Optimizing Recognition and Management of Patients at Risk for Infection-Related Decompensation Through Team-Based Decision Making.

INTRODUCTION: Pediatric sepsis is a leading cause of death among children. Electronic alert systems may improve early recognition but do not consistently result in timely interventions given the multitude of clinical presentations, lack of treatment consensus, standardized order sets, and inadequate interdisciplinary team-based communication. We conducted a quality improvement project to improve timely critical treatment of patients at risk for infection-related decompensation (IRD) through team-based communication and standardized treatment workflow. METHODS: We evaluated children at risk for IRD as evidenced by the activation of an electronic alert system (Children at High Risk Alert Tool [CAHR-AT]) in the emergency department. Outcomes were assessed after multiple improvements including CAHR-AT implementation, clinical coassessment, visual cues for situational awareness, huddles, and standardized order sets. RESULTS: With visual cue activation, initial huddle compliance increased from 7.8% to 65.3% ( p < .001). Children receiving antibiotics by 3 hours postactivation increased from 37.9% pre-CAHR-AT to 50.7% posthuddle implementation ( p < .0001); patients who received a fluid bolus by 3 hours post-CAHR activation increased from 49.0% to 55.2% ( p = .001). CONCLUSIONS: Implementing a well-validated electronic alert tool did not improve quality measures of timely treatment for high-risk patients until combined with team-based communication, standardized reassessment, and treatment workflow.

Chest compression by two-thumb encircling method generates higher carotid artery blood flow in swine infant model of cardiac arrest.

OBJECTIVE: Two-Thumb(TT) technique provides superior quality chest compressions compared with Two-Finger(TF) in an instrumented infant manikin. Whether this translates to differences in blood flow, such as carotid arterial blood flow(CABF), has not been evaluated. We hypothesized that TT-CPR generates higher CABF and Coronary Perfusion Pressure(CPP) compared with TF-CPR in a neonatal swine cardiac arrest model. METHODS: Twelve anesthetized & ventilated piglets were randomized after 3 min of untreated VF to receive either TT-CPR or TF-CPR by PALS certified rescuers delivering a compression rate of 100/min. The primary outcome, CABF, was measured using an ultrasound transonic flow probe placed on the left carotid artery. CPP was calculated and end-tidal CO2(ETCO2) was measured during CPR. Data(mean ± SD) were analyzed and p-value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Carotid artery blood flow (% of baseline) was higher in TT-CPR (66.2 ± 35.4%) than in the TF-CPR (27.5 ± 10.6%) group, p = 0.013. Mean CPP (mm Hg) during three minutes of chest compression for TT-CPR was 12.5 ± 15.8 vs. 6.5 ± 6.7 in TF-CPR, p = 0.41 and ETCO2 (mm Hg) was 29.0 ± 7.4 in TT-CPR vs. 20.7 ± 5.8 in TF-CPR group, p = 0.055. CONCLUSION: TT-CPR achieved more than twice the CABF compared with TF-CPR in a piglet cardiac arrest model. Although CPP and ETCO2 were higher during TT-CPR, these parameters did not reach statistical significance. This study provides direct evidence of increased blood flow in infant swine using TT-CPR and further supports that TT chest compression is the preferred method for CPR in infants.

Identifying children at high risk for infection-related decompensation using a predictive emergency department-based electronic assessment tool.

OBJECTIVES: Electronic alert systems to identify potential sepsis in children presenting to the emergency department (ED) often either alert too frequently or fail to detect earlier stages of decompensation where timely treatment might prevent serious outcomes. METHODS: We created a predictive tool that continuously monitors our hospital's electronic health record during ED visits. The tool incorporates new standards for normal/abnormal vital signs based on data from ∼1.2 million children at 169 hospitals. Eighty-two gold standard (GS) sepsis cases arising within 48 h were identified through retrospective chart review of cases sampled from 35,586 ED visits during 2012 and 2014-2015. An additional 1,027 cases with high severity of illness (SOI) based on 3 M's All Patient Refined - Diagnosis-Related Groups (APR-DRG) were identified from these and 26,026 additional visits during 2017. An iterative process assigned weights to main factors and interactions significantly associated with GS cases, creating an overall "score" that maximized the sensitivity for GS cases and positive predictive value for high SOI outcomes. RESULTS: Tool implementation began August 2017; subsequent improvements resulted in 77% sensitivity for identifying GS sepsis within 48 h, 22.5% positive predictive value for major/extreme SOI outcomes, and 2% overall firing rate of ED patients. The incidence of high-severity outcomes increased rapidly with tool score. Admitted alert positive patients were hospitalized nearly twice as long as alert negative patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our ED-based electronic tool combines high sensitivity in predicting GS sepsis, high predictive value for physiologic decompensation, and a low firing rate. The tool can help optimize critical treatments for these high-risk children.

Pediatric Life Support 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations.

This 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations (CoSTR) for pediatric life support is based on the most extensive evidence evaluation ever performed by the Pediatric Life Support Task Force. Three types of evidence evaluation were used in this review: systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and evidence updates. Per agreement with the evidence evaluation recommendations of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation, only systematic reviews could result in a new or revised treatment recommendation.Systematic reviews performed for this 2020 CoSTR for pediatric life support included the topics of sequencing of airway-breaths-compressions versus compressions-airway-breaths in the delivery of pediatric basic life support, the initial timing and dose intervals for epinephrine administration during resuscitation, and the targets for oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in pediatric patients after return of spontaneous circulation. The most controversial topics included the initial timing and dose intervals of epinephrine administration (new treatment recommendations were made) and the administration of fluid for infants and children with septic shock (this latter topic was evaluated by evidence update). All evidence reviews identified the paucity of pediatric data and the need for more research involving resuscitation of infants and children.

Pediatric Life Support: 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations.

This 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations (CoSTR) for pediatric life support is based on the most extensive evidence evaluation ever performed by the Pediatric Life Support Task Force. Three types of evidence evaluation were used in this review: systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and evidence updates. Per agreement with the evidence evaluation recommendations of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation, only systematic reviews could result in a new or revised treatment recommendation. Systematic reviews performed for this 2020 CoSTR for pediatric life support included the topics of sequencing of airway-breaths-compressions versus compressions-airway-breaths in the delivery of pediatric basic life support, the initial timing and dose intervals for epinephrine administration during resuscitation, and the targets for oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in pediatric patients after return of spontaneous circulation. The most controversial topics included the initial timing and dose intervals of epinephrine administration (new treatment recommendations were made) and the administration of fluid for infants and children with septic shock (this latter topic was evaluated by evidence update). All evidence reviews identified the paucity of pediatric data and the need for more research involving resuscitation of infants and children.

Pediatric Life Support: 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations.

This 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations (CoSTR) for pediatric life support is based on the most extensive evidence evaluation ever performed by the Pediatric Life Support Task Force. Three types of evidence evaluation were used in this review: systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and evidence updates. Per agreement with the evidence evaluation recommendations of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation, only systematic reviews could result in a new or revised treatment recommendation. Systematic reviews performed for this 2020 CoSTR for pediatric life support included the topics of sequencing of airway-breaths-compressions versus compressions-airway-breaths in the delivery of pediatric basic life support, the initial timing and dose intervals for epinephrine administration during resuscitation, and the targets for oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in pediatric patients after return of spontaneous circulation. The most controversial topics included the initial timing and dose intervals of epinephrine administration (new treatment recommendations were made) and the administration of fluid for infants and children with septic shock (this latter topic was evaluated by evidence update). All evidence reviews identified the paucity of pediatric data and the need for more research involving resuscitation of infants and children.

Pediatric Vital Sign Distribution Derived From a Multi-Centered Emergency Department Database.

BACKGROUND: We hypothesized that current vital sign thresholds used in pediatric emergency department (ED) screening tools do not reflect observed vital signs in this population. We analyzed a large multi-centered database to develop heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate centile rankings and z-scores that could be incorporated into electronic health record ED screening tools and we compared our derived centiles to previously published centiles and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) vital sign thresholds. METHODS: Initial HR and respiratory rate data entered into the Cerner™ electronic health record at 169 participating hospitals' ED over 5 years (2009 through 2013) as part of routine care were analyzed. Analysis was restricted to non-admitted children (0 to <18 years). Centile curves and z-scores were developed using generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape. A split-sample validation using two-thirds of the sample was compared with the remaining one-third. Centile values were compared with results from previous studies and guidelines. RESULTS: HR and RR centiles and z-scores were determined from ~1.2 million records. Empirical 95th centiles for HR and respiratory rate were higher than previously published results and both deviated from PALS guideline recommendations. CONCLUSION: Heart and respiratory rate centiles derived from a large real-world non-hospitalized ED pediatric population can inform the modification of electronic and paper-based screening tools to stratify children by the degree of deviation from normal for age rather than dichotomizing children into groups having "normal" versus "abnormal" vital signs. Furthermore, these centiles also may be useful in paper-based screening tools and bedside alarm limits for children in areas other than the ED and may establish improved alarm limits for bedside monitors.

Ventricular Fibrillation-Induced Cardiac Arrest Results in Regional Cardiac Injury Preferentially in Left Anterior Descending Coronary Artery Territory in Piglet Model.

Objective. Decreased cardiac function after resuscitation from cardiac arrest (CA) results from global ischemia of the myocardium. In the evolution of postarrest myocardial dysfunction, preferential involvement of any coronary arterial territory is not known. We hypothesized that there is no preferential involvement of any coronary artery during electrical induced ventricular fibrillation (VF) in piglet model. Design. Prospective, randomized controlled study. Methods. 12 piglets were randomized to baseline and electrical induced VF. After 5 min, the animals were resuscitated according to AHA PALS guidelines. After return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), animals were observed for an additional 4 hours prior to cardiac MRI. Data (mean ± SD) was analyzed using unpaired t-test; p value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. Segmental wall motion (mm; baseline versus postarrest group) in segment 7 (left anterior descending (LAD)) was 4.68 ± 0.54 versus 3.31 ± 0.64, p = 0.0026. In segment 13, it was 3.82 ± 0.96 versus 2.58 ± 0.82, p = 0.02. In segment 14, it was 2.42 ± 0.44 versus 1.29 ± 0.99, p = 0.028. Conclusion. Postarrest myocardial dysfunction resulted in segmental wall motion defects in the LAD territory. There were no perfusion defects in the involved segments.

Association of Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome with Clinical Outcomes of Pediatric Patients with Pneumonia.

OBJECTIVES: Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) may complicate pneumonia. When present, it suggests that the patient's pneumonia is more severe. As such, recognition of SIRS among patients with pneumonia may be helpful in identifying those requiring more careful evaluation. Our objective was to examine the relation between the presence of SIRS and adverse clinical outcomes among children with pneumonia seen in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on children diagnosed as having community-acquired pneumonia who presented to a children's hospital ED during a 3-month period. SIRS was determined by using a modification of the International Consensus Conference on Pediatric Sepsis criteria. Specifically, the SIRS criteria require an abnormal temperature-corrected heart rate or respiratory rate and either an abnormal temperature or white blood cell count. The threshold for abnormal vital signs and white blood cell counts used to determine SIRS was adjusted based on the patient's age. Morbidity endpoints included progression to inpatient or observation status or subsequent return to the ED for pneumonia, need for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, and total hospital length of stay as measured from ED triage assessment to final discharge from the hospital (ED, observation, or inpatient), and the need for mechanical ventilation. RESULTS: A total of 276 children were included in the analysis. Pneumonia patients with SIRS (n = 38) had a greater rate of hospital admission or ED return compared with SIRS-negative patients (n = 238; 79% vs 34.5%, respectively; P < 0.0001). Children with SIRS-positive pneumonia were at greater risk of requiring video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (18.4% vs 0.8%; P < 0.0001). In addition, pneumonia patients with SIRS had a significantly longer median length of stay compared with pneumonia patients without SIRS (2.7 vs 0.19 days, P < 0.0001) and also had a significantly higher risk of mechanical ventilation (10.5% vs 0.8%). CONCLUSIONS: SIRS in children with community-acquired pneumonia is associated with a significantly higher likelihood of experiencing a more adverse outcome. Based on these observations, a sepsis screening tool in the ED that identifies SIRS in children with pneumonia has the potential to identify those children needing more intense monitoring and treatment.

Sodium bicarbonate use during in-hospital pediatric pulseless cardiac arrest - a report from the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines(®)-Resuscitation.

BACKGROUND: Despite limited recommendations for using sodium bicarbonate (SB) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), we hypothesized that SB continues to be used frequently during pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) and that its use varies by hospital-specific, patient-specific, and event-specific characteristics. METHODS: We analyzed 3719 pediatric (<18 years) index pulseless CPR events from the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation database from 1/2000 to 9/2010. RESULTS: SB was used in 2536 (68%) of 3719 CPR events. Incidence of SB use between 2000 and 2005 vs. 2006 and 2010 was 71.1% vs. 66.2% (P=0.002). The primary outcome was survival to discharge. Secondary outcomes included 24-h survival and neurologic outcome. Multivariable logistic regression analyzed the association between SB use and outcomes. SB had increased use an ICU location, metabolic/electrolyte disturbance, prolonged CPR, pVT/VF, and concurrently with other pharmacologic interventions. Adjusting for confounding factors, SB use was associated with decreased 24-h survival (aOR 0.83, 95% CI: 0.69, 0.99) and decreased survival to discharge (aOR 0.80; 95% CI: 0.65, 0.97). Inclusion of metabolic/electrolyte abnormalities, hyperkalemia, and toxicologic abnormalities only (n=674), SB use was not associated with worse outcomes or unfavorable neurologic outcome. CONCLUSIONS: SB is used frequently during pediatric pulseless IHCA, yet there is a significant trend toward less routine use over the last decade. Because SB is more likely to be used in an ICU, with prolonged CPR, and concurrently with other pharmacologic interventions; its use during CPR may be associated with poor prognosis due to an association with "last ditch" efforts of resuscitation rather than causation.

Designing a pediatric severe sepsis screening tool.

We sought to create a screening tool with improved predictive value for pediatric severe sepsis (SS) and septic shock that can be incorporated into the electronic medical record and actively screen all patients arriving at a pediatric emergency department (ED). "Gold standard" SS cases were identified using a combination of coded discharge diagnosis and physician chart review from 7,402 children who visited a pediatric ED over 2 months. The tool's identification of SS was initially based on International Consensus Conference on Pediatric Sepsis (ICCPS) parameters that were refined by an iterative, virtual process that allowed us to propose successive changes in sepsis detection parameters in order to optimize the tool's predictive value based on receiver operating characteristics (ROC). Age-specific normal and abnormal values for heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) were empirically derived from 143,603 children seen in a second pediatric ED over 3 years. Univariate analyses were performed for each measure in the tool to assess its association with SS and to characterize it as an "early" or "late" indicator of SS. A split-sample was used to validate the final, optimized tool. The final tool incorporated age-specific thresholds for abnormal HR and RR and employed a linear temperature correction for each category. The final tool's positive predictive value was 48.7%, a significant, nearly threefold improvement over the original ICCPS tool. False positive systemic inflammatory response syndrome identifications were nearly sixfold lower.

Use of impedance threshold device in conjunction with our novel adhesive glove device for ACD-CPR does not result in additional chest decompression.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the hemodynamic effects of using an adhesive glove device (AGD) to perform active compression-decompression CPR (AGD-CPR) in conjunction with an impedance threshold device (ITD) in a pediatric cardiac arrest model. DESIGN: Controlled, randomized animal study. METHODS: In this study, 18 piglets were anesthetized, ventilated, and continuously monitored. After 3min of untreated ventricular fibrillation, animals were randomized (6/group) to receive either standard CPR (S-CPR), active compression-decompression CPR via adhesive glove device (AGD-CPR) or AGD-CPR along with an ITD (AGD-CPR+ITD) for 2min at 100-120compressions/min. AGD is delivered using a fingerless leather glove with a Velcro patch on the palmer aspect and the counter Velcro patch adhered to the pig's chest. Data (mean±SD) were analyzed using one-way ANOVA with pair wise multiple comparisons to assess differences between groups. p-Value≤0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Both AGD-CPR and AGD-CPR+ITD groups produced lower intrathoracic pressure (IttP, mmHg) during decompression phase (-13.4±6.7, p=0.01 and -11.9±6.5, p=0.01, respectively) in comparison to S-CPR (-0.3±4.2). Carotid blood flow (CBF, % of baseline mL/min) was higher in AGD-CPR and AGD-CPR+ITD (respectively 64.3±47.3%, p=0.03 and 67.5±33.1%, p=0.04) as compared with S-CPR (29.1±12.5%). Coronary perfusion pressure (CPP, mmHg) was higher in AGD-CPR and AGD-CPR+ITD (respectively 19.7±4.6, p=0.04 and 25.6±12.1, p=0.02) when compared to S-CPR (9.6±9.1). There was no statistically significant difference between AGD-CPR and AGD-CPR+ITD groups with reference to intra-thoracic pressure, carotid blood flow and coronary perfusion pressure. CONCLUSION: Active compression decompression delivered by this simple and inexpensive adhesive glove device resulted in improved cerebral blood flow and coronary perfusion pressure. There was no statistically significant added effect of ITD use along with AGD-CPR on the decompression of the chest.

Novel adhesive glove device (AGD) for active compression-decompression (ACD) CPR results in improved carotid blood flow and coronary perfusion pressure in piglet model of cardiac arrest.

OBJECTIVE: ACD-CPR improves coronary and cerebral perfusion. We developed an adhesive glove device (AGD) and hypothesized that ACD-CPR using an AGD provides better chest decompression resulting in improved carotid blood flow as compared to standard (S)-CPR. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized and controlled animal study. METHODS: Sixteen anesthetized and ventilated piglets were randomized after 3 min of untreated VF to receive either S-CPR or AGD-ACD-CPR by a PALS certified single rescuer with compressions of 100 min(-1) and C:V ratio of 30:2. AGD consisted of a modified leather glove exposing the fingers and thumb. A wide Velcro patch was sewn to the palmer aspect of the glove and the counter Velcro patch was adhered to the pig's chest wall. Carotid blood flow was measured using ultrasound. Data (mean±SD) was analyzed using one way ANOVA and unpaired t-test; p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Right atrial pressure (mmHg) during the decompression phase was lower during AGD-ACD-CPR (-3.32±2.0) when compared to S-CPR (0.86±1.8, p=0.0007). Mean carotid blood flow was 53.2±27.1 (% of baseline blood flow in ml/min) in AGD vs. 19.1±12.5% in S-CPR, p=0.006. Coronary perfusion pressure (CPP, mmHg) was 29.9±5.8 in AGD vs. 22.7±6.9 in S-CPR, p=0.04. There was no significant difference in time to ROSC and number of epinephrine doses. CONCLUSION: Active chest decompression during CPR using this simple and inexpensive adhesive glove device resulted in significantly better carotid blood flow during the first 2 min of CPR.

Plasma concentration of N-terminal pro-atrial and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptides and fluid balance in children with bronchiolitis.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the plasma levels of N-Terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (N-BNP), N-Terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (N-ANP) and antidiuretic hormone (ADH) over time and their relationship to clinical indicators in hospitalized children with bronchiolitis. Prospective crossover clinical investigation. Hospitalized children in a university-affiliated hospital. Twenty-seven children (birth to 24 mo) with first episode of bronchiolitis and 34 age-matched healthy controls. Daily blood samples up to five consecutive days were obtained for N-BNP, N-ANP and ADH in the bronchiolitis group and on the initial blood draw in the control group. Daily total fluid intake, net fluid balance and clinical bronchiolitis severity levels were recorded. N-BNP and N-ANP levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. ADH levels were measured by a double antibody technique. The mean age (months ± SD) in the bronchiolitis group was 4.2 ± 5.9 mo and 12.0 ± 6.1 mo in the control group; 51.9% of bronchiolitis patients were positive for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). In patients with bronchiolitis on admission, plasma N-BNP measurements (mean ± SD) were elevated (996.0 ± 570.2 fmol/mL) compared to controls (552.7 ± 264.7 fmol/mL P < 0.005). Serum N-ANP levels were also initially elevated (3,889 ± 1,769.7 fmol/mL) compared to controls (2,173 ± 912 fmol/mL P < 0.005). The serum levels of N-BNP and N-ANP remained significantly elevated from day 2 through day 5. Similarly, ADH levels were significantly higher on admission in the bronchiolitis group (10 ± 7.49 pg/mL) vs. the control group (5.8 ± 5.5 pg/mL P < 0.05), but quickly decreased from day 2 through day 5. N-BNP, N-ANP and ADH concentrations were elevated in hospitalized children with bronchiolitis at admission. Based on our observation, judicious fluid management is indicated in children hospitalized with bronchiolitis.