Premature newborns with intraventricular hemorrhage do not have vasospasm pattern by cranial Doppler ultrasound: A pilot study.

Preterm neonates are at risk for neurodevelopmental impairment, especially those with intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). Cerebral vasospasm (VSP) is a common complication after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in adult population, but it is unknown if preterm neonates with IVH may develop it. We prospectively enrolled premature newborns < 32 weeks with IVH and without IVH. All patients received serial transcranial sonography through the temporal window of the middle cerebral artery, anterior cerebral artery, posterior cerebral artery, and the internal carotid artery with transcranial Doppler sonography days 2, 4, and 10 of life. Cerebral blood velocities (CBFVs) were measured including median velocity flow (MV), peak systolic velocity (PSV), and maximum end-diastolic velocity (EDV). Resistance index and pulsatility index were calculated. VSP was defined as an increase of 50% in the baseline velocity per day and/or a Lindegaard ratio higher than 3. Fifty subjects were enrolled. None of the patients with IVH showed elevation of MV or a Lindegaard ratio > 3. There were no differences between IVH and without IVH groups regarding resistance index and pulsatility index.    Conclusion: Preterm infants with IVH do not present a pattern of VSP analyzed by Doppler transcranial ultrasound in this pilot study. What is Known: • In adult population with subarachnoid hemorrhage the most treatable cause of cerebral ischemia is due cerebral vasospasm but is unknown if premature newborn may have vasospasm due the extravasation of blood in the context of intraventricular hemorrhage What is New: •In this pilot study we did not find in premature newborn with intraventricular hemorrhage signs of vasoespam measured by transcranial color doppler ultrasound.

Quantification of a qualitative sepsis code: laying the foundations for the automation revolution.

To quantify a qualitative screening tool for the early recognition of sepsis in children with fever either visiting the emergency department or already admitted to hospital. Prospective observational study including febrile patients under 18 years of age. Sepsis diagnosis was the main outcome. A multivariable analysis was performed with 4 clinical variables (heart rate, respiratory rate, disability, and poor skin perfusion). The cut-off points, odds ratio, and coefficients of these variables were identified. The quantified tool was then obtained from the coefficients. The area under the curve (AUC) was obtained and internal validation was performed using k-fold cross-validation. Two hundred sixty-six patients were included. The multivariable regression confirmed the independent association of the 4 variables with the outcome. The quantified screening tool yielded an excellent AUC, 0.825 (95%CI 0.772-0.878, p < 0.001), for sepsis prediction.  Conclusion: We successfully quantified a sepsis screening tool, and the resulting model has an excellent discriminatory power. What is Known: • Screening tests have to be based only on clinical variables that needs minimum technological support. • The current Sepsis Code is a qualitative screening tool. What is New: • The current screening tool was quantified using four clinical variables, weighted according to the deviation from normality and differentiated according to the age of the patient. • The resulting model has an excellent discriminatory power in identifying septic patients among febrile pediatric patients.

Bronchiolitis, epidemiological changes during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Bronchiolitis is the most common viral infection of the lower respiratory tract in infants under 2 years of age. The aim of this study was to analyze and compare the seasonal bronchiolitis peaks before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. METHODS: Descriptive, prospective, and observational study. Patients with severe bronchiolitis admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of a referral tertiary hospital between September 2010 and June 2021 were included. Demographic data were collected. Viral laboratory-confirmation was carried out. Each season was analyzed and compared. The daily average temperature was collected. RESULTS: 1116 patients were recruited, 58.2% of them males. The median age was 49 days. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was isolated in 782 cases (70.1%). In April 2021, the first and only case of bronchiolitis caused by SARS-CoV-2 was identified. The pre- and post-pandemic periods were compared. There were statistically significant differences regarding: age, 47 vs. 73 days (p = 0.006), PICU and hospital length of stay (p = 0.024 and p = 0.001, respectively), and etiology (p = 0.031). The peak for bronchiolitis in 2020 was non-existent before week 52. A delayed peak was seen around week 26/2021. The mean temperature during the epidemic peak was 10ºC for the years of the last decade and is 23ºC for the present season. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has led to a clearly observable epidemiological change regarding acute bronchiolitis, which should be studied in detail. The influence of the environmental temperature does not seem to determine the viral circulation.

Outcomes for paediatric acute leukaemia patients admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit.

Children with acute leukaemia (AL) are a high-risk population for infections and life-threatening conditions requiring paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission, presenting an increased mortality rate. A few literature exists about PICU outcomes in this kind of patients, especially with haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) background. We investigated the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of these patients as well as their outcomes. A retrospective, single-centre analytical/observational study was conducted from January 2011 to December 2018 in the PICU of a tertiary care hospital. AL patients from 28 days to 18 years old admitted to the PICU were included, excluding those with histories of HSCT or CAR T-cell therapy. We collected epidemiological and clinical characteristics, laboratory and microbiology results and outcomes. Forty-three patients with AL required urgent admission (35 lymphoblastic and 8 myeloblastic) for 63 different episodes. The main reasons were sepsis (21, 33.3%), hyperleukocytosis (12, 19%), respiratory failure (11, 17.5%) and seizures (8, 12.7%). Nineteen (30.2%) required inotropic support, and fifteen (23.8%) required mechanical ventilation. Three patients died at the hospital (3/43, 6.9%). Sixty-day mortality was 9.3%, and 1-year mortality was 13.9%. There was no differences regarding the type of AL and 60-day mortality (log-rank 2.652, p = 0.103).Conclusion: In our study, the main cause of admission for AL patients was infection, which was associated to more severity and longer hospital admission. What is Known: • Acute leukaemia is the most common childhood cancer. Admission to a paediatric intensive care unit is required in 30% of children with acute leukaemia. • Regarding the outcomes of children with acute leukaemia that require admission to the intensive care unit data are scarce. What is New: • Mortality in acute leukaemia patients admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit is lower than that of patients with a history of stem cell therapy but higher than that of patients with solid tumours. • The main reason for admission was sepsis, which is related in literature to more severity and long length of stay.

Mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin for diagnosing evolution after cardiac surgery in newborns: the PRONEW study.

Newborns are the most vulnerable patients after cardiac surgery. Although mortality risk scores before surgery may help predict the risk of poor outcome, new tools are required, and biomarkers could add objective data to these tools. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin (pro-ADM) and pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (pro-ANP) to predict poor outcome after cardiac surgery. This is a pilot diagnostic accuracy study that includes newborns and infants under 2 months admitted to an intensive care unit after cardiac surgery. Pro-ADM and pro-ANP were determined immediately upon admission. Poor outcome was defined as mortality, cardiac arrest, requiring extracorporeal support, requiring renal replacement therapy, or neurological injury. Forty-four patients were included. Twenty-six (59%) had a STAT category of ≥ 4. Ten patients (22.7%) presented a poor outcome, four of whom (9.1%) died. Pro-ADM was higher in patients with poor outcome (p = 0.024) and death (p = 0.012). Pro-ADM showed the best area under curve (AUC) for predicting poor outcome (0.735) and mortality alone (0.869). A pro-ADM of 2 nmol/L had a Sn of 75% and a Sp of 85% for predicting mortality. Pro-ADM > 2 nmol/L was independently associated with poor outcome (OR 5.8) and mortality (OR 14.1). Although higher pro-ANP values were associated with poor outcomes, no cut-off point were found. The combination of STAT ≥ 4 and the biomarkers did not enhance predictive power for poor outcome or mortality.Conclusion: Pro-ADM and pro-ANP determined immediately after surgery could be helpful for stratifying risk of poor outcome and mortality in newborns. What is Known: • Some congenital heart diseases must be corrected/palliated during the first days of life. A useful tool to predict the risk of severe complications has not been proposed. • Most unstable newborns would have higher values of biomarkers such as pro-ADM and pro-ANP related to shock and compensatory actions. What is New: • Pro-ADM and pro-ANP seem to be good biomarkers to predict poor outcome after cardiac surgery. A pro-ADM < 2 nmol/L would imply a low likelihood of a poor outcome. • Deepening the analysis of biomarkers can help in making decisions to prevent/treat complications.

Risk factors and incidence of invasive bacterial infection in severe bronchiolitis: the RICOIB prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Bacterial infection (BI), both community-acquired (CA-BI) and hospital-acquired (HAI), might present as a severe complication in patients with bronchiolitis. This study aimed to describe BI in children with severe bronchiolitis, and to define risk factors for BI. METHODS: This was a prospective, descriptive study that included infants admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) due to bronchiolitis between 2011 and 2017. The BROSJOD score was calculated to rate the severity of bronchiolitis. RESULTS: Inclusion of 675 patients, with a median age of 47 days (IQR 25-99). 175 (25.9%) patients developed BI, considered HAI in 36 (20.6%). Patients with BI had higher BROSJOD score, PRISM III, and required invasive mechanical ventilation and inotropic support more frequently (p < 0.001). BI was independently associated with BROSJOD higher than 12 (OR 2.092, 95%CI 1.168-3.748) CA-BI was associated to BROSJOD > 12 (OR 2.435, 95%CI 1.379-4.297) and bacterial co-infection (OR 2.294 95%CI 1.051-5.008). Concerning HAI, an independent association was shown with mechanical ventilation longer than 7 days (OR 5.139 95%CI 1.802-14.652). Infants with BI had longer PICU and hospital stay (p < 0.001), Mortality was higher in patients with HAI. CONCLUSIONS: A quarter of infants with severe bronchiolitis developed BI. A BROSJOD > 12 may alert the presence of CA-BI, especially pneumonia. Patients with BI have higher morbidity and mortality.

New multivariable prediction model PEdiatric SEpsis recognition and stratification (PESERS score) shows excellent discriminatory capacity.

AIM: To develop a quantitative predictive scoring model for the early recognition and assessment of paediatric sepsis. METHODS: Prospective observational study including emergency department and in-hospital febrile patients under 18 years. Sepsis diagnose (Goldstein 2005 definitions) was the main outcome. Variables associated with the outcome were included in a multivariable analysis. Cut-off points, odds ratio and coefficients for the variables kept after the multivariable analysis were identified. The score was obtained from the coefficients, The AUC was obtained from ROC-analysis, and internal validation was performed using k-fold cross-validation. RESULTS: The analysis included 210 patients. 45 variables were evaluated and the bivariate analysis identified 24 variables associated with the outcome. After the multivariable regression, 11 variables were kept and the score was obtained. The model yielded an excellent AUC of 0.886 (95% CI 0.845-0.927), p < 0.001 for sepsis recognition. With a cut-off value of 5 for the score, we obtained a sensitivity of 98%, specificity of 76.7%, positive predictive value of 87.9% and negative predictive value of 93.3%. CONCLUSION: The proposed scoring model for paediatric sepsis showed adequate discriminatory capacity and sufficient accuracy, which is of great clinical significance in detecting sepsis early and predicting its severity. Nevertheless external validation is needed before clinical use.

The different manifestations of COVID-19 in adults and children: a cohort study in an intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has collapsed health systems worldwide. In adults, the virus causes severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), while in children the disease seems to be milder, although a severe multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) has been described. The aim was to describe and compare the characteristics of the severe COVID-19 disease in adults and children. METHODS: This prospective observational cohort study included the young adults and children infected with SARS-CoV-2 between March-June 2020 and admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit. The two populations were analysed and compared focusing on their clinical and analytical characteristics and outcomes. RESULTS: Twenty patients were included. There were 16 adults (80%) and 4 children (20%). No mortality was recorded. All the adults were admitted due to ARDS. The median age was 32 years (IQR 23.3-41.5) and the most relevant previous pathology was obesity (n = 7, 43.7%). Thirteen (81.3%) needed mechanical ventilation, with a median PEEP of 13 (IQR 10.5-14.5). Six (37.5%) needed inotropic support due to the sedation. Eight (50%) developed a healthcare-associated infection, the most frequent of which was central line-associated bloodstream infection (n = 7, 71.4%). One patient developed a partial pulmonary thromboembolism, despite him being treated with heparin. All the children were admitted due to MIS-C. Two (50%) required mechanical ventilation. All needed inotropic support, with a median vasoactive-inotropic score of 27.5 (IQR 17.5-30). The difference in the inotropic requirements between the two populations was statistically significant (37.5% vs. 100%, p < 0.001). The biomarker values were higher in children than in adults: mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin 1.72 vs. 0.78 nmol/L (p = 0.017), procalcitonin 5.7 vs. 0.19 ng/mL (p = 0.023), and C-reactive protein 328.2 vs. 146.9 mg/L (p = 0.005). N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and troponins were higher in children than in adults (p = 0.034 and p = 0.039, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Adults and children had different clinical manifestations. Adults developed severe ARDS requiring increased respiratory support, whereas children presented MIS-C with greater inotropic requirements. Biomarkers could be helpful in identifying susceptible patients, since they might change depending on the clinical features.

Use of procalcitonin and C-reactive protein in the diagnosis of bacterial infection in infants with severe bronchiolitis.

The objective was to evaluate the use of procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) for the diagnosis of bacterial infection in bronchiolitis patients. A prospective, single-centre, descriptive, and comparative observational study was carried out on patients with severe bronchiolitis admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU), from January 2011 to July 2017. Two cohorts were compared: patients with invasive bacterial infection (IBI) and patients with no bacterial infection (NBI). We included 675 patients, 399 of whom were males (59.1%), with median age of 47 days (IQR 25-100.3). Of them, 181 patients were diagnosed with IBI (26.8%). Seventy-two had sepsis (10.7%), 106 had pneumonia (15.7%), and 41 had a urinary tract infection (6.1%). PCT and CRP values were significantly higher in patients with IBI. ROC curves compared the ability of PCT and CRP to diagnose IBI at admission, 24 h, and 48 h. PCT showed a better AUC for diagnosing IBI, with statistically significant differences at all time points (p < 0.001). The best PCT cut-off for IBI diagnosis at admission was 1.4 ng/mL, with a sensitivity of 69% (95% CI 58.4-74.9) and a specificity of 91% (95% CI 88.1-92.5). Procalcitonin showed a better AUC for diagnosing both sepsis and pneumonia, which makes it an excellent predictor.Conclusion: We present PCT as a novel test in comparison with the traditional CRP screening test to discern which bronchiolitis patients have IBI. We highlight the importance of PCT for the diagnosis of pneumonia and sepsis, as it proved to be more sensitive and specific than CRP, with statistically significant differences. What is Known: • Bronchiolitis should be treated with antibiotics only when a bacterial infection is present. • The rate of antibiotic prescription in severe bronchiolitis is extremely high, so diagnostic tools are needed. What is New: • PCT is a good biomarker to discern which bronchiolitis patients have IBI, specially for pneumonia and sepsis diagnoses. It is more sensitive and specific than CRP, with statistically significant differences. • Implementation of PCT cut-off values may prevent unnecessary antibiotic use.

Lung ultrasound to predict pediatric intensive care admission in infants with bronchiolitis (LUSBRO study).

It is extremely difficult to stratify bronchiolitis and predict the need for admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). We aimed to evaluate the capacity of a new lung ultrasound score (LUSBRO) to predict the need for admission to the PICU compared to a clinical score. This was a prospective observational single-center study that includes infants < 6 month of age admitted to a hospital due to acute bronchiolitis. Both scores were calculated at admission. The main outcome was PICU admission. Second endpoints were the need for mechanical ventilation, respiratory support duration, and the length of stay in the hospital. Eighty patients were included, with a median age of 53 days (IQR 29-115). Forty-four patients (55%) required PICU admission. LUSBRO score showed a better AUC compared to the clinical score to predict PICU admission: 0.932 (95% CI 0.873-0.990) vs. 0.675 (95% CI 0.556-0.794) and a positive correlation with the hospital length of stay. The best cut-off point for predicting the need for PICU admission for LUSBRO score was 6, showing a sensitivity of 90.91% and a specificity of 88.89%.Conclusions: The LUSBRO score is a useful tool to predict the need for admission to the PICU. What is Known • It is extremely difficult to stratify which patients affected by bronchiolitis should be precociously transferred to a third level hospital and will require pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission. • Clinical scores have been created but neither of them is accurate. What is New • The LUSBRO score is a useful tool to predict the need for admission to the PICU of patients with bronchiolitis and, consequently, to predict the patients who should be transferred to a tertiary hospital to optimize respiratory support.

Lung ultrasound findings in pediatric patients with COVID-19.

During the pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), lung ultrasound has been used to diagnose and monitor respiratory condition. The aim of the study was to describe lung ultrasound findings in children with a COVID-19 infection. Patients younger than 18 years old and positive for COVID-19, admitted to pediatric tertiary referral hospital were included. They were divided into two groups depending on the presence of respiratory symptoms. Lung ultrasound results were categorized into four degrees according to Soldati et al. score (J Ultrasound Med 39:1-7, 2020) and it was also described the presence and type of consolidation. Sixteen patients were recruited. The median age was 11 years old (IQR 2.8-12). Four children (25%) required admission to the intensive care unit. Six patients (37.5%) presented with respiratory symptoms. Most of them showed S.score of 2 and subpleural consolidations were observed in four cases (66.6%). Ten patients (62.5%) presented with non-respiratory symptoms, lung ultrasound showed S.score from 0 to 2. Three (30%) were diagnosed of multisystem inflammatory syndrome and lung ultrasounds showed S.score of 2 with bilateral pleural effusion.Conclusions: Children with COVID-19 and respiratory symptoms mostly showed a S.score of 2 and 3 with subpleural consolidations, upon the lung ultrasound assessment. What is Known: • Lung ultrasound is a useful tool for monitoring patients with respiratory symptoms in both adults and children. Lung ultrasounds are altered in adult patients with COVID-19. What is New: • Lung ultrasound might improve COVID-19 assessment, it could be a useful tool to diagnose and monitor patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Even COVID-19 patients with non-respiratory symptoms have lung alterations that are visible on lung ultrasound.

Device-associated multidrug-resistant bacteria surveillance in critically ill children: 10 years of experience.

AIM: Multidrug-resistant bacterial infections are a public health problem worldwide. However, most of the information available refers to adults. The main objectives were to determine the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes for device-associated infections, especially those involving multidrug-resistant bacteria. METHODS: This is a prospective, observational study. Children aged ≥1 month and <18 years admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit from 2008 to 2017, with a device-associated infection microbiologically confirmed were included. Patients infected with resistant bacteria were compared with those who had a drug-susceptible infection. RESULTS: The study included 213 patients. Out of all the device-associated infections, 22% (48 patients) were caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. The most frequent were extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing enterobacteria. Cardiovascular diseases, age under 1year, comorbidity, prolonged use of invasive device, and length of stay until infection were risk factors for resistant bacteria, but not specifically for ESBL-producing bacteria. Length of stay and mortality was increased in patients with multidrug-resistant bacteria. CONCLUSION: Being under 1-year-old and having a cardiovascular disease were the two major risk factors for resistant bacterial infection. ESBL-producing bacteria were the most frequent multidrug-resistant agents. However, patients with ESBL-producing bacteria did not have any additional risk factors, so they may have been colonised in the community.

Weaning from neonatal and pediatric ECMO with stand-by cannula.

The precise moment for weaning a patient off extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is not always easy to establish. Also, mechanical causes may obligate to disconnect the patient from the circuit before the optimal weaning off. In these selected cases, the patient can be disconnected from the circuit and the cannula can be left in place (stand-by cannula) until the patient's stability without ECMO is assured. The aim was to describe our experience with the stand-by cannula. Single-institution, long-term retrospective study in a pediatric tertiary care hospital. Neonatal and pediatric patients who were under ECMO and needed stand-by cannula before definitive de-cannulation were included. During 18 years, 166 children required ECMO. In 31 patients (18.7%), stand-by cannula was performed before the weaning off. Twenty patients (64.5%) were newborn. The main reason for requiring ECMO in these newborn was persistent pulmonary hypertension. Eleven patients were pediatric and their main cause for requiring ECMO was cardiogenic shock (six patients, 54.4%). The reasons for requiring stand-by cannula were the uncertainty of a successful weaning off in 17 patients (54.8%), to undergo surgery in 10 patients (32.3%) and to replace the circuit in four cases (12.9%). The median duration of stand-by cannula was 12 h (IQR 6-24). Heparinized saline serum was the main maintenance perfusion (28 patients, 90.3%). Three patients needed to restart support with ECMO. Only one mechanical complication was detected. Stand-by cannula is a safe technique, which allows performing a quick re-entrance on ECMO if the weaning off fails.

Procalcitonin and lung ultrasound algorithm to diagnose severe pneumonia in critical paediatric patients (PROLUSP study). A randomised clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Lung ultrasound (LUS) in combination with a biomarker has not yet been studied. We propose a clinical trial where the primary aims are: 1. To assess whether an algorithm with LUS and procalcitonin (PCT) may be useful for diagnosing bacterial pneumonia; 2. To analyse the sensitivity and specificity of LUS vs chest X-ray (CXR). METHODS/DESIGN: A 3-year clinical trial. INCLUSION CRITERIA: children younger than 18 years old with suspected pneumonia in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit. Patients will be randomised into two groups: Experimental Group: LUS will be performed as first lung image. CONTROL GROUP: CXR will be performed as first pulmonary image. Patients will be classified according to the image and the PCT: a) PCT < 1 ng/mL and LUS/CXR are not suggestive of bacterial pneumonia (BN), no antibiotic will be prescribed; b) LUS/CXR are suggestive of BN, regardless of the PCT, antibiotic therapy is recommended; c) LUS/CXR is not suggestive of BN and PCT > 1 ng/mL, antibiotic therapy is recommended. CONCLUSION: This algorithm will help us to diagnose bacterial pneumonia and to prescribe the correct antibiotic treatment. A reduction of antibiotics per patient, of the treatment length, and of the exposure to ionizing radiation and in costs is expected. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04217980 .

Lung ultrasound in children: What does it give us?

Lung ultrasound (LUS), a non-invasive non-ionizing radiation tool, has become essential at the bedside in both adults and children, particularly in the critically ill. This manuscript reviews normal LUS patterns and the most important pathologies that LUS allows to diagnose. Normal LUS is represented by the pleural line, the lung-sliding and the A-lines and B-lines. These two last findings are artifacts derived from the pleural line. Pleural effusion appears as an anechoic collection. Pneumothorax is suspected when only A-lines are present, without lung-sliding and B-lines. Alveolo-interstitial syndrome is characterized by different degrees of confluent B-lines and can be present in different pathologies such as pulmonary edema and acute respiratory distress syndrome. The distribution of B-lines helps to differentiate between them. LUS is useful to evaluate the response to lung recruitment in pathologies such as acute respiratory distress syndrome or acute chest syndrome. The distribution of B-lines also appears to be useful to monitor the response to antibiotics in pneumonia. However, further studies are needed to further ascertain this evidence. LUS is also useful to guide thoracocentesis.

Diagnostic and prognostic value of procalcitonin and mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin in septic paediatric patients.

Early diagnosis of sepsis and its severity stratification at admission is critical to improve patient outcomes and to ensure the optimal use of health care resources. In order to assess the diagnostic potential of mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin (MR-proADM) in septic paediatric patients in comparison with procalcitonin (PCT), and to evaluate the usefulness of a single early determination of MR-proADM as a stratification and severity prediction tool, a prospective observational study was conducted. Seventy-three paediatric patients with a suspicion of sepsis were included. A single blood test was carried out at initial time to analyse infection biomarkers. PCT values were significantly higher in septic patients in comparison with non-septic patients (p = 0.03) with an AUC of 0.748 (p = 0.003). Levels of MR-proADM significantly increased in patients with severe sepsis (p = 0.048), with an AUC of 0.729 (p = 0.013). MR-proADM showed a positive correlation with pSOFA, PRISM III, and PELOD-2 severity scores. Levels of MR-proADM were significantly higher in patients who required vasoactive drugs (p = 0.02) or presented renal dysfunction (p = 0.004).Conclusion: PCT appeared to be superior to MR-proADM in diagnosing sepsis. Determining MR-proADM plasma levels at the initial phase of sepsis could be a useful tool for sepsis stratification and morbidity prediction before organ failure occurs. The present results need to be assessed with larger sample size studies.What is Known:•CRP and PCT are already included in clinical practice to assess sepsis and estimate disease severity, although their sensitivity and specificity are lower than desired.•ADM is a protein that has immune and vascular modulation actions, and its blood levels are increased in adult and paediatric sepsis.•ADM is a promising tool for early diagnosis and prognostic assessment in adult sepsis.What is New:•PCT appeared to be superior to MR-proADM in diagnosing paediatric sepsis.•MR-proADM plasma levels could be a useful tool for paediatric sepsis stratification and morbidity prediction.

End-of-life care in a pediatric intensive care unit: the impact of the development of a palliative care unit.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this paper is to describe how end-of-life care is managed when life-support limitation is decided in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and to analyze the influence of the further development of the Palliative Care Unit. METHODS: A 15-year retrospective study of children who died after life-support limitation was initiated in a pediatric intensive care unit. Patients were divided into two groups, pre- and post-palliative care unit development. Epidemiological and clinical data, the decision-making process, and the approach were analyzed. Data was obtained from patient medical records. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-five patients were included. The main reason for admission was respiratory failure (86/175). A previous pathology was present in 152 patients (61/152 were neurological issues). The medical team and family participated together in the decision-making in 145 cases (82.8%). The family made the request in 10 cases (9 vs. 1, p = 0.019). Withdrawal was the main life-support limitation (113/175), followed by withholding life-sustaining treatments (37/175). Withdrawal was more frequent in the post-palliative group (57.4% vs. 74.3%, p = 0.031). In absolute numbers, respiratory support was the main type of support withdrawn. CONCLUSIONS: The main cause of life-support limitation was the unfavourable evolution of the underlying pathology. Families were involved in the decision-making process in a high percentage of the cases. The development of the Palliative Care Unit changed life-support limitation in our unit, with differences detected in the type of patient and in the strategy used. Increased confidence among intensivists when providing end-of-life care, and the availability of a Palliative Care Unit may contribute to improvements in the quality of end-of-life care.