Tracheostomy, respiratory support, and developmental outcomes in neonates with severe lung diseases: Retrospective study in one center.

OBJECTIVES: Pediatric tracheostomy has evolved significantly in the past few decades and the optimal timing to perform it in children with respiratory assistance is still debated. The objective of this study was to describe the indications, timing, complications, and outcomes of infants on respiratory support who had a tracheostomy in a tertiary pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). METHODS: All children younger than 18 months of corrected age requiring respiratory support for at least 1 week and who had a tracheostomy between January 2005 and December 2015 were included. Their demographic and clinical data and their outcomes at 24 months of corrected age were collected and analyzed after approval from the CHU Sainte-Justine ethics committee. RESULTS: During the study period, 18 children (14 preterm infants, 4 polymalformative syndromes, and 2 diaphragmatic hernias) were included. The median corrected age at tracheostomy was 97 days (0-289 days) and 94.4% were elective. The indications for tracheostomy were ventilation for more than 7 days with (61.1%) or without (38.9%) orolaryngotracheal anomaly. The median number of consultants involved per patient was 16 consultants (10-23 consultants). The median hospital length of stay was 122 days (8-365 days) before tracheostomy and 235 days (22-891 days) after tracheostomy. The median invasive ventilation time was 68 days (8-168 days) before tracheostomy and 64 days (5-982 days) after tracheostomy. In terms of complications, there were nine cases of tracheitis and five cases of tracheal granulomas. At 24 months of corrected age, 17 of 18 children survived, one of/17 was still hospitalized, three of 17 were decannulated, three of 17 received respiratory support via their tracheostomy, 11 of 17 were fed with a gastrostomy, and all had neurodevelopmental delay. CONCLUSION: Tracheostomy in infants requiring at least 1 week of ventilation is performed for complex cases and is favored for orolaryngotracheal anomalies. Clinicians should anticipate the need for developmental care in this population.

[Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in children with bacterial tracheitis]. / Laryngotrachéites bactériennes révélées par un arrêt cardiaque en préhospitalier.

UNLABELLED: Bacterial tracheitis is a severe cause of acute infectious upper-airway obstruction. Its characteristics include thick purulent secretions with or without plaques or pseudomembrane formation. Fatal complications are infrequent if an appropriate treatment is conducted. CASE REPORT: We report on 2 cases of bacterial tracheitis revealed by out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. At presentation in winter, both children first had the symptoms of viral croup. However, no response to the appropriate therapy for this disease was observed. A cardiac arrest occurred on the second day. Bronchoscopy allowed diagnosis. Findings on initial examination were erythema, edema and purulent secretions. Bacterial cultures of tracheal secretions were positive with Staphylococcus aureus. Serology with influenza A virus was also positive. Despite antibiotics and mechanical ventilation, both children died in the pediatric intensive care unit, consecutively to irreversible ischemic brain injury. CONCLUSION: Bacterial tracheitis remains a life-threatening upper-airway infection. Prompt recognition and accurate diagnosis could lead to decreased mortality. It is essential to reassess any croup whose outcome is not rapidly favourable. Such patients should be monitored in a pediatric intensive care unit.

[Neonatal splenic injury: a difficult diagnosis]. / La rupture splénique en période néonatale: un diagnostic difficile.

Neonatal splenic injury is a rare but serious condition, due to the risk of haemorrhagic shock. We report on the case of a newborn infant with a neonatal respiratory distress that first evoked materno-fetal infection. Clinical deterioration, with anemia and abdominal distension, led then to the proper diagnosis. Dystocia seems to be the most likely cause of the splenic rupture in this report. Medical treatment is advocated as first line, while surgical treatment may be necessary in some cases. In the case surgery is inevitable, a conservative approach is preferable.

[Non-invasive ventilation in children: Do we need more evidence?] / Intérêt de la ventilation non invasive en réanimation pédiatrique : doit-on espérer un autre niveau de preuve ?

Respiratory failure is the leading cause of hospital admissions in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Mechanical ventilation, preferentially delivered by a non-invasive route (NIV), is currently the first-line treatment for respiratory failure since it is associated with a reduction in the intubation rate. This ventilatory support is increasingly used in the PICU, but its wider use contrasts with the paucity of studies in this field. This review aims to describe the main indications of NIV in acute settings: (i) bronchiolitis; (ii) postextubation respiratory failure; (iii) acute respiratory distress syndrome; (iv) pneumonia; (v) status asthmaticus; (vi) acute chest syndrome; (vii) left heart failure; (viii) exacerbation of chronic respiratory failure; (ix) upper airway obstruction and (x) end-of-life care. Most of these data are based on descriptive studies and expert opinions, and few are from randomized trials. While the benefit of NIV is significant in some indications, such as bronchiolitis, it is more questionable in others. Monitoring these patients for the occurrence of NIV failure markers is crucial.

Fetal lung volume in congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

In a retrospective study of 22 neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, fetal lung volume (FLV) measured by magnetic resonance imaging was associated with survival; the best FLV ratio cut-off to predict mortality was 30% of expected FLV. This study supports a correlation between FLV and the chances of survival.

[Congenital long QT syndrome in newborns]. / Syndrome du QT long congénital de révélation néonatale.

UNLABELLED: The perinatal manifestations of the long QT syndrome are rare, but early diagnosis and therapy are necessary to prevent sudden death. CASE REPORTS: A long QT syndrome was diagnosed in two neonates who presented with foetal bradycardia. In one case, a mutation in the gene KCNQ1 was identified, and a long QT syndrome was diagnosed in the mother and two brothers of the neonate. On beta-blocker therapy, one infant became free of long QT syndrome related symptoms, but a sudden death of the second infant occurred. CONCLUSION: The long QT syndrome should be considered in the differential diagnosis of foetal bradycardia. Early treatment of the neonate and his family may prevent ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death.

[Community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus necrotizing pneumonia secreting Panton-Valentine leukocidin in an infant]. / Un cas de pneumopathie nécrosante à Staphylococcus aureus sécréteur de toxine leucocidine de Panton Valentine chez un nourrisson.

Staphylococcus aureus (SA) necrotizing pneumonia secreting Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) has a high mortality rate, approximately 50% according to recent data, mainly in children and young adults. Recently, 2 cases of the disease have been reported in newborn twins with a good outcome. We report a third case of community-acquired necrotizing pneumonia due to SA sensitive to methicillin (SASM) secreting Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) in an infant, initially paucisymptomatic, in the context of familial furunculosis, with a fatal outcome. Cases of necrotizing pneumonia in this age group are emerging, and extensive information for clinicians is needed due to the high mortality rate of the disease.

[Assessment of a hypothermia protocol implementation for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in term newborns]. / Évaluation d'un protocole de prise en charge de l'encéphalopathie anoxo-ischémique du nouveau-né par hypothermie.

BACKGROUND: A whole-body hypothermia protocol for term infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) was implemented in our network in May 2004. The main objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of the protocol. The impact on the outcome was also assessed. METHODS: Monocentric retrospective study of all term infants admitted for HIE after the implementation of the protocol. The feasibility of the protocol was evaluated by its observance during the first 72 h. The neurodevelopmental outcome at 12 months of age of this population was compared with a historical control group. RESULTS: Twenty-five children were included. The protocol was not correctly applied for 8 children. The target temperature (33-34°C) was not reached for 3 infants. Four infants were admitted after 6h of age. In 1 infant, HIE was not diagnosed at admission. In the 17 patients with a good protocol observance, rectal temperature fell to the target temperature on average at 6.4h of age. The long-term follow-up rate was improved after the implementation of the protocol (100 % versus 92 % before protocol implementation). Death or neurodevelopmental disability occurred in 40 % during the protocol period versus 87 % before protocol implementation (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The main limiting factor for implementation of whole-body hypothermia in infants with HIE is admission delay. The follow-up and the rate of death or disability in infants with HIE improved after implementing the protocol.