Use of Telehealth Across Pediatric Subspecialties Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance: The identification of variation in health care is important for quality improvement. Little is known about how different pediatric subspecialties are using telehealth and what is driving variation. Objective: To characterize trends in telehealth use before and during the COVID-19 pandemic across pediatric subspecialties and the association of delivery change with no-show rates and access disparities. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this cohort study, 8 large pediatric medical groups in California collaborated to share aggregate data on telehealth use for 11 pediatric subspecialties from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2021. Main Outcomes and Measures: Monthly in-person and telehealth visits for 11 subspecialties, characteristics of patients participating in in-person and telehealth visits, and no-show rates. Monthly use rates per 1000 unique patients were calculated. To assess changes in no-show rates, a series of linear regression models that included fixed effects for medical groups and calendar month were used. The demographic characteristics of patients served in person during the prepandemic period were compared with those of patients who received in-person and telehealth care during the pandemic period. Results: In 2019, participating medical groups conducted 1.8 million visits with 549 306 unique patients younger than 18 years (228 120 [41.5%] White and 277 167 [50.5%] not Hispanic). A total of 72 928 patients (13.3%) preferred a language other than English, and 250 329 (45.6%) had Medicaid. In specialties with lower telehealth use (cardiology, orthopedics, urology, nephrology, and dermatology), telehealth visits ranged from 6% to 29% of total visits from May 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021. In specialties with higher telehealth use (genetics, behavioral health, pulmonology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, and neurology), telehealth constituted 38.8% to 73.0% of total visits. From the prepandemic to the pandemic periods, no-show rates slightly increased for lower-telehealth-use subspecialties (9.2% to 9.4%) and higher-telehealth-use subspecialties (13.0% to 15.3%), but adjusted differences (comparing lower-use and higher-use subspecialties) in changes were not statistically significant (difference, 2.5 percentage points; 95% CI, -1.2 to 6.3 percentage points; P = .15). Patients who preferred a language other than English constituted 6140 in-person visits (22.2%) vs 2707 telehealth visits (11.4%) in neurology (P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: There was high variability in adoption of telehealth across subspecialties and in patterns of use over time. The documentation of variation in telehealth adoption can inform evolving telehealth policy for pediatric patients, including the appropriateness of telehealth for different patient needs and areas where additional tools are needed to promote appropriate use.

Cannulating the contraindicated: effect of low birth weight on mortality in neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Restrictions for ECMO in neonates include birth weight less than 2kg (BW <2kg) and/or gestational age less than 34weeks (GA <34weeks). We sought to describe their relationship on mortality. METHODS: Neonates with a primary diagnosis code of CDH were identified in the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) registry, and logistic regression models were used to examine the effect of BW <2kg and GA <34weeks on mortality. RESULTS: We identified 7564 neonates with CDH. The overall mortality was 50%. There was a significantly higher risk of death with unadjusted odds ratio (OR) 2.39 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.53-3.74; P<0.01) for BW <2kg neonates. The adjusted OR of death for BW <2kg neonates remained significantly high with over two-fold increase in the odds of mortality when adjusted for potential confounding variables (OR 2.11, 95% CI: 1.30-3.43; P<0.01). However, no difference in mortality was observed in neonates with GA <34weeks. CONCLUSIONS: While mortality among CDH neonates with a BW <2kg was substantially increased, GA <34weeks was not significantly associated with mortality. Effort should be made to identify the best candidates for ECMO in this high-risk group and develop treatment strategies to optimize their survival. TYPE OF STUDY: Case-Control Study, Retrospective Comparative Study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

Pulse Oximetry Overestimates Oxyhemoglobin in Neonates with Critical Congenital Heart Disease.

BACKGROUND: Pulse oximetry is a key part of the clinical evaluation and management of neonates with congenital heart defects. In 2011, the US Department of Health and Human Services recommended use of routine pulse oximetry to screen for critical congenital heart disease (CCHD). Current studies suggest pulse oximetry overestimates arterial oxygen saturation in moderately hypoxemic pediatric patients. Based on variable hypoxemia in neonates with CCHD, concern exists that present pulse oximeter technology may overestimate measured oxyhemoglobin. OBJECTIVES: To compare pulse oximetry and oxyhemoglobin values in NICU patients with known CCHD to evaluate the ability of pulse oximetry to reliably predict oxyhemoglobin accounting for potential confounding variables such as heart lesion, saturation range, total hemoglobin concentration, peripheral perfusion, and timing of measurements. METHODS: This is a single-center retrospective study. Inclusion criteria were AHA-defined CCHD and umbilical artery blood gas-derived oxyhemoglobin with concurrent pulse oximetry recording during hours of life 0-72. Bland-Altman analysis and the concordance correlation coefficient were used to measure the internal consistency (agreement) between the two measurements. RESULTS: 89 patients were evaluated with 599 paired arterial oxyhemoglobin and pulse oximetry recordings. 47% of all pulse oximetry values were ≥95% - the cutoff for CCHD screening. Pulse oximetry overestimated arterial oxyhemoglobin by a mean of 5.4% over all levels of oxygen saturation. Pulse oximetry overestimation was >3 in 65.4% of measurements, >6 in 41.2% of measurements, and >10 in 15.3% of measurements. Hour of life, total hemoglobin, and peripheral perfusion did not significantly affect the degree of overestimation. CONCLUSIONS: Our results reinforce the concern that present pulse oximeters overestimate oxyhemoglobin values, contributing to some false-negative CCHD screens and potentially leading to unnecessary escalations in care of those patients with diagnosed CCHD. Improvements in pulse oximetry accuracy and precision in the neonate would benefit both screening and clinical care in the NICU.

Small Baby Unit Improves Quality and Outcomes in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants.

OBJECTIVE: The survival rates for extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants have improved, but many are discharged from the hospital with significant challenges. Our goal was to improve outcomes for this population by using a multidisciplinary team-based quality improvement approach. METHODS: A unique program called the Small Baby Unit (SBU) was established in a children's hospital to care for the ELBW infant born at 28 weeks or less and weighing less than 1000 g at birth. These patients were cared for in a separate location from the main neonatal unit. A core multidisciplinary team that participates in ongoing educational and process-improvement collaboration provides care. Evidence-based guidelines and checklists standardized the approach. RESULTS: Data from the 2 years before and 4 years after opening the SBU are included. There was a reduction in chronic lung disease from 47.5% to 35.4% (P = .097). The rate of hospital-acquired infection decreased from 39.3% to 19.4% (P < .001). Infants being discharged with growth restriction (combined weight and head circumference <10th percentile) decreased from 62.3% to 37.3% (P = .001). Reduced resource utilization was demonstrated as the mean number per patient of laboratory tests decreased from 224 to 82 (P < .001) and radiographs decreased from 45 to 22 (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Care in a distinct unit by a consistent multidisciplinary SBU team using quality improvement methods improved outcomes in ELBW infants. Ongoing team engagement and development are required to sustain improved outcomes.

The impact of mechanical ventilation time before initiation of extracorporeal life support on survival in pediatric respiratory failure: a review of the Extracorporeal Life Support Registry.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between duration of mechanical ventilation before the initiation of extracorporeal life support and the survival rate in children with respiratory failure. Extracorporeal life support has been used as a rescue therapy for >30 yrs in children with severe respiratory failure. Previous studies suggest patients who received >7-10 days of mechanical ventilation were not acceptable extracorporeal life support candidates as a result of irreversible lung damage. DESIGN: A retrospective review encompassing the past 10 yrs of the International Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Registry (January 1, 1999, to December 31, 2008). SETTING: Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Registry database. PATIENTS: A total of 1325 children (≥ 30 days and ≤ 18 yrs) met inclusion criteria. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The following pre-extracorporeal life support variables were identified as independently and significantly related to the chance of survival: 1) >14 days of ventilation vs. 0-7 days was adverse (odds ratio, 0.32; p < .001); 2) the presence of a cardiac arrest was adverse (odds ratio, 0.56; p = .001); 3) pH per 0.1-unit increase was protective (odds ratio, 1.15; p < .001); 4) oxygenation index, per 10-unit increase was adverse (odds ratio, 0.95; p = .002); and 5) any diagnosis other than sepsis was related to a more favorable outcome. Patients requiring >7-10 or >10-14 days of pre-extracorporeal life support ventilation did not have a statistically significant decrease in survival as compared with patients who received 0-7 days. CONCLUSIONS: There was a clear relationship between the number of mechanical ventilation days before the initiation of extracorporeal life support and survival. However; there was no statistically significant decrease in survival until >14 days of pre-extracorporeal life support ventilation was reached regardless of underlying diagnosis. We found no evidence to suggest that prolonged mechanical ventilation should be considered as a contraindication to extracorporeal life support in children with respiratory failure before 14 days.