Chloral Hydrate Sedation in a Dexmedetomidine Era.

Brief Overview: The use of chloral hydrate as the primary sedation agent has declined across the nation after commercial production of the liquid formulation ceased. Although alternative sedatives have gained popularity, some pharmacies have continued to provide oral chloral hydrate by compounding it from raw ingredients. Thus, oral chloral hydrate use has continued in children despite the availability of alternative effective agents. Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate institutional chloral hydrate utilization as the primary agent for procedural sedation. Design/Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of patients given chloral hydrate for procedural sedation from October 2010 to December 2016. The hospital pharmacy database of chloral hydrate use at our 2 free-standing children's hospitals was reviewed and matched to procedure billing data. Results: There were 5874 chloral hydrate administrations for procedural sedation during the study period. The highest rates of use occurred in 2014, when there were 1420 chloral hydrate orders within our hospital. The large majority of sedations were for cardiac studies/procedures (n = 4250, 72.4%). Conclusions: Despite significant declines in use of chloral hydrate for procedural sedation across the country, local utilization of oral chloral hydrate remains high. Recent declines may be due to high-use clinical sites transitioning to alternative sedatives such as intranasal dexmedetomidine.

Global Health Opportunities in Pediatric Fellowships.

BACKGROUND: Interest in global health (GH) among pediatric residents continues to grow. GH opportunities in pediatric fellowship programs in the United States are poorly described. We aimed to evaluate GH offerings among accredited general and subspecialty pediatric fellowship programs and identify implementation barriers. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study by pediatric GH educators from the Association of Pediatric Program Directors Global Health Learning Community and the American Board of Pediatrics Global Health Task Force. Fellowship program directors and GH educators at accredited US pediatric fellowship programs were surveyed. Data were analyzed by using descriptive and comparative statistics. RESULTS: Data were obtained from 473 of 819 (57.8%) fellowship programs, representing 111 institutions. Nearly half (47.4%) offered GH opportunities as GH electives only (44.2%) or GH tracks and/or fellowships (3.2%) (GHT/Fs). Pretravel preparation and supervision were variable. Programs offering GH opportunities, compared to those without, were more likely to report that GH training improves fellow education (81.9% vs 38.3%; P < .001) and recruitment (76.8% vs 35.9%; P < .001). Since 2005, 10 programs with GHT/Fs have graduated 46 fellows, most of whom are working in GH. Of those with GHT/Fs, 71% believe national accreditation of GH fellowships would define minimum programmatic standards; 64% believe it would improve recruitment and legitimize GH as a subspecialty. CONCLUSIONS: GH experiences are prevalent in accredited US pediatric fellowship programs, and programs offering GH perceive that these opportunities improve fellow education and recruitment. Responses suggest that standards for GH opportunities during fellowship would be useful, particularly regarding pretravel preparation and mentorship for trainees.

Vomiting is not associated with poor outcomes in pediatric victims of unintentional submersions.

INTRODUCTION: The outcome of submersion victims depends on submersion duration and the availability of timely and effective resuscitation. The prognostic implication of vomiting during resuscitation of submersion victims is unclear. The study sought to determine whether vomiting during resuscitation in children treated for unintentional submersion injuries adversely impacts outcome. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of unintentional submersion victims under age 18 treated at an urban tertiary-care children's hospital from 2003-2009. Submersion and victim details were obtained from hospital, EMS, and fatality records. Outcomes studied were survival at 24 hours and condition (Favorable: good/mild impairment or Poor: death/severe disability) at hospital discharge. Descriptive comparisons between emesis groups (yes/no) and categorical covariates were analyzed. RESULTS: There were 281 victims. The median age was 3 years; 66% were males. Most incidents occurred at swimming pools (77%) and bathtubs (16%). Most were hospitalized (83%). The presence or absence of emesis was documented in 246 (88%). Victims with emesis were significantly less likely to have apnea or be intubated in the ED, have a low ED GCS or die. No patient who had emesis died at 24 hours or had a poor outcome at hospital discharge. Victims who had emesis post-resuscitation were significantly more likely to have received CPR or chest compressions than rescue breaths. CONCLUSIONS: Emesis in pediatric submersion victims is inversely associated with death at 24 hours or poor outcome at hospital discharge. The relationship between emesis and the adequacy of resuscitation of pediatric submersion victims needs to be further studied.