Real-Time Ultrasound Improves Accuracy of Caudal Block in Children.

BACKGROUND: Caudal block, the most common regional anesthetic in children, is predominantly performed using palpation to determine placement. The efficacy of the palpation technique is unknown with respect to block success. While ultrasound has been suggested for use during caudal block, its use is infrequent. METHODS: A single-blinded prospective observational trial was performed evaluating provider success rate of caudal blocks placed by palpation alone. After needle insertion and partial local anesthetic injection, an ultrasound was performed to confirm correct location. RESULTS: A total of 109 caudal blocks were performed during the prospective observational study. Success rate for caudal blocks done by palpation alone was 78.9% as confirmed by ultrasound. In 21.1% of caudal blocks, the provider incorrectly judged the needle to be in the caudal space as confirmed with ultrasound. CONCLUSIONS: Real-time ultrasound visualization of local anesthetic injection provides reliable and immediate confirmation during caudal block in children.

Increased trauma center volume is associated with improved survival after severe injury: results of a Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between trauma center volume and outcome. BACKGROUND: The Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium is a network of 11 centers and 60 hospitals conducting emergency care research. For many procedures, high-volume centers demonstrate superior outcomes versus low-volume centers. This remains controversial for trauma center outcomes. METHODS: This study was a secondary analysis of prospectively collected data from the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium multicenter out-of-hospital Hypertonic Saline Trial in patients with Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8 or less (traumatic brain injury) or systolic blood pressure of 90 or less and pulse of 110 or more (shock). Regression analyses evaluated associations between trauma volume and the following outcomes: 24-hour mortality, 28-day mortality, ventilator-free days, Multiple Organ Dysfunction Scale incidence, worst Multiple Organ Dysfunction Scale score, and poor 6-month Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended score. RESULTS: A total of 2070 patients were evaluated: 1251 in the traumatic brain injury cohort and 819 in the shock cohort. Overall, 24-hour and 28-day mortality was 16% and 25%, respectively. For every increase of 500 trauma center admissions, there was a 7% decreased odds of 24-hour and 28-day mortality for all patients. As trauma center volume increased, nonorgan dysfunction complications increased, ventilator-free days increased, and worst Multiple Organ Dysfunction Scale score decreased. The associations with higher trauma center volume were similar for the traumatic brain injury cohort, including better neurologic outcomes at 6 months, but not for the shock cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Increased trauma center volume was associated with increased survival, more ventilator-free days, and less severe organ failure. Trauma system planning and implementation should avoid unnecessary duplication of services.

Rapid response events with multiple triggers are associated with poor outcomes in children.

Objective: We describe the characteristics and outcomes of pediatric rapid response team (RRT) events within a single institution, categorized by reason for RRT activation (RRT triggers). We hypothesized that events with multiple triggers are associated with worse outcomes. Patients and Methods: Retrospective 3-year study at a high-volume tertiary academic pediatric hospital. We included all patients with index RRT events during the study period. Results: Association of patient and RRT event characteristics with outcomes including transfers to ICU, need for advanced cardiopulmonary support, ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS), and mortality were studied. We reviewed 2,267 RRT events from 2,088 patients. Most (59%) were males with a median age of 2 years and 57% had complex chronic conditions. RRT triggers were: respiratory (36%) and multiple (35%). Transfer to the ICU occurred after 1,468 events (70%). Median hospital and ICU LOS were 11 and 1 days. Need for advanced cardiopulmonary support was noted in 291 events (14%). Overall mortality was 85 (4.1%), with 61 (2.9%) of patients having cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA). Multiple RRT trigger events were associated with transfer to the ICU (559 events; OR 1.48; p < 0.001), need for advanced cardiopulmonary support (134 events; OR 1.68; p < 0.001), CPA (34 events; OR 2.36; p = 0.001), and longer ICU LOS (2 vs. 1 days; p < 0.001). All categories of triggers have lower odds of need for advanced cardiopulmonary support than multiple triggers (OR 1.73; p < 0.001). Conclusions: RRT events with multiple triggers were associated with cardiopulmonary arrest, transfer to ICU, need for cardiopulmonary support, and longer ICU LOS. Knowledge of these associations can guide clinical decisions, care planning, and resource allocation.

Mail-Back Envelopes for Retrieval of Opioids After Pediatric Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Opioid overprescription has the potential to lead to harmful medications remaining in homes and to a rise in accidental or deliberate ingestion by children and adolescents. Although methods for opioid disposal are available, many are costly or require greater than minimal effort for the patient. In this study, we used a mail-back return envelope to retrieve unused opioids after ambulatory pediatric surgery. METHODS: This feasibility study was performed to assess the rate of opioid return by using a mail-back envelope for children ages 0 to 18 prescribed opioids after outpatient surgery. Participants were provided a return envelope as well as instruction on the dangers of opioids in the home. Our primary outcome was to assess the absolute percent return rate through the use of a mail-back envelope. RESULTS: Between November 2017 and October 2018, we identified 355 patients, of whom 331 were included in the analysis. In total, 64 (19.3%) returned opioids. In total, >2000 mL of liquid opioids and >250 tablets or nearly 3000 mg of oral morphine equivalents were removed from the homes of the 64 participants. Of those patients returning unused medications, the median rate of return was 58% (interquartile range = 34.7%-86.1%) of the written prescription. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that providing a free mail-back return envelope is a suitable way to remove unused opioids from the home after pediatric surgery. Additional research is needed to identify barriers to return of unused medications.