[SURVIVAL OF PEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH NON-MALIGNANT DISEASES REQUIRING HOSPITALIZATION IN THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT FOLLOWING HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION AND RISK FACTORS FOR MORTALITY].

INTRODUCTION: Although Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) is the only curative option for children with certain non-malignant disorders, a proportion of these children are admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) due to treatment related life-threatening complications. AIMS: To analyze risk factors for ICU hospitalizations, morbidity and mortality in children with genetic diseases who have undergone HSCT and were admitted to intensive care units. METHODS: This retrospective study is based on the collection and analysis of clinical and laboratory data from the medical records of patients from the departments of Bone Marrow Transplantations and Intensive Care, from 2 hospitals, Hadassah and Rambam Medical Centers. RESULTS: Over the course of 15 years (2005-2019), 463 HSCT were performed for pediatric patients with non-malignant diseases, 68 of them (15%) required hospitalization in Intensive Care Units (ICU), 41% of the patients survived. The PICU mortality rate has decreased over the last years. Factors found to have a significant negative impact on PICU survival were severe neutropenia at admission to ICU, mechanical ventilation, inotropic support, and Multi Organ Failure (MOF). CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed low incidence of ICU admissions and relatively high survival rate for pediatric patients with non-malignant disorders post HSCT, comparing with literature data.

Survival of pediatric patients requiring admission in the intensive care unit post hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: Prognostic factors associated with mortality.

BACKGROUND: Although hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only curative option for some children with malignant and nonmalignant disorders, the procedure itself carries a high risk of complications. A proportion of children undergoing HSCT develop severe transplant-related complications requiring hospitalization in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study included 793 children with malignant and nonmalignant diseases that underwent 963 HSCTs in two large pediatric hospitals over 15 years. Ninety-one patients needed 105 (11%) PICU admissions. The objective of the study was to analyze the risk factors associated with morbidity and mortality in children post HSCT who were admitted to the PICU. RESULTS: Survival rate of a single PICU hospitalization was 43%. Long-term survival rate (classified as 1 year and 3 years) was 29.1% and 14.9% among PICU hospitalized patients compared with 74.6% and 53.3% among patients who had undergone HSCT and did not require PICU hospitalization. Factors found to have a significant negative association with PICU survival were respiratory failure as indication for PICU admission, neutropenia, graft-versus-host disease, mechanical ventilation, inotropic support, need for dialysis, and multiple-organ failure (MOF) with more than one systemic intensive intervention. The strongest prognostic factors associated with mortality were MOF (p < .001) and the need for inotropic support (p = .004). CONCLUSIONS: Neutropenia was found to be negatively associated with survival, suggesting non-engraftment and late engraftment are important risk factors for HSCT patients hospitalized in PICU. MOF and inotropic support were found to be the main negatively associated predictive factors with survival.

Purulent pericarditis in children: is pericardiotomy needed?

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe our experience with pediatric bacterial pericarditis and review the optimal therapy for this entity. METHODS: This is a retrospective study in a pediatric intensive care unit in a university hospital. Three children were diagnosed with purulent pericarditis. They were all treated with antibiotics, echocardiography-guided pericardial fluid drainage, and placement of a pericardial catheter, with no need for thoracotomy or pericardial window. RESULTS: All 3 children fully recovered, and none developed constrictive pericarditis. CONCLUSIONS: Children with purulent pericarditis usually can be treated with antibiotics and drainage of pericardial effusion, with no need for thoracotomy or pericardial window.

Respiratory failure in a neonate after folk treatment with broom bush (Retama raetam) extract.

OBJECTIVES: To increase the awareness of intoxication by folk herbal remedies in the pediatric population. METHODS: Case report of a 7-day-old baby boy admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit in a university-affiliated hospital. RESULTS: The patient presented with respiratory failure and central nervous system depression. Specific questioning of the parents revealed consumption of folk herbal remedy by the neonate. Mechanical ventilation was used for 24 hours until normal activity level resumed. CONCLUSIONS: The possibility of intoxication in a neonate should not be overlooked. Folk herbal remedies, especially if taken in larger than recommended amounts, may be hazardous. Accessible herbal and folk medicine data bank will contribute to a better treatment of patients having side effects of these remedies.

Cytomegalovirus myocarditis in a healthy infant: Complete recovery after ganciclovir treatment.

OBJECTIVES: To report a case of acute myocarditis caused by cytomegalovirus infection in a 15-month-old immunocompetent infant completely recovered with ganciclovir treatment. DESIGN: Descriptive case report. SETTING: Pediatric intensive care unit in a general hospital. Patient: A 15-month-old healthy girl with acute, severe myocarditis. INTERVENTION: General supportive intensive care and mechanical ventilatory support, iv immunoglobulin, and iv ganciclovir. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Intensive supportive care including iv fluids, mechanical ventilatory support, diuretics (furosemide, spironolactone), digoxin, dobutamine, captopril, methylprednisolone, and iv immunoglobulin. Despite clinical stabilization, shortening fraction remained very poor at 17%. Addition of iv ganciclovir resulted in prompt and complete recovery of the cardiac muscle contractility with a shortening fraction of 35% that remained normal during a long follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Cytomegalovirus should be considered as a causative agent in acute myocarditis even in the normal, immunocompetent host. In such cases, addition of ganciclovir treatment should be strongly considered.

Predictive factors of morbidity in childhood parapneumonic effusion-associated pneumonia: a retrospective study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To find the clinical and laboratory criteria that best predict a prolonged fever in children with parapneumonic effusion-associated pneumonia treated conservatively. DESIGN: Retrospective, cohort study. PATIENTS: Children admitted to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center between January 1, 1997, and December 31, 2006, and who had been discharged with a diagnosis of empyema and pleurisy. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: One hundred-twenty children were included, all of whom were treated with antibiotics; in 80 patients, a thoracic drain was introduced; in 23, pleural tap was performed; and in 17 patients, no special procedure was performed. In no case was video-assisted thoracic surgery performed. The mean total days of fever was 12.8 +/- 5.9 (2-29 days), and the mean length of stay at the hospital was 11.5 +/- 4.9 (3-25) days. In 44 patients (37%), a bacterial culture was positive either in blood or in pleural fluid or both. A positive blood or a positive pleural fluid culture was significantly associated with a prolonged fever as was a history of an underlying disease. Platelet counts, serum Na, serum protein, pleural lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), pleural glucose, pleural/serum LDH ratio, pleural/serum glucose ratio, and pleural fluid pH were the only factors significantly but weakly correlated with the total duration of fever or duration of fever after admission. A "fever duration" score using platelet count, pleural fluid pH, pleural/serum LDH ratio, and pleural/serum glucose ratio predicted a prolonged course of fever (>7 days) with a sensitivity of 91% (95% confidence interval: 60%-100%) and a specificity of 47% (95% confidence interval: 25%-71%). CONCLUSIONS: In children with parapneumonic effusion-associated pneumonia, a positive bacterial culture and an underlying disease are associated with prolonged fever. A low score based on platelet count, pH pleural fluid and glucose, and LDH pleural/serum ratio is associated with a prolonged fever. We speculate that children with the risk factors mentioned earlier may be the best candidates for an early aggressive approach.

Pediatric cinnarizine overdose and toxicokinetics.

Cinnarizine, a piperazine derivative, is a widely prescribed medication for the treatment of vestibular disorders and motion sickness. Cinnarizine has antihistaminic, antiserotoninergic, antidopaminergic, and calcium channel-blocking properties. We present the first report in the English literature of cinnarizine poisoning and toxicokinetics. A 30-month-old toddler ingested 225 mg of cinnarizine, 18 times the recommended dose for older children. Four hours later, she became jittery with a wide-based gait and vomited 3 times. She was examined by her family physician, who reported stupor and twitching in both hands. On admission to the hospital, 6 hours after the ingestion, she was stuporous and had 3 short, generalized tonic-clonic convulsions that were controlled with a single dose of midazolam. Full clinical recovery was seen 10 hours after ingestion. Serum cinnarizine levels were 7407, 2629, and 711 ng/mL on admission and at 4 and 12 hours thereafter, respectively, 26.9 times higher than the therapeutic levels in adults. Elimination rate constant, calculated by linear regression of the ln concentrations of the 3 data points, was 0.19. Half-life, calculated from the equation t(1/2) = 0.693/kel, where kel is the elimination rate constant, was 3.65 hours. The manufacturing company revealed that their database contains 23 reports of cinnarizine overdose (adult and children), received between 1972 and 2004. Clinically, these cases reflect mainly symptoms of alterations in consciousness ranging from somnolence to stupor and coma, vomiting, extrapyramidal symptoms, and hypotonia. In a small number of young children, convulsions developed; recovery was uneventful in 4 cases and not reported in 1. The neurologic complication may be explained by the antihistaminic effect of cinnarizine because central nervous system depression and convulsions are known complications of antihistaminic overdose. It is hypothesized that cinnarizine-induced convulsions also are related to the antidopaminergic effect of the drug. Apart from the convulsions, no other adverse effects related to calcium channel-blocking properties, such as bradycardia or hemodynamic instability, were observed. Pediatric patients with cinnarizine overdose need to be observed in a health care facility for potential neurologic complications and be treated symptomatically. The delay to onset of clinical effect should be considered in the observation period.

Respiratory failure and hypercoagulability in a toddler with Lemierre's syndrome.

A 3.5-year-old healthy boy with 4 days of fever was referred to the emergency department for respiratory distress. The physical examination was remarkable for stupor, tachycardia, tachypnea, and dyspnea. Initial blood tests showed pancytopenia. He rapidly developed torticollis. Computerized tomography of the neck revealed a thrombus in the internal jugular vein. A presumptive diagnosis of Lemierre's syndrome was made and he was started on antibiotics and anticoagulation. He subsequently developed adult respiratory distress syndrome and required high frequency oscillatory ventilation for 9 days. Blood cultures were positive for Fusobacterium necrophorum. Screening for hypercoagulability revealed 2 known risk factors: a mutation in the prothrombin gene and elevated lipoprotein a.