International Survey on Determinants of Antibiotic Duration and Discontinuation in Pediatric Critically Ill Patients.

OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that antibiotic use in PICUs is based on criteria not always supported by evidence. We aimed to describe determinants of empiric antibiotic use in PICUs in eight different countries. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: PICUs in Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Thailand, and Brazil. SUBJECTS: Pediatric intensivists. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We used literature review and focus groups to develop the survey and its clinical scenarios (pneumonia, septic shock, meningitis, and intra-abdominal infections) in which cultures were unreliable due to antibiotic pretreatment. Data analyses included descriptive statistics and linear regression with bootstrapped SEs. Overall response rate was 39% (482/1,251), with individual country response rates ranging from 25% to 76%. Respondents in all countries prolonged antibiotic duration based on patient characteristics, disease severity, pathogens, and radiologic findings (from a median increase of 1.8 d [95% CI, 0.5-4.0 d] to 9.5 d [95% CI, 8.5-10.5 d]). Younger age, severe disease, and ventilator-associated pneumonia prolonged antibiotic treatment duration despite a lack of evidence for such practices. No variables were reported to shorten treatment duration for all countries. Importantly, more than 39% of respondents would use greater than or equal to 7 days of antibiotics for patients with a positive viral polymerase chain reaction test in all scenarios, except in France for pneumonia (29%), septic shock (13%), and meningitis (6%). The use of elevated levels of inflammatory markers to prolong antibiotic treatment duration varied among different countries. CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotic-related decisions are complex and may be influenced by cultural and contextual factors. Evidence-based criteria are necessary to guide antibiotic duration and ensure the rational use of antibiotics in PICUs.

Early fluid overload was associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation and more aggressive parameters in critically ill paediatric patients.

AIM: We evaluated the influence of early fluid overload on critically ill children admitted to a paediatric intensive care unit by examining mechanical ventilation (MV), mortality, length of stay and renal replacement therapy. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study covered January 2015 to December 2016 and focused on all episodes of MV support that exceeded 24 hours. The fluid overload percentage (FO%) was calculated daily for the first 72 hours and we estimated its effect on outcomes. RESULTS: We included 186 MV episodes in 154 patients. The median age was 13.8 months, with an interquartile range (IQR) of 3.8-34.0 months, and the mortality rate was 12.4%. The median FO% in the first 72 hours was 8.0% (IQR 3.6%-11.2%). An FO% of ≥10% was associated with higher ventilatory parameters, namely peak inspiratory pressure (P = .023) and positive end expiratory pressure (P = .003), and renal replacement therapy (P = .02) and higher mortality (8.8% vs 19.7%). In a multivariate Cox regression model, FO ≥ 10% at 72 hours was independently associated with longer MV support, but not mortality (P = .001). CONCLUSION: In a heterogeneous paediatric population given MV, an early cumulative FO of ≥10% was associated with more aggressive ventilatory parameters and prolonged length of MV, but not mortality.

Risk factors for extubation failure in mechanically ventilated pediatric patients.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the incidence of extubation failure and its associated risk factors among mechanically ventilated children. METHOD: Prospective cohort study. Children who were mechanically ventilated for longer than 12 hrs were followed up to 48 hrs after extubation. Cases of upper airway obstruction, accidental extubation, tracheostomy, or death before extubation were excluded. Extubation failure was defined as reintubation within 48 hrs after extubation. Student's t -test, Mann-Whitney, and chi-squared tests, odds ratio with 95% confidence interval, and multivariate analysis were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Extubation failure rate was 10.5% (13 of 124 patients). Variables associated with extubation failure were age between 1 and 3 mos (odds ratio [OR] = 5.68; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.58-20.42), mechanical ventilation >15 days (OR = 6.36; 95% CI = 1.32-30.61), mean oxygenation index (OI) >5 (OR = 4.08; 95% CI = 1.25-13.30), mean airway pressure 24 hrs before extubation lower than 5 cm H(2)O (OR = 6.03; 95% CI = 1.48-24.60), continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) (OR = 4.71; 95% CI = 1.34-16.58), dopamine and dobutamine use (OR = 3.71; 95% CI = 1.08-12.78), intravenous sedation >10 days (OR = 6.60; 95% CI = 1.62-26.90), tachypnea and subcostal retractions (relative risk [RR] = 3.68; 95% CI = 1.14-11.93), and inspired fraction of oxygen (Fio(2)) > 0.4 after extubation (RR = 3.63; 95% CI = 1.21-10.88). After multiple logistic regression analysis, age between 1 and 3 mos, mean OI > 5, CPAP and mechanical ventilation >15 days remained associated with extubation failure. CONCLUSION: Extubation failure was more frequent among young infants who received prolonged ventilatory support and intravenous sedation, used CPAP, had impaired lung oxygenation, and required inotropic therapy.