patients With Tracheostomy in the Acute Care Setting.

Children requiring a tracheostomy to maintain airway patency or to facilitate long-term mechanical ventilatory support require comprehensive care and committed, trained, direct caregivers to manage their complex needs safely. These guidelines were developed from a comprehensive review of the literature to provide guidance for the selection of the type of tracheostomy tube (cuffed vs uncuffed), use of communication devices, implementation of daily care bundles, timing of first tracheostomy change, type of humidification used (active vs passive), timing of oral feedings, care coordination, and routine cleaning. Cuffed tracheostomy tubes should only be used for positive-pressure ventilation or to prevent aspiration. Manufacturer guidelines should be followed for cuff management and tracheostomy tube hygiene. Daily care bundles, skin care, and the use of moisture-wicking materials reduce device-associated complications. Tracheostomy tubes may be safely changed at postoperative day 3, and they should be changed with some regularity (at a minimum of every 1-2 weeks) as well as on an as-needed basis, such as when an obstruction within the lumen occurs. Care coordination can reduce length of hospital and ICU stay. Published evidence is insufficient to support recommendations for a specific device to humidify the inspired gas, the use of a communication device, or timing for the initiation of feedings.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most common chronic respiratory disease that results from complications related to the lung injury during the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome, or develops in older infants when abnormal lung growth occurs. The definition and classification of BPD have changed since the original diagnosis was established many years ago. The incidence of BPD continues to grow as lower-birth-weight infants continue to survive. The primary focus of all treatment associated with premature infants is on prevention of BPD. Surfactant replacement, invasive and noninvasive ventilation techniques, management of the patent ductus arteriosus, cautious management of oxygen therapy, caffeine, inhaled nitric oxide, and changes in delivery room practices have been studied to assess their effects on the development of the disease. Other strategies used to reduce the long-term effects of this chronic lung disease include bronchodilators, inhaled and systemic steroids, nutrition management, and selected ventilator strategies. The prevention of BPD is targeted at minimizing effects of this pulmonary disease and preventing the long-term sequelae associated with its treatment.

Prophylactic Use of Nebulized Hypertonic Saline in Mechanically Ventilated Children: A Randomized Blinded Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Mucolytic agents, such as nebulized hypertonic saline, may improve airway clearance and shorten the duration of mechanical ventilation, but prospective blinded studies in children undergoing mechanical ventilation are lacking. METHODS: Children <18 y old who had been intubated for <12 h and had an expected duration of mechanical ventilation of >48 additional h were prophylactically given 3 mL of either nebulized hypertonic saline or placebo (0.9% saline) 4 times/d. The primary outcome was duration of mechanical ventilation. Ventilator parameters and the presence of wheezing were recorded before and after study drug administration. RESULTS: The duration of mechanical ventilation was significantly longer in children treated with hypertonic saline (208.1 [interquartile range 136.3-319.8] h) versus those treated with placebo (129.5 [interquartile range 74.4-146.1] h) (P = .03 by Wilcoxon rank-sum test). After adjusting for baseline levels of PEEP, the duration of mechanical ventilation did not differ between groups. Mechanical ventilation parameters, including dead space and dynamic compliance, did not differ between measurements taken before study drug administration versus measurements taken after. New onset wheezing following study drug administration was rare (1.0% with hypertonic saline vs 3.0% with placebo, P = .36 by chi-square test). CONCLUSIONS: Administering prophylactic nebulized hypertonic saline to mechanically ventilated children did not improve clinically relevant outcomes, including duration of mechanical ventilation. Wheezing after hypertonic saline treatment was rare.

Year in review 2014: asthma.

Asthma continues to be recognized as a well-known respiratory disease requiring complex management. Asthma is assessed and treated by clinicians across the continuum. The interest in evidence-based recommendations for diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management is ongoing and essential for aligning clinical practice with its changes. The purpose of this review is to provide updates from recent literature on asthma for clinicians.

Sudden development of right and left lung asymmetry in a pediatric patient following craniotomy.

A 7-year-old girl presented to the pediatric intensive care unit following a craniotomy that left her with dysphagia, poor cough, and problems with retained secretions. Pulmonary function and blood oxygen saturation worsened for 3 days after surgery. Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation and increased fraction of inspired oxygen improved oxygenation. Glycopyrrolate was administered to decrease secretions but had little effect. The first chest radiograph showed left lung hyperinflation. The right lung showed loss of volume and elevation of the right hemidiaphragm. There was no mediastinal shift. Another chest radiograph 3 hours later showed substantial improvement. We discuss the causes of acute lung volume asymmetry and possible interpretations of the radiographs.

A comparison of intrapulmonary percussive ventilation and conventional chest physiotherapy for the treatment of atelectasis in the pediatric patient.

OBJECTIVE: Compare intrapulmonary percussive ventilation (IPV) to conventional chest physiotherapy (CPT) and determine their effects on improving atelectasis and static compliance in pediatric patients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 46 patients who received IPV therapy with the Percussionator IPV-1 ventilator at frequencies of 180-220 cycles/min and pressures of 15-30 cm H(2)O. Medicated aerosol therapy with albuterol 2.5 mg in 6 mL normal saline solution was delivered with each IPV treatment. Baseline and subsequent chest radiographs were evaluated by a pediatric radiologist. We used an ordinal scoring system to measure the degree of atelectasis to evaluate chest radiographs (4 = complete collapse, 0 = complete resolution). Then we conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled study of intubated and mechanically ventilated patients to compare changes in atelectasis and static compliance. Baseline and daily chest radiographs were evaluated using the same scoring system as in the retrospective pilot evaluation. Patients were ventilated in the volume-controlled, synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation mode, with tidal volumes of 6-10 mL/kg. Patients were randomized to CPT (clapping and vibration) or IPV at frequencies of 180-220 cycles/min and pressures of 15-30 cm H(2)O (equal to the peak pressures on the ventilator), with 6 mL of normal saline solution via medicated aerosol. Both treatments were given every 4 h and lasted 10-15 min. Static compliance measurements were calculated from exhaled tidal volumes and plateau pressures. RESULTS: In the retrospective study the median age of patients receiving IPV was 4.2 years and the median duration of IPV was 6.2 days. A change in atelectasis score from 3 to 1 (p < 0.001) was seen. In the randomized, controlled trial the median age of patients was 3.1 years. Atelectasis scores before treatment were comparable between the CPT and IPV groups (median 2.0 for both groups, p = 0.530). Atelectasis scores after treatment were unchanged in the CPT group (median 2.0, p = 0.421) but improved in the IPV group (median 1.0, p = 0.026). Treatment lasted an average of 6.2 days in the CPT group and 2.1 days in the IPV group (p = 0.018). Neither group showed any change in static compliance following treatment. CONCLUSIONS: In the retrospective study a clinically important improvement in atelectasis was seen in patients who received IPV therapy. In the controlled, clinical trial the IPV group showed more clinically important improvement in atelectasis than the CPT group. IPV is a safe and effective method of alternative airway clearance and can be used on patients with artificial airways.

Clinical consensus statement: tracheostomy care.

OBJECTIVE: This clinical consensus statement (CCS) aims to improve care for pediatric and adult patients with a tracheostomy tube. Approaches to tracheostomy care are currently inconsistent among clinicians and between different institutions. The goal is to reduce variations in practice when managing patients with a tracheostomy to minimize complications. METHODS: A formal literature search was conducted to identify evidence gaps and refine the scope of this consensus statement. The modified Delphi method was used to refine expert opinion and facilitate a consensus position. Panel members were asked to complete 2 scale-based surveys addressing different aspects of pediatric and adult tracheostomy care. Each survey was followed by a conference call during which results were presented and statements discussed. RESULTS: The panel achieved consensus on 77 statements; another 39 were dropped because of lack of consensus. Consensus was reached on statements that address initial tracheostomy tube change, management of emergencies and complications, prerequisites for decannulation, management of tube cuffs and communication devices, and specific patient and caregiver education needs. CONCLUSION: The consensus panel agreed on statements that address the continuum of care, from initial tube management to complications in children and adults with a tracheostomy. The panel also highlighted areas where consensus could not be reached and where more research is needed. This consensus statement should be used by physicians, nurses, and other stakeholders caring for patients with a tracheostomy.