Effect of post-ICU follow-up by a rapid response team after congenital heart surgery.

Patients with congenital heart disease who have a variety of cardiac/extracardiac problems are at high risk for deterioration. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of post-intensive care unit (ICU) follow-up by a rapid response team (RRT) after congenital heart surgery. This before-and-after study was conducted at an urban regional tertiary hospital. We enrolled 572 consecutive patients who underwent congenital heart surgery and were transferred alive from the paediatric ICU (PICU) between April 2015 and March 2020. Post-ICU follow-up for 48 h was started in April 2018. The primary and secondary endpoints were unplanned ICU readmission and clinical outcomes at ICU readmission, respectively. Overall, 346 and 226 patients were analysed pre- and post-intervention, respectively. Patient demographics were similar between groups, but in the post-intervention group, patients tended to have had more complicated surgery. Unplanned ICU readmission rates within 30 days were similar between groups. Regarding the demographics and outcomes at ICU readmission, patients in the post-intervention group had lower predicted mortality rates (1.7% vs 5.3%, P = 0.001), required less ventilator days (median, 0.5 days [interquartile range (IQR) 0-1] vs median, 3 days [IQR 0.5-4], P = 0.02), and had a shorter ICU stay (median, 3 days [IQR 2-4] vs median, 6 days [IQR 3-9], P = 0.03), but there was no significant between-group difference in ICU mortality. Post-ICU follow-up by a RRT after congenital heart surgery did not decrease unplanned ICU readmission but improved several outcomes at ICU readmission.

Association Between Post-procedure Intracardiac Pressures and the Use of Temporary Epicardial Pacing Wires After Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.

The indications for using temporary epicardial pacing wires after pediatric cardiac surgery remain unclear. Post-procedure intracardiac pressure is valuable for detecting circulatory disturbances and residual lesions. This study aimed to examine the association between post-procedure intracardiac pressures and the use of temporary epicardial pacing wires. We performed a retrospective, case-control study at the pediatric intensive care unit of an urban regional tertiary hospital that included patients who had undergone congenital heart surgery between January 2015 and December 2016. We measured post-procedure intracardiac pressures, and data regarding baseline characteristics, procedures performed, and intraoperative variables were collected as covariates. Of the 186 included patients, 34 (18.3%) were treated using temporary epicardial pacing wires. The optimal cutoff values used to predict the use of pacing wires for central venous pressure, left atrial pressure, pulmonary arterial pressure/systemic blood pressure ratio, and right ventricular pressure/left ventricular pressure ratio were 11 mmHg (55.6% sensitivity, 86.2% specificity), 13 mmHg (50% sensitivity, 84.6% specificity), 0.39 (69.6% sensitivity, 78.7% specificity), and 0.51 (74.1% sensitivity, 64.2% specificity), respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that the use of temporary epicardial pacing wires was significantly associated with left atrial pressure ≥ 11 mmHg (odds ratio 4.4; 95% confidence interval 1.01-18.9), and a pulmonary arterial pressure/systemic blood pressure ratio ≥ 0.39 (odds ratio 6.3; 95% confidence interval 1.3-31.4). High post-procedure intracardiac pressures were associated with the use of temporary epicardial pacing wires. These data can aid in the decision-making for the proper use of temporary epicardial pacing wires.

[Female case of successful engraftment after PBSCT from her HLA-haploidentical son for severe aplastic anemia during maintenance peritoneal dialysis].

A 51-year-old woman developed very severe aplastic anemia complicated by chronic renal failure. She underwent ATG therapy, resulting in a transient effect. Thereafter, renal insufficiency progressed, followed by the induction of CAPD therapy. Although rabbit ATG (rATG) was administered as the next immunotherapy for aplastic anemia, pancytopenia persisted and she experienced repeated episodes of severe infection including MRSA and fungal infections. She was transplanted with peripheral blood stem cells from her HLA-haploidentical son after a reduced-intensity conditioning regimen that included cyclophosphamide (three days of 30 mg/kg), fludarabine (two days of 20 mg/m(2)) and rATG (three days of 2.5 mg/kg). FK506 (0.03 mg/kg/24H) was administered for the prophylaxis of GVHD. Prompt trilineage engraftment occurred, resulting in the improvement of infections. Three months after grafting, she succumbed to cerebrovascular disease, although there was no apparent GVHD and she had remained well with stable hematopoiesis.