Feeding therapy in a neurotypical child with feeding difficulties: A case report.

A feeding therapy developed in Brazil integrates aspects from diverse approaches and has increasingly been acknowledged as an adjunctive approach for addressing childhood feeding difficulties. In children, problems with eating are a common issue that affects their nutritional well-being, health, and overall quality of life, and can greatly hinder their social, emotional, and physical growth. In the realm of pediatrics, feeding therapy uses food and nutritional education, interactive games, and activities tailored to age groups and individualized treatment plans. The primary objective is to transform mealtime experiences and gradually foster children's acceptance of previously rejected foods. However, this treatment approach is new and recent in Brazil and lacks studies that explore and elucidate the topic. Therefore, this report aims to describe the follow-up and effects of feeding therapy in a 3-y and 8-mo-old neurotypical male patient with feeding difficulties who underwent feeding therapy conducted by a dietitian over a period of 19 wk. The feeding therapy consisted of 45-min sessions once a week in which food and nutrition education activities, games, and interactive activities, personalized according to the treatment plan, were carried out. The effects of feeding therapy were evaluated according to the patient's feeding progression throughout the sessions and their stepwise progress in the eating hierarchy. Based on our observations, the findings of this study suggest that feeding therapy practiced in Brazil can be a viable treatment approach for addressing feeding difficulties within this population. The feeding therapy originated in Brazil stands out from traditional nutritional care with its nurturing and compassionate approach that prioritizes respect for the child.

Net Promoter Score (NPS) as a tool to assess parental satisfaction in pediatric intensive care units

Abstract Objective To verify the performance of the Net Promoter Score (NPS) as a tool to assess parental satisfaction in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). Methods The authors conducted an observational cross-sectional multicenter study in the PICUs of 5 hospitals in Brazil. Eligible participants were all parents or legal guardians of PICU-admitted children, aged 18 years or over. The NPS was administered together with the EMpowerment of PArents in THe Intensive Care (EMPATHIC-30), used as the gold standard, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. For analysis, the results were dichotomized into values greater than or equal to the median of the tests. The associations between the 2 tools were evaluated and the distribution of their results was compared. Results The parents or legal guardians of 78 PICU-admitted children were interviewed. Of the respondents, 85% were women and 62% were in a private hospital. The median NPS was 10 (IQR, 10-10), and the median EMPATHIC-30 score was 5.7 (IQR, 5.4-5.9). Compared with the gold standard, the NPS had a sensitivity of 100% at all cutoff points, except at cutoff 10, where the sensitivity was slightly lower (97.5%). As for specificity, NPS performance was poorer, with values ranging from 0% (NPS ≥ 5) to 47.4% (NPS = 10). Conclusions NPS proved to be a sensitive tool to assess parental satisfaction, but with poor ability to identify dissatisfied users in the sample.

Net Promoter Score (NPS) as a tool to assess parental satisfaction in pediatric intensive care units.

OBJECTIVE: To verify the performance of the Net Promoter Score (NPS) as a tool to assess parental satisfaction in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). METHODS: The authors conducted an observational cross-sectional multicenter study in the PICUs of 5 hospitals in Brazil. Eligible participants were all parents or legal guardians of PICU-admitted children, aged 18 years or over. The NPS was administered together with the EMpowerment of PArents in THe Intensive Care (EMPATHIC-30), used as the gold standard, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. For analysis, the results were dichotomized into values greater than or equal to the median of the tests. The associations between the 2 tools were evaluated and the distribution of their results was compared. RESULTS: The parents or legal guardians of 78 PICU-admitted children were interviewed. Of the respondents, 85% were women and 62% were in a private hospital. The median NPS was 10 (IQR, 10-10), and the median EMPATHIC-30 score was 5.7 (IQR, 5.4-5.9). Compared with the gold standard, the NPS had a sensitivity of 100% at all cutoff points, except at cutoff 10, where the sensitivity was slightly lower (97.5%). As for specificity, NPS performance was poorer, with values ranging from 0% (NPS ≥ 5) to 47.4% (NPS = 10). CONCLUSIONS: NPS proved to be a sensitive tool to assess parental satisfaction, but with poor ability to identify dissatisfied users in the sample.

New-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE) in paediatric patients: causes, characteristics and outcomes.

Background: New-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE) refers to patients without a previous history of seizures who have refractory status epilepticus for at least 72 hours without an identified aetiology. Despite the severe neurological sequelae of NORSE, little is known about this condition in paediatric patients. Objective: To describe the profile of paediatric patients with NORSE, the profile of seizures, possible causes attributed to this condition, treatments offered to patients and the outcomes at discharge from the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Methods: This retrospective, multicentre, descriptive study (case series) was conducted in the PICUs of three tertiary hospitals. We reviewed the medical records of all patients aged 0-16 years admitted to the participating PICUs between December 2013 and December 2017 with refractory status epilepticus, without a previous history of seizures or neurological disease. Results: Fifteen patients (2.4%) had NORSE. The median age of patients was 62.3 (IQR 26.2-75.4) months. All patients experienced prodromes before progressing to refractory status epilepticus. Twelve patients (80%) had fever up to 24 hours before seizures. NORSE was classified as cryptogenic in 66% of patients. Twelve patients were treated with complementary therapies, in addition to anticonvulsants. There was no standardisation in the treatment of patients. The overall mortality rate was 20%. Conclusions: NORSE is associated with high morbidity and mortality, without an identified aetiology in most cases and with a wide range of proposed therapies.

End-of-life practices in patients admitted to pediatric intensive care units in Brazil: A retrospective study

Abstract Objective: To determine the prevalence of life support limitation (LSL) in patients who died after at least 24 h of a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) stay, parent participation and to describe how this type of care is delivered. Methods: Retrospective cohort study in a tertiary PICU at a university hospital in Brazil. All patients aged 1 month to 18 years who died were eligible for inclusion. The exclusion criteria were those brain death and death within 24 h of admission. Results: 53 patients were included in the study. The prevalence of a LSL report was 45.3%. Out of 24 patients with a report of LSL on their medical records only 1 did not have a donot-resuscitate order. Half of the patients with a report of LSL had life support withdrawn. The length of their PICU stay, age, presence of parents at the time of death, and severity on admission, calculated by the Pediatric Index of Mortality 2, were higher in patients with a report of LSL. Compared with other historical cohorts, there was a clear increase in the prevalence of LSL and, most importantly, a change in how limitations are carried out, with a high prevalence of parental participation and an increase in withdrawal of life support. Conclusions: LSLs were associated with older and more severely ill patients, with a high prevalence of family participation in this process. The historical comparison showed an increase in LSL and in the withdrawal of life support.

Comparison of nursing workload in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit estimated by three instruments.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the nursing workload using the Nursing Activities Score (NAS), Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System-28 (TISS-28) and Nine Equivalents of Nursing Manpower Use Score (NEMS) instruments in children admitted to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in a university hospital. METHOD: A prospective cohort study performed in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, with a sample formed of all children hospitalized during the study period. Nursing workload was evaluated using the TISS-28, NEMS and NAS instruments, and further divided into two groups: Group 1 forming a category of basic activities items and Group 2 forming a category of other support and intervention activities. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 490 Pediatric Intensive Care Unit admissions, totaling 4617 observations. NAS presented the best estimate of total working hours. TISS-28 and NEMS showed better agreement and the results showed strong correlations between NAS and TISS-28 and between NEMS and TISS-28. In Group 1 (basic activities), NAS(1) and TISS-28(1) showed moderate correlation, in Group 2 (specialized activities) the three instruments showed strong correlations. CONCLUSION: NAS stood out in the evaluation of nursing workload and showed good correlation and agreement with the TISS-28.

Performance of prognostic markers in pediatric sepsis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognostic performance of the Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 (PIM2), ferritin, lactate, C-reactive protein (CRP), and leukocytes, alone and in combination, in pediatric patients with sepsis admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in a PICU in Brazil. All patients aged 6 months to 18 years admitted with a diagnosis of sepsis were eligible for inclusion. Those with ferritin and C-reactive protein measured within 48h and lactate and leukocytes within 24h of admission were included in the prognostic performance analysis. RESULTS: Of 350 eligible patients with sepsis, 294 had undergone all measurements required for analysis and were included in the study. PIM2, ferritin, lactate, and CRP had good discriminatory power for mortality, with PIM2 and ferritin being superior to CRP. The cutoff values for PIM2 (> 14%), ferritin (> 135ng/mL), lactate (> 1.7mmol/L), and CRP (> 6.7mg/mL) were associated with mortality. The combination of ferritin, lactate, and CRP had a positive predictive value of 43% for mortality, similar to that of PIM2 alone (38.6%). The combined use of the three biomarkers plus PIM2 increased the positive predictive value to 76% and accuracy to 0.945. CONCLUSIONS: PIM2, ferritin, lactate, and CRP alone showed good prognostic performance for mortality in pediatric patients older than 6 months with sepsis. When combined, they were able to predict death in three-fourths of the patients with sepsis. Total leukocyte count was not useful as a prognostic marker.

Clinical Outcomes in Critically Ill Children With Excess Weight: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Because of its high prevalence and negative impact on quality of life and longevity, overweight in childhood and adolescence is a major public health concern. The objective of the present study was to determine whether excess weight is associated with clinical outcomes in critically ill children and adolescents admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). METHOD: This retrospective cohort study was performed with children and adolescents admitted to a PICU over 3 years. Nutrition status was classified based on the body mass index z-score for age, following World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. The following outcomes were assessed: mortality, need for mechanical ventilation, length of admission, and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. RESULTS: Of 1468 patients admitted during the study period, 1407 were included in the study: 956 (68.0%) had adequate weight, 228 (16.2%) were overweight, and 223 (15.8%) were underweight. Associations were detected between most variables and all nutrition categories (underweight, adequate weight, and overweight). In the descriptive analysis, mortality was more prevalent in nutrition status extremes (extremely underweight or overweight). An independent association between nutrition status and mortality was not detected in any category. CONCLUSION: Nutrition status was not independently associated with poor outcomes. However, overweight should be considered a potential risk factor for adverse clinical outcomes in PICU admissions.

End-of-life practices in patients admitted to pediatric intensive care units in Brazil: A retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of life support limitation (LSL) in patients who died after at least 24h of a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) stay, parent participation and to describe how this type of care is delivered. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study in a tertiary PICU at a university hospital in Brazil. All patients aged 1 month to 18 years who died were eligible for inclusion. The exclusion criteria were those brain death and death within 24h of admission. RESULTS: 53 patients were included in the study. The prevalence of a LSL report was 45.3%. Out of 24 patients with a report of LSL on their medical records only 1 did not have a do-not-resuscitate order. Half of the patients with a report of LSL had life support withdrawn. The length of their PICU stay, age, presence of parents at the time of death, and severity on admission, calculated by the Pediatric Index of Mortality 2, were higher in patients with a report of LSL. Compared with other historical cohorts, there was a clear increase in the prevalence of LSL and, most importantly, a change in how limitations are carried out, with a high prevalence of parental participation and an increase in withdrawal of life support. CONCLUSIONS: LSLs were associated with older and more severely ill patients, with a high prevalence of family participation in this process. The historical comparison showed an increase in LSL and in the withdrawal of life support.

Comparison of nursing workload in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit estimated by three instruments / Comparação da carga de trabalho de enfermagem em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Pediátrica estimada por três instrumentos / Comparación de la carga de trabajo de enfermería en Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátrica estimada por tres instrumentos

ABSTRACT Objective: To compare the nursing workload using the Nursing Activities Score (NAS), Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System-28 (TISS-28) and Nine Equivalents of Nursing Manpower Use Score (NEMS) instruments in children admitted to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in a university hospital. Method: A prospective cohort study performed in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, with a sample formed of all children hospitalized during the study period. Nursing workload was evaluated using the TISS-28, NEMS and NAS instruments, and further divided into two groups: Group 1 forming a category of basic activities items and Group 2 forming a category of other support and intervention activities. Results: The sample consisted of 490 Pediatric Intensive Care Unit admissions, totaling 4617 observations. NAS presented the best estimate of total working hours. TISS-28 and NEMS showed better agreement and the results showed strong correlations between NAS and TISS-28 and between NEMS and TISS-28. In Group 1 (basic activities), NAS(1) and TISS-28(1) showed moderate correlation, in Group 2 (specialized activities) the three instruments showed strong correlations. Conclusion: NAS stood out in the evaluation of nursing workload and showed good correlation and agreement with the TISS-28.

RESUMO Objetivo: Comparar a carga de trabalho de enfermagem por meio dos instrumentos Nursing Activities Score (NAS), Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System-28 (TISS-28) e Nine Equivalents of Nursing Manpower Use Score (NEMS) em crianças internadas em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Pediátrica de um hospital universitário. Método: Estudo de coorte prospectivo realizado em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Pediátrica, com amostra constituída por todas as crianças internadas durante o período do estudo. A carga de trabalho de enfermagem foi avaliada por meio dos instrumentos TISS-28, NEMS e NAS, e posteriormente dividida em dois grupos: Grupo 1 formando uma categoria de itens de atividades básicas; Grupo 2 formando uma categoria de outras atividades de apoio e intervenção. Resultados: A amostra foi composta por 490 internações em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Pediátrica, totalizando 4617 observações. O NAS apresentou a melhor estimativa do total de horas de trabalho. O TISS-28 e o NEMS apresentaram melhor concordância e os resultados apresentaram fortes correlações entre NAS e TISS-28 e entre NEMS e TISS-28. No Grupo 1 (atividades básicas), o NAS(1) e o TISS-28(1) apresentaram correlação moderada, no Grupo 2 (atividades especializadas) os três instrumentos apresentaram correlações fortes. Conclusão: O NAS destacou-se na avaliação da carga de trabalho de enfermagem e apresentou boa correlação e concordância com o TISS-28.

RESUMEN Objetivo: Comparar la carga de trabajo de enfermería a través de los instrumentos Nursing Activities Score (NAS), Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System-28 (TISS-28) y Nine Equivalents of Nursing Manpower Use Score (NEMS) en niños ingresados en Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátrica de un hospital universitario. Método: Estudio de cohorte prospectivo realizado en Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátrica, con muestra constituida por todos los niños ingresados durante el período de estudio. La carga de trabajo de enfermería fue evaluada a través de los instrumentos TISS-28, NEMS y NAS y, posteriormente dividida en dos grupos: Grupo 1 formando una categoría de ítems de actividades básicas; Grupo 2 formando una categoría de otras actividades de apoyo e intervención. Resultados: La muestra fue compuesta por 490 ingresos en Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátrica, en un total de 4617 observaciones. El NAS presentó la mejor estimativa del total de horas trabajadas. El TISS-28 y el NEMS presentaron mejor concordancia y los resultados demostraron fuertes correlaciones entre NAS y TISS-28 y entre NEMS y TISS-28. En el grupo 1 (actividades básicas), el NAS(1) y el TISS-28(1) presentaron correlación moderada, en el Grupo 2 (actividades especializadas) los tres instrumentos presentaron correlaciones fuertes. Consideraciones Finales: El NAS se destacó en la evaluación de la carga de trabajo de enfermería y presentó buena correlación y concordancia con el TISS-28.