Development and validation of a predictive model for low cardiac output syndrome after surgical repair of tetralogy of Fallot.

Background: Low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS) remains a serious postoperative complication for children with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), which often leads to increased morbidity and mortality. Early identification of LCOS and timely management are critical for better outcomes. This study aimed to develop a prediction model incorporating pre- and intraoperative characteristics for LCOS within 24 hours after surgical repair of TOF in children. Methods: The training dataset consisted of patients with TOF who underwent surgical repair in 2021, while the validation dataset consisted of patients in 2022. The univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to recognize the risk factors of postoperative LCOS and a predictive model was established based on multivariable logistic regression analysis in the training dataset. Model predictive power was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The calibration of the nomogram was evaluated and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to assess the good fit. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to estimate the net benefits of the prediction model at different threshold probabilities. Results: In the multivariable logistic analysis, peripheral oxygen saturation, mean blood pressure, and central venous pressure were independent risk factors for postoperative LCOS. The AUC of the predictive model for postoperative LCOS was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.77-0.91) and 0.80 (95% CI: 0.70-0.90) in the training and validation datasets, respectively. The calibration curve for the probability of LCOS showed good agreement between the prediction by nomogram and actual observation both in the training and validation datasets. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test yielded nonsignificant statistics both in the training and validation datasets (P=0.69 and 0.54, respectively), indicating a good fit. The DCA revealed that more net benefits would be obtained by using the nomogram to predict LCOS than that achieved in either the treat-all-patient scheme or the treat-none scheme both in the training and validation datasets. Conclusions: This study is the first to incorporate pre- and intraoperative characteristics to develop a predictive model for LCOS after surgical repair of TOF in children. This model showed good discrimination, good fit and clinical benefits.

Effect of interactive, multimedia-based home-initiated education on preoperative anxiety inchildren and their parents: a single-center randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Anesthesiologists need to appreciate the impact of preoperative anxiety in children. The present study aimed to explore whether interactive multimedia-based home-initiated interventions could effectively relieve preoperative anxiety in pediatric patients. METHODS: In this prospective study, we compared preoperative anxiety between two groups of children aged 4-9 years. Children in the control group received a question-and-answer (Q&A) introduction, and children in the intervention group received multimedia-based home-initiated preoperative education using comic booklets, videos, and coloring game books. Differences in anxiety between the two groups were evaluated by the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale-Short Form (mYPAS-SF) at four time points: in the ophthalmology outpatient clinic before intervention as the baseline (T0); in the preoperative waiting area (T1); at the time of separating from their parents and moving to the operating room (T2); and at the time of anesthesia induction (T3). Parental anxiety was assessed by the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at T0 and T2. Other related information was collected by questionnaire. RESULTS: Eighty-four children who underwent pediatric strabismus in our center between November 2020 and July 2021 were included in this study. An intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis was performed on data from 78 enrolled children. Children in the intervention group exhibited lower m-YPAS-SF scores at T1, T2, and T3 than those in the control group (all p < 0.001). By using a mixed-effect model with repeated measurement (MMRM) after adjusting the m-YPAS score at T0 as a covariate, the interventional effect in terms of themYPAS-SF score was also significant over time (p < 0.001). The percentage of children with perfect induction compliance (ICC = 0) in the intervention group was significantly higher than that in the control group [18.4% vs. 7.5%], and poor induction compliance (ICC>4) was lower (2.6% vs. 17.5%, p = 0.048). The mean parental VAS score at T2 in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the control group (p = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: Interactive multimedia-based home-initiated intervention could reduce preoperative anxiety in children and improve the quality of anesthesia induction based on ICC scores, which may in turn impose a positive impact on parental anxiety.

Prediction of Fluid Responsiveness by Stroke Volume Variation in Children Undergoing Fontan Operation.

BACKGROUND: Fontan operation is a palliative medical procedure performed on children with single-ventricle defects. As postoperative success of the procedure largely depends on the preload volume, it is necessary to maintain an appropriate pressure gradient between the systemic vein and the left atrium to ensure the effective volume of systemic circulation. However, there is a lack of effective indexes to evaluate fluid responsiveness in Fontan patients. Stroke volume variation (SVV) is a dynamic hemodynamic parameter based on cardiopulmonary interaction in mechanical ventilation. This study is aimed at validating the sensitivity and specificity of SVV and central venous pressure (CVP) in assessing the fluid responsiveness of Fontan patients. METHOD: Sixty-four children with single ventricle who underwent modified Fontan operation between May 2018 and January 2020 were included in this study. Patients were administered 10 ml·kg-1 albumin for fluid challenge within 10 min after cardiopulmonary bypass. Before and after fluid challenge, the invasive arterial pressure module was connected to MostCare™ equipment to collect the cardiac index (CI) and SVV dynamically in a time window of 30 s at a frequency of 1000 Hz. According to the range of CI change, patients with ΔCI ≥ 15% were classified into the responder (R) group and those with ΔCI < 15% into the nonresponder (NR) group. Using SVV and CVP as indicators, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the patients was established, and the area under curve (AUC), diagnostic threshold, sensitivity, and specificity were calculated. RESULTS: The SVV values were 16.28% (25th and 75th percentiles 14.17%-19.24%) and 13.68% (25th and 75th percentiles 12.90%-15.89%) before and after fluid challenge treatment in responders, respectively, and the values were 18.60 ± 1.83 mmHg before and 20.20 ± 2.39 mmHg for CVP after treatment. The AUC of SVV was 0.74 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.54-0.94, P < 0.05), and the cutoff value was 16%, offering a sensitivity of 50% and a specificity of 91.7%. Meanwhile, the AUC of CVP was 0.70 (95% CI 0.50-0.92, P > 0.05), and the cutoff value was 19.5 mmHg, offering a sensitivity of 58% and a specificity of 76%. CONCLUSION: SVV exhibited a good predictive value for fluid responsiveness in pediatric Fontan patients. Appropriate fluid therapy according to SVV could improve the cardiac function of such patients. Trial registration. This study was registered in Chinese Clinical Trail Registry on Jan 26, 2018. Registration number is ChiCTR1800014654. Registry URL is http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=25019. This observational prospective study was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of Shanghai Children's Medical Center affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SCMCIRB-K2017035).

ED50 of Intranasal Dexmedetomidine Sedation for Transthoracic Echocardiography in Children with or without a History of Cardiac Surgery for Cyanotic Congenital Heart Disease.

METHODS: This prospective single-blinded clinical trial included 72 ASA I-II stage children aged 1-36 months with cCHD who were scheduled to undergo TTE under sedation. Children were assigned to group A (n = 37) with a previous history of cardiac surgery and group B (n = 35) with no history of cardiac surgery. Doses of intranasal DEX were analyzed by up-down sequential allocation at an initial dose of 2.3 µg/kg and an increase in steps of 0.2 µg/kg. Intranasal DEXED50 values were analyzed by the up-and-down method of Dixon-Massey and probit regression to determine ED50 and 95% confidence interval (CI) for sedation. The time to effective sedation, time to regaining consciousness, vital signs, oxygen saturation, time of performing TTE, clinical adverse effects, and characteristics of regaining consciousness were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: ED50 of intranasal DEX sedation was 2.530 µg/kg (95% CI, 1.657-4.156) in group A and 2.500 µg/kg (95% CI, 1.987-3.013) in group B. There was no significant difference in sedation onset time and time to regaining consciousness between the two groups. Additionally, no significant adverse hemodynamic or hypoxemic effect was observed. There was no significant difference in sedation-onset time and wake-up time between the two groups (15 ± 4 min vs.16 ± 5 min; 50 ± 11 min vs.48 ± 10 min). This trial is registered with the China Clinical Trials Registry (ChiCTR-IOR-1800015038). CONCLUSIONS: ED50 of intranasal DEX sedation for TTE is similar in children with and without a history of cardiac surgery for cCHD.

Newborn infant parasympathetic evaluation (NIPE) as a predictor of hemodynamic response in children younger than 2 years under general anesthesia: an observational pilot study.

BACKGROUND: It is still unknown whether newborn infant parasympathetic evaluation (NIPE), based on heart rate variability (HRV) as a reflection of parasympathetic nerve tone, can predict the hemodynamic response to a nociception stimulus in children less than 2 years old. METHODS: Fifty-five children undergoing elective surgery were analyzed in this prospective observational study. Noninvasive mean blood pressure (MBP), heart rate (HR) and NIPE values were recorded just before and 1 min after general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation as well as skin incision. The predictive performance of NIPE was evaluated by receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. A significant hemodynamic response was defined by a > 20% increase in HR and/or MBP. RESULTS: Endotracheal intubation and skin incision caused HR increases of 22.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 17.5-26.9%) and 3.8% (2.1-5.5%), MBP increases of 18.2% (12.0-24.4%) and 10.6% (7.7-13.4%), and conversely, NIPE decreases of 9.9% (5.3-14.4%) and 5.6% (2.1-9.1%), respectively (all P < 0.01 vs. pre-event value). Positive hemodynamic responses were observed in 32 patients (62.7%) during tracheal intubation and 13 patients (23.6%) during skin incision. The area under the ROC curve values for the ability of NIPE to predict positive hemodynamic responses at endotracheal intubation and skin incision were 0.65 (0.50-0.78) and 0.58 (0.44-0.71), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: NIPE reflected nociceptive events as well as anesthestic induction in children less than 2 years undergoing general anaesthetia. Nevertheless, NIPE may not serve as a sensitive and specific predictor to changes in hemodynamics. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered on May 3, 2018 in the Chinese Clinical Trail Registry; the registration number is ( ChiCTR1800015973 ).

Median Effective Dose of Intranasal Dexmedetomidine for Transthoracic Echocardiography in Children with Kawasaki Disease Who Have a History of Repeated Sedation.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the median effective dose (ED50) of intranasal dexmedetomidine for echocardiography in children with Kawasaki disease who had a history of repeated sedation. MATERIAL AND METHODS There were 73 pediatric Kawasaki disease patients aged 1 to 36 months enrolled in this study who had American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I-II, were scheduled to undergo echocardiography under sedation. They were assigned to 2 groups (group A: age 1-18 months, and group B: age 19-36 months). Intranasal dexmedetomidine was administered before echocardiography. The dose of intranasal dexmedetomidine was determined with the up-down sequential allocation, and the initial dose was 2 µg/kg with an increment/decrement of 0.2 µg/kg. The ED50 of intranasal dexmedetomidine for sedation was determined with the up-and-down method of Dixon and Massey and probit regression. The time to effective sedation, time to regaining consciousness, vital signs, oxygen saturation, echocardiographic examination time, clinical side-effects, and characteristics of regaining consciousness were recorded and compared. RESULTS The ED50 of intranasal dexmedetomidine for sedation was 2.184 µg/kg (95% CI, 1.587-2.785) in group A and 2.313 µg/kg (95% CI, 1.799-3.426) in group B. There were no significant differences in the time to sedation and time to regaining consciousness between groups. Additionally, change in hemodynamic and hypoxemia were not noted in both groups. CONCLUSIONS The ED50 of intranasal dexmedetomidine was determined in children with Kawasaki disease who had a history of repeated sedation to be appropriate for repeated-routine sedation of echocardiographic examination in pediatric patients. The ED50 of intranasal dexmedetomidine for echocardiography in this circumstance is similar to that in children receiving initial sedation.

Ultrasonic-assisted preparation of graphene oxide carboxylic acid polyvinyl alcohol polymer film and studies of thermal stability and surface resistivity.

In this paper, flake graphite, nitric acid and acetic anhydride are used to prepare graphene oxide carboxylic acid (GO-COOH) via an ultrasonic-assisted method, and GO-COOH and polyvinyl alcohol polymer (PVA) are used to synthesize graphene oxide carboxylic acid polyvinyl alcohol polymer (GO-COOPVA) via the ultrasonic-assisted method, and GO-COOPVA is used to manufacture graphene oxide carboxylic acid polyvinyl alcohol polymer film (GO-COOPVA film) via a solidification method, and the structure and morphology of GO-COOH, GO-COOPVA and GO-COOPVA film are characterized, and the thermal stability and surface resistivity are measured in the case of the different amount of GO-COOH. Based on the characterization and measurement, it has been successively confirmed and attested that carboxyl groups implant on 2D lattice of GO to form GO-COOH, and GO-COOH and PVA have the esterification reaction to produce GO-COOPVA, and GO-COOPVA consists of 2D lattice of GO-COOH and the chain of PVA connected in the form of carboxylic ester, and GO-COOPVA film is composed of GO-COOPVA, and the thermal stability of GO-COOPVA film obviously improves in comparison with PVA film, and the surface resistivity of GO-COOPVA film clearly decreases.