Venovenous extra corporeal life support in an infant with foreign body aspiration: A case report.

Background: Foreign body aspiration (FBA) is a life-threatening emergency and a common cause of morbidity and morbidity in children. FBA can lead to rapidly progressive respiratory failure. Stabilizing patients after FBA for bronchoscopic removal of the aspirated object can be complex and may necessitate advanced support such as high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). This case report presents the feasibility of using ultrasound (US) in percutaneous catheterization in infants and the benefit of using venovenous ECMO (VV-ECMO) as rescue therapy in FBA. Case summary: A 10-month-old girl accidently aspirated a metallic piece that was dislodged further to the right main bronchus after failed trials to remove it. She was intubated and mechanically ventilated, complicated by milk aspiration and bilateral pneumothoraces secondary to high-pressure lung ventilation. She had refractory mixed respiratory failure despite high settings of HFOV and inhaled nitric oxide. Venovenous ECMO (VV-ECMO) was initiated for stabilization and a bridge for bronchoscopic foreign body removal and awaiting lung recovery. She was weaned off ECMO after 166 hours. The patient was extubated after a few days and discharged home 28 days after admission without clinical evidence of neurological or respiratory complications. ECMO has been described in the literature as rescue therapy for FBA resulting in respiratory failure. However, ECMO cannulation in children under these circumstances is challenging because of vessel size restrictions. Two-vessel cannulation or dual-lumen cannulation are available options via open cut-down or percutaneous cannulation techniques, depending on the general expertise. The use of vascular ultrasound to assess vessel size is a helpful tool for cannulating infants. Conclusion: VV-ECMO support is expanding for respiratory failure in pediatric patients. Percutaneous cannulation in infants and children for VV-ECMO is safe and feasible.

Antimicrobial Stewardship in Bronchiolitis: A Retrospective Cohort Study of Three PICUs in Canada.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the association between the implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program at a local PICU and to determine the association between the presence of an antimicrobial stewardship programs and antimicrobial use across three Canadian PICUs, among critically ill children with bronchiolitis. DESIGN: A multicenter retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Three Canadian PICUs over two winter seasons. INTERVENTIONS: An antimicrobial stewardship program was implemented at PICU 1 at the end of season 1. PATIENTS: Patients less than or equal to 2 years old admitted with bronchiolitis. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We used regression models with an interaction term between site (PICU 1 and PICU 2) and season (1 and 2) as the primary analysis to determine the association between implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program at PICU 1 and 1) the proportion of antimicrobials discontinued 72 hours after hospital admission (logistic regression), 2) antimicrobial treatment duration (negative binomial regression), and 3) antimicrobial prescriptions within 48 hours of hospital admission (logistic regression). As a secondary analysis, we determined the association between having an antimicrobial stewardship program present and the aforementioned outcomes across the three PICUs. A total of 372 patients were included. During seasons 1 and 2, median age was 2.2 months (interquartile range, 1.2-6.2 mo) and 2.1 months (interquartile range, 1.3-6.8 mo), respectively. Among patients with viral bronchiolitis, implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program at PICU 1 was associated with increased odds of discontinuing antimicrobials (odds ratio, 25.63; 95% CI, 2.86-326.29), but not with antimicrobial duration (odds ratio, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.31-1.02) or antimicrobial prescriptions (odds ratio, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.10-1.04). The presence of an antimicrobial stewardship program was similarly associated with antimicrobial discontinuation among patients with viral bronchiolitis (odds ratio, 20.79; 95% CI, 2.46-244.92), but not with antimicrobial duration (odds ratio, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.32-1.03) or antimicrobial prescriptions (odds ratio, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.12-1.11). CONCLUSIONS: Antimicrobial stewardship programs were associated with increased likelihood of discontinuing antimicrobial treatments in the PICU patients with viral bronchiolitis. However, larger studies are needed to further determine the role of an antimicrobial stewardship programs in reducing unnecessary antimicrobial use in this patient population.

Complicated community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus pancarditis with cardiac pseudoaneurysm in a healthy child: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Infective endocarditis is more prevalent among children with congenital heart diseases as compared to healthy children. Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a causative pathogen of infective endocarditis, and it rarely causes pancarditis in healthy children. The clinical decision for surgical intervention of left-sided heart vegetation is challenging despite the availability of management guidelines. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We report a case of a previously healthy 12-year-old girl who presented with aggressive endocarditis secondary to community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection, with left-sided vegetation, mitral valve regurgitation, pancarditis, brain abscess, and stroke. She underwent an emergency vegetectomy and mitral valve repair. Three weeks after the first surgery, she developed left ventricular pseudoaneurysm that required life-saving surgical intervention. The child gradually recovered and was discharged home with acceptable cardiac function and mild neurological deficit. DISCUSSION: Pancarditis, especially with an aggressive progression resulting in intracardiac pseudoaneurysm, is rarely reported in healthy children. The definition of the optimal timing of surgical intervention in pediatric infective endocarditis management is lacking and the clinical decision-making process remains challenging. The development of left ventricular pseudoaneurysm is serious and also needs an immediate intervention, given the high risk of its rupture and subsequent devastating outcomes. CONCLUSION: Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is an etiology for aggressive infective pancarditis in a healthy child, leading to an intracardiac pseudoaneurysm. Emergency surgical interventions should be considered in children with left-sided vegetation to prevent devastating consequences.