Acute kidney injury in pediatric toxic shock syndrome is associated with worse clinical course in the intensive care unit.

To explore the prevalence, severity, nature, and significance of acute kidney injury (AKI) among children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) with toxic shock syndrome (TSS). Bi-center, retrospective observational study. Children admitted for TSS to two intensive care units from 2009-2022 were included. We identified 41 children (median age 5 years, 46% females) who met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) definitions of TSS. Staphylococcal TSS accounted for 63% of the patients and Streptococcal TSS accounted for the remaining 37%. AKI was diagnosed in 24 (59%) (stage 1: n = 6 [15% of total], stage 2: n = 10 [24%], and stage 3: n = 8 [20%]). The worst creatinine level was measured during the first day of admission in 34 (83%) patients. The median duration of AKI was 2 days. Creatinine normalized by hospital discharge in all cases. Patients with AKI had a longer intensive care unit stay than those without AKI (6 vs. 3 days, respectively, p = 0.01), needed more respiratory support (87% vs. 47%, p = 0.002), had fewer 28 ventilation-free days (25 vs. 28, p = 0.01), fewer vasopressor-free days (25 vs. 28, p = 0.001), and received more blood products (p = 0.03).    Conclusion: Children admitted to the PICU with TSS, show a high prevalence of AKI at presentation. Creatinine levels and clearance normalize by hospital discharge in most cases. AKI in the setting of TSS could be used as an early marker for illness severity and a predictor of a more complex course. What is Known: • TSS is characterized according to the CDC by specific sets of clinical signs and symptoms in conjunction with specific laboratory findings one of which is AKI. • AKI is associated with worse outcomes in critically ill patients in general and in septic patients in particular. What is New: • AKI is found in about 60% of all patients admitted to the PICU with a diagnosis of TSS and hence is an important defining criteria. • AKI in the setting of TSS is associated with a more complex illness course and can serve as an early marker predicting such a course.

Increased prevalence of non-E. coli bacteria-caused urinary infection in neonates delivered by cesarian section.

OBJECTIVES: to assess the association between delivery mode and causative pathogens of infants with urinary tract infections. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the medical records of neonates delivered in a tertiary academic pediatric hospital and diagnosed with urinary tract infections between January 1,2013 and December 31,2017. Excluded were newborns with urinary tract infections post-urological procedures or neurogenic bladders. The retrieved data included demographic characteristics, clinical presentations, laboratory findings, urine cultures, and renal imaging results. Multivariable logistic regressions were employed to identify associations. RESULTS: 95 of the 131 neonates' (72.5%) cultures were positive for Escherichia coli. Neonates born via cesarean section (C/S) had a significantly higher prevalence (12/25, 48%) of non-Escherichia coli infections (p = 0.01). The mode of delivery was the only variable associated with non-Escherichia coli infections (odds ratio = 3.1, p = 0.014). Two of the 12 neonates (17%) with non-Escherichia coli cultures in the C/S group were diagnosed as having dilating vesicoureteral reflux. DISCUSSION: While the impact of mode of delivery on microbiome composition and UTI risk in the pediatric population is well documented, to the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to evaluate and report on the clinical connection between mode of delivery and neonatal UTIs. Most noteworthy was our finding of an elevated prevalence of non-E. coli cultures in the C/S group (p = 0.014, OR 3.1). This bears important clinical implications, particularly in the setting of congenital anomaly of kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) screening. CONCLUSIONS: Our analyses in this study reveal a significant link between delivery by cesarean section and neonatal urinary tract infections with non- Escherichia coli urine cultures. These findings carry implications for vesicoureteral reflux screening in neonates by raising the level of awareness of the association between the 2 factors. Additional prospective studies on larger cohorts are warranted to further elucidate this relationship and refine clinical decision-making in neonatal care.

Does narrow band imaging improve preoperative detection of glottic malignancy? A matched comparison study.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The primary suspicion for glottic malignancy during office laryngoendoscopy is based on lesion appearance. Previous studies investigating laryngeal use of narrow band imaging (NBI) are mostly descriptive. The additive value of NBI relative to white light (WL) requires further investigation. STUDY DESIGN: Observational matched study. METHODS: NBI was compared with WL images of 45 vocal fold lesions suspected for malignancy (21 carcinoma, 22 dysplasia, two benign). All images were presented randomly and evaluated by six independent otolaryngology specialists. The observers were asked to estimate lesion size, location, and pathology. The results for the two imaging modalities were compared with each other and with the final pathology. RESULTS: The observers estimated lesion size to be larger in the NBI images by an average of 9% (2.4 mm2 ; P =.04) compared to WL. In 64.6% of cases, the observers estimated similar pathology for NBI and WL. When there was a discrepancy, the estimated pathology was "malignant" in 24.3% by NBI, compared with 11.1% by WL. Overall, 44.7% of the lesions were estimated to be malignant by NBI, compared with 33.8% by WL (P =.001). The sensitivity and specificity rates for malignancy detection by NBI were 58.6% and 61.2%, respectively, compared to 48.7% and 76.1% by WL. CONCLUSIONS: Observers tend to estimate vocal fold lesions to be larger and more frequently suspect malignancy while assessing NBI images. Compared with WL, NBI demonstrates increased sensitivity and decreased specificity for detection of malignancy. Nevertheless, the specificity and sensitivity of NBI alone are considerably low. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 127:894-899, 2017.