The pediatric cardiology pharmacopeia: 2013 update.

The use of medications plays a pivotal role in the management of children with heart diseases. Most children with increased pulmonary blood flow require chronic use of anticongestive heart failure medications until more definitive interventional or surgical procedures are performed. The use of such medications, particularly inotropic agents and diuretics, is even more amplified during the postoperative period. Currently, children are undergoing surgical intervention at an ever younger age with excellent results aided by advanced anesthetic and postoperative care. The most significant of these advanced measures includes invasive and noninvasive monitoring as well as a wide array of pharmacologic agents. This review update provides a medication guide for medical practitioners involved in care of children with heart diseases.

Vagal Termination of Ventricular Tachycardia in a Pediatric Patient.

Ventricular tachycardia is a rare clinical entity in pediatric patients and typically requires chemical and/or electrical intervention to convert into a sustained sinus rhythm. However, for certain forms originating from the right ventricular outflow tract, conversion with adenosine and vagal maneuvers has been demonstrated in adult patients. In this case, we suggest that pediatric patients with right ventricular outflow tract ventricular tachycardia who are hemodynamically stable may benefit from a trial of vagal maneuvers.

WE CARE 4 KIDS: Use of a Rounding Tool in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

OBJECTIVE: To implement a daily rounding tool in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) to improve the discussion performance of identified clinical elements. We hypothesized that a semi-structured rounding tool created by a multidisciplinary team would be successfully implemented and sustained in the PICU. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A pre-post interventional study was conducted in a multidisciplinary medical-surgical PICU. Baseline data collection of undisclosed clinical elements was performed by covert observers, which resulted in the development of a comprehensive, nurse-driven rounding checklist. Frequencies of pre- and postintervention metrics were assessed after implementation, and sustainability was assessed at 5 years. RESULTS: Six months after implementation, 70% (7/10) of checklist elements demonstrated significant improvement. Five years after implementation, 172 of a possible 222 (74%) checklists were collected. Eighty percentage (8/10) of the measures sustained discussion frequency after 5 years of use. Nursing presence significantly improved at year 5 compared with the preimplementation period. Nursing satisfaction surveys distributed at year 5 showed that the rounding tool was useful and nurses were confident in understanding care plans at the end of rounds. Ninety-eight percentage of checklists revealed discrete transcription of qualitative daily goals. CONCLUSIONS: A semi-structured rounding tool created by a multidisciplinary team was successfully implemented, and performance was sustained at 5 years. This initiative led to improved bedside nursing presence during patient care rounds.

Neurogenic pulmonary edema in an infant with ventriculoperitoneal shunt malfunction.

Neurogenic pulmonary edema (NPE) and neurogenic stunned myocardium are known complications of acute neuropathology, but these conditions have only rarely been reported with ventriculoperitoneal shunt malfunction. Furthermore, shunt malfunction presenting with NPE has not been described in a pediatric patient. A case of acute shunt malfunction and NPE followed by a complicated cardiopulmonary clinical course is reviewed.