Outcome Comparison in Children Undergoing Extracorporeal Life Support Initiated at a Local Hospital by a Mobile Cardiorespiratory Assistance Unit or at a Referral Center.

PURPOSE: To compare characteristics and outcome in children undergoing extracorporeal life support initiated in an extracorporeal life support center or at the patient's bedside in a local hospital, by means of a mobile cardiorespiratory assistance unit. METHODS: A retrospective study in a single PICU during 6 years. Extracorporeal life support was started either in our center (control group) or in the local hospital (mobile cardiorespiratory assistance unit group). The data collected were demographics, markers of patient's preextracorporeal life support condition, and outcome. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-six children underwent extracorporeal life support, 105 in the control group and 21 in the mobile cardiorespiratory assistance unit group. There was no difference between groups in terms of age, weight, or Pediatric Risk of Mortality II score. There was a significant difference in organ failure etiology between groups, with more respiratory cases in the mobile cardiorespiratory assistance unit group (76.2%) and more cardiac surgery cases in the control group (60%; p < 0.001). The duration of extracorporeal life support was longer in the mobile cardiorespiratory assistance unit group than in the control group (10 [1-36] vs 5 [0-33] d; p = 0.003). PICU length of stay and mortality (60% vs 47.6%; p = 0.294) were not significantly different between the two groups. To allow comparison of a more homogenous population, a subgroup analysis was performed including only respiratory failure patients from the two groups (R-control group [n = 22] and R-mobile cardiorespiratory assistance unit group [n = 16]). PICU length of stay was 17 (3-64) days in the R-control group and 23 (1-45) days in the R-mobile cardiorespiratory assistance unit group (p = 0.564), and PICU mortality rate was 54.5% in the R-control group and 43.8% in the R-mobile cardiorespiratory assistance unit group (p = 0.511). There was no difference between the R-groups for age, weight, Pediatric Risk of Mortality II score, and markers of kidney or liver dysfunction, and lactate blood levels. CONCLUSION: Extracorporeal life support can be safely initiated at children's bedside in the local hospital and then transported to the specialized referral center. Our results support the validity of an interregional organization of mobile cardiorespiratory assistance unit teams.

Congenital pouch colon: antenatal diagnosis and video-assisted management.

Congenital pouch colon (CPC) is an unusual abnormality associating a pouch-like dilatation of a shortened colon with an anorectal malformation (ARM). There are few reports of CPC in Europe, a contrario it represents up to 15% of ARM in India. Coloplasty and excision are described in the surgical management. This report describes a new case of CPC. This is the first reported case with a prenatal clinical presentation as an hypoechogenic abdominal image at ultrasound and a video-assisted management.

Laparoscopic total esophagogastric dissociation.

The total esophagogastric dissociation (Bianchi's procedure) is used to control the severe gastroesophageal reflux in patients after failure of the fundoplication techniques. The laparoscopic approach can be usefully performed in patients with impaired respiratory function. We report here 2 patients in whom the total esophagogastric dissociation has been entirely performed by laparoscopy. The laparoscopic examination of the proximal esojejunal anastomosis is made feasible using an intestinal clamp placed to avoid the esophageal retraction up into the posterior mediastinum. The principal complication after this surgery is the risk of internal hernia.

Congenital lung malformation: evaluation of prenatal and postnatal radiological findings.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the accuracy of prenatal MRI and postnatal CT imaging in the identification of congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation and bronchopulmonary sequestration by comparison with histological analysis. METHODS: Over a 3-year period, 15 patients with lung malformations diagnosed prenatally by ultrasound were referred for prenatal MRI, and all were investigated postnatally by chest CT. All asymptomatic newborns with unresolved lesions underwent elective surgery by thoracoscopy. All surgical specimens were analysed histologically. RESULTS: Among the 15 patients with an abnormality diagnosed by ultrasound, prenatal MRI findings differed from the final histological diagnosis with respect to extent (n = 3), type of lesion (n = 1) and aberrant vessel identification (n = 4). Postnatal chest CT failed to visualize the aberrant vessel in one patient. Complete regression of the lesion was noted in two patients with bronchopulmonary sequestration, and in one patient with congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation and was confirmed by CT. Elective thoracoscopic lobectomy of the affected lobe was performed for 12 patients. Two conversions to thoracotomy were required. All operated patients had an uneventful hospital course. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal MRI is less accurate than postnatal CT scan, which remains the most reliable diagnostic modality to specify the location and extent and kind of lesions.

Postoperative extracorporeal life support in pediatric cardiac surgery: recent results.

We retrospectively reviewed the files of 19 extracorporeal life support (ECLS) applications performed after cardiac surgery in 15 patients from January 2002 to December 2004. We placed 16 arteriovenous ECLS applications with oxygenator, 2 venovenous ECLS applications with oxygenator, and 1 biventricular ECLS application without oxygenator (graft dysfunction after heart transplant). Mean age was 4.9 +/- 7 years (median 5.9 months, range 11 days to 21 years). All patients underwent surgery for congenital heart disease, except for one patient who had a heart transplant. Indications were hemodynamic failure in 12 cases, respiratory failure in 5 cases, and mixed failure in 2 cases. Four patients were undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation during ECLS placement (no deaths). Mean delay between surgery and ECLS placement was 3.2 +/- 3.4 days (median 2 days). Mean ECLS duration was 3.4 +/- 5.8 days (mean 6 days, range 3-16 days). Three patients had further surgery for residual lesions. Thirteen patients (86.7%) survived to ECLS weaning; 12 patients survived to hospital discharge (80%). No survivor presented obvious neurologic damage. Specific morbidity included reentry for bleeding, multiple transfusions, and mediastinitis. These results support early placement of ECLS in children whenever a severe postoperative hemodynamic or respiratory failure, refractory to medical treatment, is present.