Criterios de ingreso y alta y organización de los cuidados intensivos pediátricos / Guidelines of admission, discharge and organization of the pediatric intensive care

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Administración segura de medicamentos intravenosos en pediatría: 5 años de experiencia de una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos con bombas de infusión inteligentes (AU) / Safe intravenous administration in pediatrics: A 5-year Pediatric Intensive Care Unit experience with smart pumps

OBJETIVOS: Estimar el impacto de la implantación de bombas de infusión inteligentes en una unidad de cuidados intensivos pediátricos en cuanto al número y tipo de errores de administración interceptados DISEÑO: Estudio observacional, prospectivo, realizado de enero de 2010 a marzo de 2015 con las bombas volumétricas y de jeringa disponibles en el hospital. Ámbito: Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos de un hospital general de tercer nivel. PARTICIPANTES: Todas las infusiones programadas con bomba de infusión en los pacientes ingresados en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos. INTERVENCIONES: Elaboración de una biblioteca de fármacos con límites de seguridad a través de la cual se programarían todas las infusiones intravenosas prescritas. Variables principales: Se analizó la adherencia a la biblioteca de fármacos y el número y tipo de errores evitados según las alarmas generadas en el sistema. RESULTADOS: Se interceptaron 283 errores reales de programación durante los 62 meses que duró el estudio. En el 58% de los errores estuvo implicado un fármaco de alto riesgo, como agonistas y antagonistas adrenérgicos, sedantes, analgésicos, bloqueantes neuromusculares, opiáceos, potasio e insulina. Durante este período, la adherencia media de los usuarios al software de seguridad fue del 84%. CONCLUSIONES: La implantación de bombas de infusión inteligentes ha demostrado ser eficaz en la intercepción de errores de programación relacionados con fármacos de alto riesgo. Esta herramienta es susceptible de implantarse en otras unidades de pacientes críticos, tanto adultos como pediátricos. La colaboración multidisciplinar es clave para el éxito del proceso

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the impact of smart pump implementation in a pediatric intensive care unit in terms of number and type of administration errors intercepted. DESIGN: Observational, prospective study carried out from January 2010 to March 2015 with syringe and great volumen infusion pumps available in the hospital. SETTING: A tertiary level hospital pediatric intensive care unit. PARTICIPANTS: Infusions delivered with infusion pumps in all pediatric intensive care unit patients. INTERVENTIONS: Design of a drug library with safety limits for all intravenous drugs prescribed. MAIN VARIABLES: Users' compliance with drug library as well as number and type of errors prevented were analyzed. RESULTS: Two hundred and eighty-three errors were intercepted during 62 months of study. A high risk drug was involved in 58% of prevented errors, such as adrenergic agonists and antagonists, sedatives, analgesics, neuromuscular blockers, opioids, potassium and insulin. Users' average compliance with the safety software was 84%. CONCLUSIONS: Smart pumps implementation has proven effective in intercepting high risk drugs programming errors. These results might be exportable to other critical care units, involving pediatric or adult patients. Interdisciplinary colaboration is key to succeed in this process

Docencia e investigación en Pediatría en el Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón / Medical education and investigation in Pediatric in the Hospital Materno Infantil Gregorio Marañón

La docencia y la investigación son actividades esenciales en un hospital y por esa razón la docencia pregrado y posgrado y la investigación deben desarrollarse y coordinarse de forma integrada con la asistencia clinica. El Hospital Materno Infantil Gregorio Marañón tiene una importante actividad docente pregrado, tanto en Medicina como parte de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, como en enfermería. A nivel posgrado realiza la formación de residentes de Pediatría, Cirugía Pediátrica, Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria y Enfermería Pediátrica e imparte múltiples cursos de formación continuada a profesionales sanitarios y padres. El Hospital Materno Infantil Gregorio Marañón es uno de los hospitales españoles con mayor producción científica, mayor número de proyectos de investigación y mayor capacidad de formación de investigadores. El objetivo en el futuro debe ser desarrollar una política institucional docente e investigadora coordinadas que integre la docencia y la investigación médica y de enfermería. Es necesario potenciar la integración y el reconocimiento de la actividad docente e investigadora en la práctica clínica, aumentar la formación de los profesionales en metodología docente e investigadora, estimular las áreas del hospital con menor desarrollo, facilitar la participación en redes de investigación nacionales e internacionales, e integrar la docencia e investigación en los proyectos de cooperación (AU)

Teaching and research are very important activities in a children's hospital and for that reason undergraduate and graduate teaching and research must be developed and coordinated and integrated with clinical care. The Maternal and Children Gregorio Marañón Hospital has an important undergraduate teaching, both in medicine as part of the Complutense University of Madrid, as in nursing. The Maternal and Child Gregorio Marañón Hospital performs prostgraduate residency training in Pediatrics, Pediatric Surgery and Pediatric Nursing and provides multiple continuing education courses for health professionals and parents. The Maternal and Children Gregorio Marañón Hospital is one of the Spanish hospitals with higher scientific production, as many research projects and greater capacity for research training. The goal in the future must be to develop an educational institutional policy to coordinate and integrate medical and nursing research and teaching. It is necessary to enhance integration and recognition of the teaching and research activities in clinical practice, increase education of health professionals in teaching and research methodology, stimulate areas of the hospital with lower development, facilitate participation in research networks, and integrate teaching and research in the cooperation projects (AU)

Safe intravenous administration in pediatrics: A 5-year Pediatric Intensive Care Unit experience with smart pumps. / Administración segura de medicamentos intravenosos en pediatría: 5 años de experiencia de una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos con bombas de infusión inteligentes.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the impact of smart pump implementation in a pediatric intensive care unit in terms of number and type of administration errors intercepted. DESIGN: Observational, prospective study carried out from January 2010 to March 2015 with syringe and great volumen infusion pumps available in the hospital. SETTING: A tertiary level hospital pediatric intensive care unit. PARTICIPANTS: Infusions delivered with infusion pumps in all pediatric intensive care unit patients. INTERVENTIONS: Design of a drug library with safety limits for all intravenous drugs prescribed. MAIN VARIABLES: Users' compliance with drug library as well as number and type of errors prevented were analyzed. RESULTS: Two hundred and eighty-three errors were intercepted during 62 months of study. A high risk drug was involved in 58% of prevented errors, such as adrenergic agonists and antagonists, sedatives, analgesics, neuromuscular blockers, opioids, potassium and insulin. Users' average compliance with the safety software was 84%. CONCLUSIONS: Smart pumps implementation has proven effective in intercepting high risk drugs programming errors. These results might be exportable to other critical care units, involving pediatric or adult patients. Interdisciplinary colaboration is key to succeed in this process.

Morbimortalidad asociada al daño renal agudo en pacientes ingresados en unidades de cuidados intensivos pediátricos / Morbimortality associated to acute kidney injury in patients admitted to pediatric intensive care units

OBJETIVO: Analizar la morbimortalidad asociada a daño renal agudo (DRA) definido por los criterios RIFLE adaptados a Pediatría en los niños que ingresan en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos (UCIP). DISEÑO: Estudio retrospectivo de cohorte. Ámbito: UCIP de un hospital terciario. Pacientes o participantes: Trescientos veinte niños ingresados en la UCIP en el año 2011. Se excluyeron los neonatos y los trasplantados renales. Variables principales El DRA fue definido con los criterios RIFLE adaptados a Pediatría. Para la valoración de la morbimortalidad se utilizó la duración de las estancias en la UCIP y en el hospital, la necesidad de ventilación mecánica y la mortalidad. RESULTADOS: Se estudiaron 315 niños, con una mediana de edad de 19 meses (6-72). Presentaron DRA 128 niños (40,6%) (73 en la categoría de Risk [riesgo] y 55 en las categorías Injury [daño] y Failure [fallo]). Los niños con DRA presentaron mayor mortalidad (11,7%) que el resto de pacientes (0,5%), una estancia más prolongada en UCIP (6,0 [4,0-12,5] frente a 3,5 [2,0-7,0] días) y en el hospital (17 (10-32) frente a 10 (7-15] días) y más niños precisaron ventilación mecánica (61,7 frente a 36,9%). El desarrollo de DRA fue un factor independiente de morbilidad, asociado a una mayor estancia en UCIP y hospitalaria y a una ventilación mecánica más prolongada, incrementándose esta morbilidad de forma paralela a la gravedad del daño renal. CONCLUSIÓN: El desarrollo de DRA en niños en estado crítico se asocia a un incremento en la morbimortalidad, que es directamente proporcional a la magnitud de la gravedad del daño renal

AIM: To describe the morbimortality associated to the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) defined by the pediatric adaptation of the RIFLE criteria in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study was carried out. SETTING: Children admitted to a PICU in a tertiary care hospital. Patients or participants A total of 320 children admitted to a tertiary care hospital PICU during the year 2011. Neonates and renal transplant patients were excluded. Primary endpoints AKI was defined and classified according to the pediatric adaptation to the RIFLE criteria. PICU and hospital stays, use of mechanical ventilation and mortality were used to evaluate morbimortality. RESULTS: A total of 315 children met the inclusion criteria, with a median age of 19 months (range 6-72). Of these patients, 128 presented AKI (73 reached the Risk category and 55 reached the Injury and Failure categories). Children with AKI presented a longer PICU stay (6.0 [4.0-12.5] vs. 3.5 [2.0-7.0] days) and hospital stay (17 [10-32] vs. 10 [7-15] days), and a greater need for mechanical ventilation (61.7 vs. 36.9%). The development of AKI was an independent factor of morbidity, associated with a longer PICU and hospital stay, and with a need for longer mechanical ventilation, with a proportional relationship between increasing morbidity and the severity of AKI. CONCLUSION: The development of AKI in critically ill children is associated with increased morbimortality, which is proportional to the severity of renal injury

Morbimortality associated to acute kidney injury in patients admitted to pediatric intensive care units.

AIM: To describe the morbimortality associated to the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) defined by the pediatric adaptation of the RIFLE criteria in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study was carried out. SETTING: Children admitted to a PICU in a tertiary care hospital. Patients or participants A total of 320 children admitted to a tertiary care hospital PICU during the year 2011. Neonates and renal transplant patients were excluded. Primary endpoints AKI was defined and classified according to the pediatric adaptation to the RIFLE criteria. PICU and hospital stays, use of mechanical ventilation and mortality were used to evaluate morbimortality. RESULTS: A total of 315 children met the inclusion criteria, with a median age of 19 months (range 6-72). Of these patients, 128 presented AKI (73 reached the Risk category and 55 reached the Injury and Failure categories). Children with AKI presented a longer PICU stay (6.0 [4.0-12.5] vs. 3.5 [2.0-7.0] days) and hospital stay (17 [10-32] vs. 10 [7-15] days), and a greater need for mechanical ventilation (61.7 vs. 36.9%). The development of AKI was an independent factor of morbidity, associated with a longer PICU and hospital stay, and with a need for longer mechanical ventilation, with a proportional relationship between increasing morbidity and the severity of AKI. CONCLUSION: The development of AKI in critically ill children is associated with increased morbimortality, which is proportional to the severity of renal injury.

Impact on knowledge and practice of an intervention to control catheter infection in the ICU.

Information on the impact of care bundles has been mainly acquired in adult intensive care units (ICUs). However, specific data for educational programs are scarce. Our objective was to analyze the impact of an educational program on the knowledge and prevention of catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) in two pediatric intensive care units (P-ICUs). A prospective study was carried out at a large teaching institution in Madrid, Spain. Healthcare workers' (HCWs) knowledge of guidelines for the prevention of CRBSI was assessed before and after the educational program using a questionnaire covering 12 issues. A 20-min program was offered to all HCWs on each ICU shift. The incidence density of CRBSI was assessed before, during, and after the educational program. A total of 174 questionnaires were completed by HCWs from both the neonatal ICU (N-ICU) and the P-ICU before the intervention and 54 were completed after the intervention (120 participants were not present during this period). The incidence density of CRBSI before, during, and after the intervention was 6.2, 5.2, and 9.3 in the N-ICU and 2.2, 3.1, and 2.9 in the P-ICU (p > 0.05). A single 20-min educational intervention on the prevention of CRBSI significantly improved HCWs' knowledge, but was not enough to reduce the incidence density of CRBSI.

Guidelines for preventing catheter infection: assessment of knowledge and practice among paediatric and neonatal intensive care healthcare workers.

We analysed knowledge of and adherence to guidelines for the prevention of catheter-related infection (CRI) among Spanish healthcare workers (HCWs) from paediatric and neonatal intensive care units by distributing 357 questionnaires to 31 Spanish hospitals. The overall mean scores for individual knowledge and daily practice were 5.61 and 5.78, respectively. Our results reveal room for improvement in Spanish HCWs' knowledge of prevention of CRI. Continuing education programmes and implementation of care bundles must be introduced to improve prevention and management of CRI.

Ingreso prolongado en la unidad de cuidados intensivos pediátricos: mortalidad y consumo de recursos asistenciales / Prolonged stay in pediatric intensive care units: mortality and health care resource

Objetivo: Analizar la mortalidad y el consumo de recursos de los niños con ingreso prolongado en unidades de cuidados intensivos pediátricos (UCIP).Diseño: Estudio descriptivo retrospectivo de una serie de casos.Ámbito: UCIP médico-quirúrgica de un hospital de tercer nivel.Pacientes: Se recogieron los datos de los pacientes ingresados durante 28 o más días en la UCIPentre 2006 y 2010. De los 2.118 pacientes ingresados entre 2006 y 2010, 83 (3,9%) requirieron ingreso prolongado.Variables de interés: Se analizaron la morbimortalidad y el consumo de recursos por los pacientescon ingreso prolongado.Resultados: La mortalidad de los pacientes con ingreso prolongado fue mayor (22,9%) que la del resto de los pacientes (2%) (p < 0,001). En un 52,6% de estos pacientes el fallecimiento se produjo tras la limitación del esfuerzo terapéutico o por no iniciar medidas de reanimación. Los pacientes con ingreso prolongado presentaron una elevada incidencia de infección nosocomial (96,3%) y un elevado consumo de los recursos asistenciales (el 97,6% precisó ventilación mecánica;el 90,2%, transfusión de hemoderivados; el 86,7% fármacos vasoactivos intravenosos, y el22,9%, oxigenación por membrana extracorpórea (ECMO).Conclusiones: Los niños en estado crítico con ingreso prolongado en la UCIP tienen una elevada morbimortalidad y requieren un elevado consumo de recursos asistenciales. Son necesarias medidas específicas que permitan identificar precozmente a los pacientes susceptibles de presentar ingreso prolongado para adecuar las medidas terapéuticas y los recursos disponibles y mejorar la eficiencia del tratamiento (AU)

Objective: To analyze mortality and resource consumption in patients with long stays in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs).Design: A retrospective, descriptive case series study.Scope: Medical-surgical PICU in a third level hospital.Patients: Data were collected from patients with a stay of 28 days or more in PICU between 2006 and 2010. Of the 2118 patients assisted in this period, 83 (3.9%) required prolonged stay.Study variables: Morbidity-mortality and resource consumption among patients with prolonged stay in the PICU. Results: Mortality was higher in patients with a long stay (22.9%) than in the rest of patients (2%)(p < 0.001). In 52.6% of these patients, death occurred after with drawal of treatment or after not starting resuscitation measures. Patients with prolonged stay showed a high incidence of nosocomial infection (96.3%) and an important consumption of healthcare resources (97.6% required conventional mechanical ventilation, 90.2% required transfusion of blood products, 86.7% required intravenous vasoactive drugs and 22.9% required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation[ECMO]).Conclusions: Critical children with prolonged stay in the PICU show important morbidity and mortality, and an important consumption of healthcare resources. The adoption of specific measures permitting early identification of patients at risk of prolonged stay is needed in order to adapt therapeutic measures and available resources, and to improve treatment efficiency (AU)

[Prolonged stay in pediatric intensive care units: mortality and healthcare resource consumption]. / Ingreso prolongado en la unidad de cuidados intensivos pediátricos: mortalidad y consumo de recursos asistenciales.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze mortality and resource consumption in patients with long stays in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). DESIGN: A retrospective, descriptive case series study. SCOPE: Medical-surgical PICU in a third level hospital. PATIENTS: Data were collected from patients with a stay of 28 days or more in PICU between 2006 and 2010. Of the 2118 patients assisted in this period, 83 (3.9%) required prolonged stay. STUDY VARIABLES: Morbidity-mortality and resource consumption among patients with prolonged stay in the PICU. RESULTS: Mortality was higher in patients with a long stay (22.9%) than in the rest of patients (2%) (p<0.001). In 52.6% of these patients, death occurred after withdrawal of treatment or after not starting resuscitation measures. Patients with prolonged stay showed a high incidence of nosocomial infection (96.3%) and an important consumption of healthcare resources (97.6% required conventional mechanical ventilation, 90.2% required transfusion of blood products, 86.7% required intravenous vasoactive drugs and 22.9% required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation [ECMO]). CONCLUSIONS: Critical children with prolonged stay in the PICU show important morbidity and mortality, and an important consumption of healthcare resources. The adoption of specific measures permitting early identification of patients at risk of prolonged stay is needed in order to adapt therapeutic measures and available resources, and to improve treatment efficiency.

[Evaluation of a paediatric critical care training program for residents in paediatrics]. / Evaluación de un programa de formación en cuidados intensivos pediátricos para residentes de pediatría.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a training program in paediatric critical care for residents in paediatrics. METHODS: Description of a paediatric critical care training program for residents in paediatrics. To evaluate the results of the program an initial, and final written test, an evaluation by the physician responsible for the program, a self-evaluation by the residents, and a written survey on the quality of the training program, were performed. RESULTS: From April 1998 to August 2009, 156 residents were included in the training program. All residents showed an improvement between the initial and final written test; initial score (5.6+/-1.2), final score (8.6+/-0.7) (P<0.001). Only 14.1% of the residents answered at least 70 % of the questions correctly in the initial test, compared with 96.6 % in the final test (P<0.001). The score in final test was significantly higher than the self-evaluation by the residents (6.7+/-1.2) and the evaluation by the tutor (6.9+/-0.9) (P<0.001). There were no differences between the practical self-evaluation by the residents (6.2+/-1.0) and the practical evaluation by the tutor (6.7+/-0.9). Residents considered the training program as adequate: theoretical education (8.5+/-0.8), resident handbook (9+/-0.9), practical training (8.3+/-1.0), investigation (7.6+/-2.0) and human relationship (9.2+/-0.9). CONCLUSIONS: This training program is an useful educational method for training paediatric intensive care residents. The evaluation of the training program is essential to improve the education in paediatric residents.

Evaluación de un programa de formación en cuidados intensivos pediátricos para residentes de pediatría / Evaluation of a paediatric critical care training program for residents in paediatrics

Objetivo: Evaluar los resultados de un programa de formación en cuidados intensivos pediátricos para residentes de Pediatría. Métodos: Se diseñó un programa de formación en cuidados intensivos pediátricos para médicos residentes de Pediatría y se evaluaron los resultados con una prueba teórica escrita inicial y final, una evaluación por el médico responsable, una autoevaluación de los residentes y una encuesta escrita sobre la calidad del programa. Resultados: Desde abril del 1998 hasta agosto de 2009, se incluyeron a 156 residentes en el programa de formación. Los residentes mostraron mejoría entre la evaluación teórica inicial (5,6±1,2) y la final (8,6±0,7) (p<0,001). Un 14,1% contestó correctamente al menos el 70 % de las preguntas de la evaluación inicial y un 96,6 % de la final (p<0,001). La puntuación teórica final fue significativamente más alta que la autoevaluación de los residentes (6,7±1,2) y la evaluación de los tutores (6,9±0,9) (p<0,001). No hubo diferencias entre la autoevaluación práctica de los residentes (5,8±1,3) y la evaluación práctica del tutor (6,7±0,9). Los residentes consideraron adecuado el programa formativo: formación teórica (8,5±0,8), manual de residentes (9±0,9), educación práctica (8,3±1,0), investigación (7,6±2,0) y trato humano (9,2±0,9). Conclusiones: El programa descrito es un método educativo útil para la formación teórica y práctica de los residentes de Pediatría en cuidados intensivos. La evaluación del programa de entrenamiento es esencial para mejorar la formación de los residentes de Pediatría (AU)

Objective: To evaluate a training program in paediatric critical care for residents in paediatrics. Methods: Description of a paediatric critical care training program for residents in paediatrics. To evaluate the results of the program an initial, and final written test, an evaluation by the physician responsible for the program, a self-evaluation by the residents, and a written survey on the quality of the training program, were performed. Results: From April 1998 to August 2009, 156 residents were included in the training program. All residents showed an improvement between the initial and final written test; initial score (5.6±1.2), final score (8.6±0.7) (P<0.001). Only 14.1% of the residents answered at least 70 % of the questions correctly in the initial test, compared with 96.6 % in the final test (P<0.001). The score in final test was significantly higher than the self-evaluation by the residents (6.7±1.2) and the evaluation by the tutor (6.9±0.9) (P<0.001). There were no differences between the practical self-evaluation by the residents (6.2±1.0) and the practical evaluation by the tutor (6.7±0.9). Residents considered the training program as adequate: theoretical education (8.5±0.8), resident handbook (9±0.9), practical training (8.3±1.0), investigation (7.6±2.0) and human relationship (9.2±0.9). Conclusions: This training program is an useful educational method for training paediatric intensive care residents. The evaluation of the training program is essential to improve the education in paediatric residents (AU)

Ventilación de alta frecuencia en el año 2010 / High frequency ventilation in the year 2010

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Educación y robótica. Simulación médica en pediatría, un futuro prometedor / Education and robotics. Medical simulation in Paediatrics: a promising future

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[Experience with high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy in children]. / Experiencia con la oxigenoterapia de alto flujo en cánulas nasales en niños.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the efficacy of a high-flow oxygen therapy system in children with moderate respiratory failure and/or high oxygen requirements. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a prospective, observational clinical study of patients treated with a high-flow oxygen therapy system via nasal cannulae. The following variables were analyzed: clinical severity score, respiratory rate, heart rate, clinical improvement, oxygen saturation, blood gases, complications, and the need for ventilation after starting the treatment. RESULTS: Eighteen treatments were studied in 16 patients (two girls and 14 boys) aged between 2 and 156 months. With the high-flow oxygen therapy system, respiratory rate slightly decreased from 34.5 bpm to 32.2 bpm (p<0.04) and O2 saturation increased from 90.2% to 93.5% (p<0.02). Fourteen patients showed a clinical improvement and/or tolerated the change from the previous respiratory assistance. The duration of treatment was 3 days (range: 6 hours to 25 days). Mild complications (initial irritability and excessive humidity) were observed in two patients, but treatment interruption was not required. No secondary respiratory tract infections were observed. The system was withdrawn in four patients, due to lack of improvement in two patients, deterioration after initial improvement in one patient, and failure of the system's temperature regulation in one patient. CONCLUSIONS: The high-flow oxygen therapy system is effective in a large percentage of children with high oxygen requirements and/or moderate respiratory failure.

Experiencia con la oxigenoterapia de alto flujo en cánulas nasales en niños / Experience with high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy in children

Objetivo. Analizar la eficacia de un sistema de oxigenoterapia de alto flujo en niños con insuficiencia respiratoria moderada y/o necesidades elevadas de oxígeno. Pacientes y métodos.Estudio clínico prospectivo observacional en el que se incluyeron los pacientes tratados con un sistema de oxigenoterapia de alto flujo en cánulas nasales. Se analizaron las siguientes variables: puntuación de gravedad clínica, frecuencia respiratoria, cardíaca, mejoría clínica, saturación de oxígeno, gasometría, aparición de complicaciones y necesidad de ventilación no invasiva tras el inicio del tratamiento. Resultados. Se estudiaron 18 tratamientos en 16 pacientes, 2 niñas y 14 niños, de edades comprendidas entre 2 meses y 13 años. Con el sistema de alto flujo se observó una ligera disminución de la frecuencia respiratoria de 34,5 a 32,2 resp./min; p < 0,04, y un aumento de la saturación de oxígeno (SatO2) del 90,2 al 93,5 %; p < 0,02. Un total de 14 pacientes mejoraron clínicamente y/o permitieron el cambio desde la asistencia respiratoria previa. La duración del tratamiento fue de 3 días (rango 6 h a 25 días). En 2 pacientes se observaron complicaciones leves que no obligaron a suspender el tratamiento (irritabilidad inicial y excesiva humedad). No se observaron infecciones respiratorias secundarias. En cuatro pacientes el sistema fue retirado: en dos por falta de mejoría, en otro por empeoramiento tras mejoría inicial, y en el cuarto por fallo en la regulación de temperatura del aparato. Conclusiones. El sistema de oxigenoterapia de alto flujo es eficaz en un elevado porcentaje de niños con necesidades elevadas de oxígeno y/o insuficiencia respiratoria moderada

Objective. To analyze the efficacy of a high-flow oxygen therapy system in children with moderate respiratory failure and/or high oxygen requirements. Patients and methods. We performed a prospective, observational clinical study of patients treated with a high-flow oxygen therapy system via nasal cannulae. The following variables were analyzed: clinical severity score, respiratory rate, heart rate, clinical improvement, oxygen saturation, blood gases, complications, and the need for ventilation after starting the treatment. Results. Eighteen treatments were studied in 16 patients (two girls and 14 boys) aged between 2 and 156 months. With the high-flow oxygen therapy system, respiratory rate slightly decreased from 34.5 bpm to 32.2 bpm (p < 0.04) and O2 saturation increased from 90.2 % to 93.5 % (p < 0.02). Fourteen patients showed a clinical improvement and/or tolerated the change from the previous respiratory assistance. The duration of treatment was 3 days (range: 6 hours to 25 days). Mild complications (initial irritability and excessive humidity) were observed in two patients, but treatment interruption was not required. No secondary respiratory tract infections were observed. The system was withdrawn in four patients, due to lack of improvement in two patients, deterioration after initial improvement in one patient, and failure of the system's temperature regulation in one patient. Conclusions. The high-flow oxygen therapy system is effective in a large percentage of children with high oxygen requirements and/or moderate respiratory failure

[Material for the pediatric resuscitation trolley]. / Material del carro de reanimación cardiopulmonar pediátrica.

Cardiorespiratory arrest and the need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation can occur anywhere, both in the out-of-hospital and in-hospital settings. Therefore, all healthcare centers (hospitals, primary care facilities, out-of-hospital emergency services) must be prepared to initiate life support procedures in children and to treat other life-threatening emergencies. To achieve this objective, adequate material including a full crash cart or resuscitation trolley is essential and must be available in all healthcare centers. Specific items contained in the trolley can vary according to the characteristics of the facility and the most probable type of resuscitation needed (for example, neonatal resuscitation). At least one resuscitation trolley must be available in primary care centers, pediatric intensive care units, emergency departments, out-of-hospital emergency services, and pediatric wards. The trolley must be located in an easily accessible site and must contain only indispensable material. It is essential to include instruments in several sizes, covering children of all ages, as well as enough spare instruments and medications that could be required during resuscitation. The material must be checked periodically and all the staff (physicians, nurses, and auxiliary personnel) must be familiar with the trolley's contents and the location of all material and drugs.