[Factors associated with the prognosis of mechanically ventilated infants and children. An international study]. / Factores asociados al pronóstico de los pacientes pediátricos ventilados mecánicamente. Un estudio internacional.

OBJECTIVE: Identify factors associated with the survival of pediatric patients who are submitted to mechanical ventilation (MV) for more than 12 hours. DESIGN: International prospective cohort study. It was performed between April 1 and May 31 1999. All patients were followed-up during 28 days or discharge to pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). SETTING: 36 PICUs from 7 countries. PATIENTS: A total of 659 ventilated patients were enrolled but 15 patients were excluded because their vital status was unknown on discharge. RESULTS: Overall in-UCIP mortality rate was 15,6%. Recursive partitioning and logistic regression were used and an outcome model was constructed. The variables significantly associated with mortality were: peak inspiratory pressure (PIP), acute renal failure (ARF), PRISM score and severe hypoxemia (PaO2/FiO2 < 100). The subgroup with best outcome (mortality 7%) included patients who were ventilated with a PIP < 35 cmH2O, without ARF, or PaO2/FiO2 > 100 and PRISM < 27. In patients with a mean PaO2/FiO2 < 100 during MV mortality increased to 26% (OR: 4.4; 95% CI 2.0 to 9.4). Patients with a PRISM score > 27 on admission to PICU had a mortality of 43% (OR: 9.6; 95% CI 4,2 to 25,8). Development of acute renal failure was associated with a mortality of 50% (OR: 12.7; 95% CI 6.3 to 25.7). Finally, the worst outcome (mortality 58%) was for patients with a mean PIP >/= 35 cmH2O (OR 17.3; 95% CI 8.5 to 36.3). CONCLUSION: In a large cohort of mechanically ventilated pediatric patients we found that severity of illness at admission, high mean PIP, development of acute renal failure and severe hypoxemia over the course of MV were the factors associated with lower survival rate.

What is the daily practice of mechanical ventilation in pediatric intensive care units? A multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the daily practice of mechanical ventilation (MV), and secondarily, its outcome in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). DESIGN: Prospective cohort of infants and children who received MV for at least 12 h. SETTING: Thirty-six medical surgical PICUs. PATIENTS: All consecutive patients admitted to the PICUs during 2-month period. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of the 1893 patients admitted, 659 (35%) received MV for a median time of 4 days (25th percentile, 75%: 2, 6). Median of age was 13 months (25th percentile, 75%: 5, 48). Common indications for MV were acute respiratory failure (ARF) in 72% of the patients, altered mental status in 14% of the patients, and ARF on chronic pulmonary disease in 10% of the patients. Median length of stay in the PICUs was 8 days (25th percentile, 75%: 5, 13). Overall mortality rate in the PICUs was 15% (confidence interval 95%: 13-18) for the entire population, 50% (95% CI: 25-74) in patients who received MV because of acute respiratory distress syndrome, 24% (95% CI: 16-35) in patients who received MV for altered mental status and 16% (95% CI: 9-29) in patients who received MV for ARF on chronic pulmonary disease. CONCLUSION: One in every 3 patients admitted to the PICUs requires ventilatory support. The ARF was the most common reason for MV, and survival of unselected infants and children receiving MV for more than 12 h was 85%.

Midazolam in the treatment of status epilepticus in children.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy and safety of midazolam given as a continuous infusion in the treatment of status epilepticus in children. DESIGN: Prospective, open study. SETTING: Pediatric intensive care unit. PATIENTS: Twenty-four children with seizures, in whom three repeated intravenous doses of 0.3 mg/kg of diazepam, 20 mg/kg of phenobarbital, and 20 mg/kg of phenytoin failed to bring the episode under control. INTERVENTIONS: All patients received a bolus of midazolam (0.15 mg/kg iv) followed by a continuous infusion at 1 microgram/kg/min. The dose was increased every 15 mins until the episode of seizure was brought under control. Time to control seizures, infusion rate, and side-effects were monitored. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The mean age of the patient population was 2.2 yrs (range 2 months to 12 yrs; 14 female and 10 male). In all patients, seizures were controlled in a mean time of 0.78 hrs (range 15 mins to 4.5 hrs). The mean infusion rate was 2.3 micrograms/kg/min (range 1 to 18). None of the patients had clinically important changes in blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, or respiratory status attributable to the use of midazolam. The mean time to full consciousness for patients after stopping the infusion was 4.2 hrs (range 2 to 8.5). CONCLUSION: Midazolam is an effective and safe drug to control refractory seizures in children with status epilepticus.

The beneficial effects of early dexamethasone administration in infants and children with bacterial meningitis.

BACKGROUND: In experimental models of meningitis and in children with meningitis, dexamethasone has been shown to reduce meningeal inflammation and to improve the outcome of disease. METHODS: We conducted a placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of dexamethasone therapy in 101 infants and children admitted to the National Children's Hospital, San José, Costa Rica, who had culture-proved bacterial meningitis or clinical signs of meningitis and findings characteristic of bacterial infection on examination of the cerebrospinal fluid. The patients were randomly assigned to receive either dexamethasone and cefotaxime (n = 52) or cefotaxime plus placebo (n = 49). Dexamethasone (0.15 mg per kilogram of body weight) was given 15 to 20 minutes before the first dose of cefotaxime and was continued every 6 hours thereafter for four days. RESULTS: The demographic, clinical, and laboratory profiles were similar for the patients in the two treatment groups. By 12 hours after the beginning of therapy, the mean opening cerebrospinal pressure and the estimated cerebral perfusion pressure had improved significantly in the dexamethasone-treated children but worsened in the children treated only with cefotaxime (controls). At 12 hours meningeal inflammation and the concentrations of two cytokines (tumor necrosis factor alpha and platelet-activating factor) in the cerebrospinal fluid had decreased in the dexamethasone-treated children, whereas in the controls the inflammatory response in the cerebrospinal fluid had increased. At 24 hours the clinical condition and mean prognostic score were significantly better among those treated with dexamethasone than among the controls. At follow-up examination after a mean of 15 months, 7 of the surviving 51 dexamethasone-treated children (14 percent) and 18 of 48 surviving controls (38 percent) had one or more neurologic or audiologic sequelae (P = 0.007); the relative risk of sequelae for a child receiving placebo as compared with a child receiving dexamethasone was 3.8 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.3 to 11.5). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study, in which dexamethasone administration began before the initiation of cefotaxime therapy, provide additional evidence of a beneficial effect of dexamethasone therapy in infants and children with bacterial meningitis.