Laryngeal Ultrasound Detects Vocal Fold Immobility in Adults: A Systematic Review.

Laryngeal ultrasound (US) is becoming widely accepted for assessing true vocal fold immobility (TVFI), a potential complication of laryngeal and thyroid surgery. The objective of this project is to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of pooled evidence surrounding laryngeal US as a modality for diagnosing TVFI in adults at risk for the condition in comparison to laryngoscopy as a gold standard. Medical subject heading terms were used to search MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library for relevant citations from January 1, 2000, to June 30, 2020. Studies were included if they involved patients 16 years and older, where laryngeal US was compared to laryngoscopy for TVFI. Studies were excluded if there were insufficient data to compute a sensitivity/specificity table after attempting to contact the authors. Case reports, and case series were also excluded. The initial search returned 1357 citations. Of these, 109 were selected for review utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Thirty citations describing 6033 patients were included in the final meta-analysis. A bivariate random effects meta-analysis was performed, revealing a pooled sensitivity for laryngeal US of 0.95 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.88-0.98), a specificity of 0.99 (95% CI 0.97-0.99), and a diagnostic odds ratio of 1328.2 (95% CI 294.0-5996.5). The area under the curve of the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.99 (95% CI 0.98-1.00). Laryngeal US demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity for detecting VFI in the hands of clinicians directly providing care to patients.

Assessment of Vocal Cord Motion Using Laryngeal Ultrasound in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Laryngeal ultrasound is a nonirradiating, noninvasive method for assessing the upper airway in children. This systematic review and meta-analysis examine available evidence for accuracy of laryngeal ultrasound in diagnosing vocal cord immobility in infants and children after surgery and trauma affecting the vocal cords. DESIGN: Medical subject heading terms were used to search MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library for relevant citations. Publications from January 1, 2000, to June 30, 2020 were included in the search strategy. Study inclusion criteria consisted of randomized control trials and nonrandomized retrospective or prospective observational studies where vocal cord motion was evaluated by laryngeal ultrasound and compared with a reference test. Studies were excluded if there was insufficient data to compute a sensitivity/specificity table. Case reports, case series less than 10, and manuscripts not published in English were also excluded. PATIENTS: Studies which included subjects younger than or equal to 18 years were considered for full article review. SETTINGS: No restrictions on study settings were imposed in this systematic review. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The initial search returned 1,357 citations. After de-duplication, abstract, and full review, eight citations were included in the final meta-analysis. A bivariate random-effects meta-analysis was performed, which revealed a pooled sensitivity for laryngeal ultrasound in detecting vocal cord immobility of 91% (95% CI, 83-95%), specificity of 97% (95% CI, 82-100%), diagnostic odds ratio 333.56 (95% CI, 34.00-3,248.71), positive likelihood ratio 31.58 (95% CI, 4.50-222.05), and negative likelihood ratio 0.09 (95% CI, 0.05-0.19). CONCLUSIONS: Laryngeal ultrasound demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity for detecting vocal cord motion in children in a wide range of clinical settings. Laryngeal ultrasound offers a low-risk imaging option for assessing vocal cord function in children compared with the current gold standard of laryngoscopy.

Cardiac Dysfunction Identified by Strain Echocardiography Is Associated With Illness Severity in Pediatric Sepsis.

OBJECTIVES: Sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction has been associated with illness severity and mortality in pediatrics. Although early sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction diagnosis could aid in hemodynamic management, current echocardiographic metrics for assessing biventricular function are limited in detecting early impairment. Strain echocardiography is a validated quantitative measure that can detect subtle perturbations in left ventricular and right ventricular function. This investigation evaluates the utility of strain echocardiography in pediatric sepsis and compares with to conventional methods. DESIGN: Retrospective, observational study comparing left ventricular and right ventricular strain. Strain was compared with ejection fraction and fractional shortening and established sepsis severity of illness markers. SETTING: Tertiary care medical-surgical PICU from July 2013 to January 2018. PATIENTS: Seventy-nine septic children and 28 healthy controls. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Compared with healthy controls, patients with severe sepsis demonstrated abnormal left ventricular strain (left ventricular longitudinal strain: -13.0% ± 0.72; p = 0.04 and left ventricular circumferential strain: -16.5% ± 0.99; p = 0.046) and right ventricular (right ventricular longitudinal strain = -14.3% ± 6.3; p < 0.01) despite normal fractional shortening (36.0% ± 1.6 vs 38.1% ± 1.1; p = 0.5129) and ejection fraction (60.7% ± 2.2 vs 65.3% ± 1.5; p = 0.33). There was significant association between depressed left ventricular longitudinal strain and increased Vasotrope-Inotrope Score (r = 0.52; p = 0.034). Worsening left ventricular circumferential strain was correlated with higher lactate (r = 0.31; p = 0.03) and higher Pediatric Risk of Mortality-III score (r = 0.39; p < 0.01). Depressed right ventricular longitudinal strain was associated with elevated pediatric multiple organ dysfunction score (r = 0.44; p < 0.01) CONCLUSIONS:: Compared with healthy children, pediatric septic patients demonstrated abnormal left ventricular and right ventricular strain concerning for early signs of cardiac dysfunction. This was despite having normal ejection fraction and fractional shortening. Abnormal strain was associated with abnormal severity of illness markers. Strain echocardiography may have utility as an early indicator of sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction in pediatric sepsis.

Implementation of a standardized postanesthesia care handoff increases information transfer without increasing handoff duration.

BACKGROUND: In the transition of a patient from the operating room (OR) to the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), it was hypothesized that (1) standardizing the members of sending and receiving teams and (2) requiring a structured handoff process would increase the overall amount of patient information transferred in the OR-to-PACU handoff process. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted at a 311-bed freestanding academic pediatric hospital in Northern California. The intervention, which was conducted in February-March 2013, consisted of (1) requiring the sending team to include a surgeon, an anesthesiologist, and a circulating nurse, and the receiving team to include the PACU nurse; (2) standardizing the content of the handoff on the basis of literature-guided recommendations; and (3) presenting the handoff verbally in the I-PASS format. Data included amount of patient information transferred, duration of handoff, provider presence, and nurse satisfaction. RESULTS: Forty-one audits during the preimplementation phase and 45 audits during the postimplementation phase were analyzed. Overall information transfer scores increased significantly from a mean score of 49% to 83% (p < .0001). Twenty-two PACU nurse satisfaction surveys were completed after the preimplementation phase and 14 surveys were completed in the postimplementation phase. Paired mean total satisfaction scores increased from 36 to 44 (p =. 004). The duration of the handoffs trended downward from 4.1 min to 3.5 min (p = 0.10). CONCLUSION: A standardized, team-based approach to OR-to-PACU handoffs increased the quantity of patient information transferred, increased PACU nurse satisfaction, and did not increase the handoff duration.

Gradient washout and secondary nephrogenic diabetes insipidus after brain injury in an infant: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Disorders of water and sodium balance can occur after brain injury. Prolonged polyuria resulting from central diabetes insipidus and cerebral salt wasting complicated by gradient washout and a type of secondary nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, however, has not been described previously, to the best of our knowledge. We report an unusual case of an infant with glioblastoma who, after tumor resection, was treated for concurrent central diabetes insipidus and cerebral salt wasting complicated by secondary nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. CASE PRESENTATION: A 5-month-old Hispanic girl was found to have a large, hemorrhagic, suprasellar glioblastoma causing obstructive hydrocephalus. Prior to mass resection, she developed central diabetes insipidus. Postoperatively, she continued to have central diabetes insipidus and concurrent cerebral salt wasting soon after. She was managed with a vasopressin infusion, sodium supplementation, fludrocortisone, and urine output replacements. Despite resolution of her other major medical issues, she remained in the pediatric intensive care unit for continual and aggressive management of water and sodium derangements. Starting on postoperative day 18, her polyuria began increasing dramatically and did not abate with increasing vasopressin. Nephrology was consulted. Her blood urea nitrogen was undetectable during this time, and it was thought that she may have developed a depletion of inner medullary urea and osmotic gradient: a "gradient washout." Supplemental dietary protein was added to her enteral nutrition, and her fluid intake was decreased. Within 4 days, her blood urea nitrogen increased, and her vasopressin and fluid replacement requirements significantly decreased. She was transitioned soon thereafter to subcutaneous desmopressin and transferred out of the pediatric intensive care unit. CONCLUSIONS: Gradient washout has not been widely reported in humans, although it has been observed in the mammalian kidneys after prolonged polyuria. Although not a problem with aquaporin protein expression or production, gradient washout causes a different type of secondary nephrogenic diabetes insipidus because the absence of a medullary gradient impairs water reabsorption. We report a case of an infant who developed complex water and sodium imbalances after brain injury. Prolonged polyuria resulting from both water and solute diuresis with low enteral protein intake was thought to cause a urea gradient washout and secondary nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. The restriction of fluid replacements and supplementation of enteral protein appeared adequate to restore the renal osmotic gradient and efficacy of vasopressin.