Authors' Reply on: FOCUS more on POCUS.

How to cite this article: Subramani S, Parameswaran N. Authors' Reply on: FOCUS more on POCUS. Indian J Crit Care Med 2023;27(3):226-227.

Assessment of the Endotracheal Tube Tip Position by Bedside Ultrasound in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: The chest X-ray (CXR) is the standard of practice to assess the tip of the endotracheal tube (ETT) in ventilated children. In many hospitals, it takes hours to get a bedside CXR, and it has radiation exposure. The objective of this study was to find the utility of bedside ultrasound (USG), in assessing the ETT tip position in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Methods: It was a prospective study conducted in the PICU of a tertiary care center involving 135 children aged from 1 month to 60 months, requiring endotracheal intubation. In this study, the authors compared the position of the ETT tip by the CXR (gold standard) and USG. The CXR was taken in children to assess the correct position of the tip of ETT. The USG was used to measure the distance between the tip of ETT and the arch of the aorta, thrice in the same patient. The mean of the three USG readings was compared with the distance between the tip of the ETT and carina in CXR. Results: The reliability of three USG readings was tested by absolute agreement coefficient in intraclass correlation (ICC), 0.986 (95% CI: 0.981-0.989). The sensitivity and specificity of the USG in identifying the correct position of the ETT tip in children when compared to CXR were 98.10% (95% CI: 93.297-99.71%) and 50.0% (95% CI: 31.30-68.70%), respectively. Conclusion: In ventilated children <60 months of age, identifying the tip of ETTs by bedside the USG has good sensitivity (98.10%) but poor specificity (50.0%). How to cite this article: Subramani S, Parameswaran N, Ananthkrishnan R, Abraham S, Chidambaram M, Rameshkumar R, et al. Assessment of the Endotracheal Tube Tip Position by Bedside Ultrasound in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Cross-sectional Study. Indian J Crit Care Med 2022;26(11):1218-1224.

Clinical Profile of Children with Adenovirus Infection - A Hospital-based Observational Study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical profile and determine the factors affecting mortality of children admitted with adenovirus infection in a tertiary care centre in South India. METHODS: In this observational study, respiratory specimens (nasopharyngeal swab / endotracheal aspirate) were collected from all hospitalized pediatric patients presenting with fever, cough, breathlessness, gastrointestinal symptoms, unexplained encephalopathy or multisystem involvement, between February 2023 and August 2023. Infection with adenovirus was determined by viral pathogen panel based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. Those referred from elsewhere with positive adenovirus report but non-availability of treatment details and children with coinfections were excluded. The clinical and laboratory profile of children with adenovirus infection were collected and predictors for in-hospital mortality were determined by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Out of 527 children who were screened, 130 children with a median (IQR) age of 18 (10, 48) months, had adenovirus infection. 84.5% were aged below 5 years. 62 (41.33%) children required intensive care admission. Abnormal chest radiograph, multisystem involvement and non-respiratory illness were present in 90 (69.2%), 97 (74.62%) and 26 (20%) children. Complications included acute respiratory distress syndrome (n = 8), hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (n = 7), left ventricular dysfunction (n = 11), acute liver cell failure (n = 7), acute kidney injury (n = 13), and multiorgan dysfunction (n = 16). Overall mortality was 13%. Acute kidney injury, left ventricular dysfunction and pancytopenia were identified as factors that may be significantly associated with death. CONCLUSION: Multisystem involvement was observed in majority of children presenting with adenovirus infection. Non respiratory presentation is seen in a fifth of children with adenovirus infection.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Associated With Covid-19 - Single-Center Experience.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the clinical presentation, phenotype and outcome of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) from a tertiary care center in southern India. METHODS: 257 children fulfilling the inclusion criteria of MIS-C were prospectively enrolled from June, 2020 to March, 2022. RESULTS: Median (range) age at presentation was 6 year (35 day to 12 years). Presenting features were fever (98%), vomiting (75.8%), red eyes (63%), rashes (49%), pain abdomen (49%), shock (45.9%), lymphopenia (73%, thrombocytopenia (58.3%) and anemia (45%). 103 (39.7%) children required intensive care admission. Shock phenotype, Kawasaki-like phenotype and no specific phenotype were diagnosed in 45.9%, 44.4%, and 36.6% children, respectively. Left ventricular dysfunction (30.3%), acute kidney injury (13%), acute liver failure (17.4%), and hemophagolymphohistiocytosis (HLH) (13.6%) were the major system involvement in MIS-C. Mitral regurgitation (P=0.029), hyperechogenic coronaries (P=0.006), Left ventricular dysfunction (P=0.001) and low ejection fraction (P=0.007) were significantly associated with shock. Overall mortality was 11.7%. CONCLUSION: Kawasaki-like and shock-like presentation were common in MIS-C. Coronary abnormalities were seen in 118 (45.9%) children. Children with acute kidney injury, HLH, need for mechanical ventilation, and echocardiogram evidence of mitral regurgitation in MIS-C have a poor outcome.

Trial of Furosemide to Prevent Acute Kidney Injury in Critically Ill Children: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To study whether furosemide infusion in early-onset acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill children would be associated with a reduced proportion of patients progressing to the higher stage (Injury or Failure) as compared to placebo. METHOD: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized pilot trial was conducted. The authors enrolled children aged 1-mo (corrected) to 12-y, who were diagnosed with AKI ("risk" stage) using pediatric-Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, End stage kidney disease (p-RIFLE) criteria, and achieved immediate resuscitation goals within 24 h of admission. Participants received either furosemide (0.05 to 0.4 mg/kg/h) or placebo (5%-dextrose) infusion. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients progressing to a higher stage (injury or failure). Secondary outcomes were (i) need for renal replacement therapy, (ii) the effect on neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (urine and blood), (iii) fluid balance, (iv) adverse effects, (v) time to achieve renal recovery, (vi) duration of hospital stay and mechanical ventilation, and (vii) all-cause 28-d mortality. RESULTS: The trial was stopped for futility, and data were analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis (furosemide-group: n = 38; placebo-group: n = 37). No significant difference was noted in the progression of AKI to a higher stage between furosemide and placebo groups (10.5% vs. 21.6%; relative risk = 0.49, 95% CI 0.16 to 1.48) (p = 0.22). There were no differences in the secondary outcomes between the study groups. All-cause 28-d mortality was similar between the groups (10.5% vs. 10.8%). No trial-related severe adverse events occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Furosemide infusion in early-onset AKI did not reduce the progression to a higher stage of AKI. A future trial with large sample size is warranted.

Low-Dose (0.05 Unit/kg/hour) vs Standard-Dose (0.1 Unit/kg/hour) Insulin in the Management of Pediatric Diabetic Ketoacidosis: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of insulin infusion of 0.05 Unit/kg/hour vs 0.1 Unit/kg/hour in the management of pediatric diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind controlled clinical trial. SUBJECT: Pediatric critical care division of a tertiary care hospital from October, 2014 to July, 2018. PARTICIPANTS: Children aged 12 years or younger with a diagnosis of DKA. Children with septic shock and those who had received insulin before enrollment were excluded. INTERVENTION: Low-dose (0.05 Unit/kg/hour) vs. Standard-dose (0.1 Unit/kg/hour) insulin infusion. OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary endpoint was time for resolution of DKA (pH ≥7.3, bicarbonate ≥15 mEq/L, beta-hydroxybutyrate <1 mmol/L). Secondary outcomes were the rate of fall in blood glucose until 250 mg/dL or less and the rate of complications (hypokalemia, hypoglycemia, and cerebral edema). RESULTS: Sixty patients were analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis (Low-dose group: n=30; Standard-dose group: n=30). Mean (SD) time taken for the resolution of ketoacidosis was similar in both groups [22 (12) vs 23 (18.5) hours; P=0.92]. The adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI) of the resolution of ketoacidosis was lower in the low-dose group [0.40 (0.19 to 0.85); P=0.017]. Mean (SD) rate of blood glucose decrease until 250 mg/dL or less reached [56 (41) vs 64 (65) mg/dL/hour; P=0.41] and time to achieve the target [4.2 (3.1) vs 4.8 (3.3) hours; P=0.44] were similar in both groups. Hypokalemia [30% vs 43.3%; P=0.28] and hypoglycemia [3.3% vs 13.3%; P=0.35] were lower in low-dose group. No child had cerebral edema, and no mortality occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Time for resolution of ketoacidosis was similar in the low-dose and standard-dose insulin with a lower rate of therapy-related complications in the low-dose group. Hence, low-dose insulin infusion can be a safer approach in the management of pediatric DKA.