A retrospective study of the efficacy and safety of levofloxacin in children with severe infection.

Objectives: Levofloxacin is widely used because of its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and convenient dosing schedule. However, the relevance of its use in children remains to be investigated. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy and safety of levofloxacin use in children with severe infections. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of patients <18 years of age who received levofloxacin intravenously in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of our hospital during the period between 2021 and 2022. Patient demographics, course characteristics, clinical effectiveness, and adverse event correlations were extracted through a retrospective tabular review. Results: We included 25 patients treated with 28 courses of levofloxacin. The mean age of these children treated with levofloxacin was 4.41 years. Conversion of pathogenic microbiological test results to negative after levofloxacin treatment was detected in 11 courses (39.29%). A decrease in inflammatory markers, white blood cell or C-reactive protein counts, was detected in 18 courses (64.29%). A total of 57 adverse events occurred during the treatment period, of which 21 were possibly related to levofloxacin and no adverse events were probably related to levofloxacin. Conclusion: The effectiveness of levofloxacin use in children with serious infections is promising, especially for the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Adverse events occurring during the initiation of levofloxacin therapy in children are reported to be relatively common, but in this study, only a small percentage of them were possibly related to levofloxacin, and none of them were highly possibly related to levofloxacin.

The Current and Future State of Pediatric Sepsis Definitions: An International Survey.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Definitions for pediatric sepsis were established in 2005 without data-driven criteria. It is unknown whether the more recent adult Sepsis-3 definitions meet the needs of providers caring for children. We aimed to explore the use and applicability of criteria to diagnose sepsis and septic shock in children across the world. METHODS: This is an international electronic survey of clinicians distributed across international and national societies representing pediatric intensive care, emergency medicine, pediatrics, and pediatric infectious diseases. Respondents stated their preferences on a 5-point Likert scale. RESULTS: There were 2835 survey responses analyzed, of which 48% originated from upper-middle income countries, followed by high income countries (38%) and low or lower-middle income countries (14%). Abnormal vital signs, laboratory evidence of inflammation, and microbiologic diagnoses were the criteria most used for the diagnosis of "sepsis." The 2005 consensus definitions were perceived to be the most useful for sepsis recognition, while Sepsis-3 definitions were stated as more useful for benchmarking, disease classification, enrollment into trials, and prognostication. The World Health Organization definitions were perceived as least useful across all domains. Seventy one percent of respondents agreed that the term sepsis should be restricted to children with infection-associated organ dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians around the world apply a myriad of signs, symptoms, laboratory studies, and treatment factors when diagnosing sepsis. The concept of sepsis as infection with associated organ dysfunction is broadly supported. Currently available sepsis definitions fall short of the perceived needs. Future diagnostic algorithms should be pragmatic and sensitive to the clinical settings.

Progress on surveillance of Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae colonization in children / 中国小儿急救医学

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae（CRE）is one of the common pathogens of hospital-acquired infections and has been widely spread in various countries，becoming one of the important public health problems worldwide.With the increase in the proportion of pediatric patients with CRE infections，studies related to the prevention and the control of CRE nosocomial infections have focused more on this group in recent years.Early prevention is particularly important because of the very limited treatment options for CRE infections and the high morbidity and mortality rates.Active screening，as a core measure to prevent CRE infection，has been implemented in several countries in recent years and has been shown to have a positive effect on the prevention and control of nosocomial infection in CRE.The target population of active screening generally includes people in close contact with CRE patients and people at high risk of CRE infection；screening specimens are mostly used in perianal swabs or rectal swabs；detection methods include bacterial culture and molecular detection techniques，with the former being the main method；the timing of screening is to collect the initial specimen within 24 hours of new admission，and follow up people at high risk of infection with regular testing.

Application of in situ simulation in pediatric emergency and critical care medicine / 中国小儿急救医学

In situ simulation is gradually becoming an important way to test loopholes in medical systems and train team work.But it has not yet started in the field of pediatric intensive care in China.Through the definition,historical development,comparison with training center simulation,application in the field of pediatric intensive care abroad,application challenges,and future prospects of in situ simulation,a preliminary introduction is provided to provoke awareness and attention to in situ simulation,and promote its promotion in the field of pediatric intensive care in China.

Simulation changes clinical practice:enhanced simulation in pediatric critical care / 中国小儿急救医学

Simulation-based medical education（SBME）is an important model in international medical education.With the development of SBME domestically,various forms such as in-situ simulation,team simulation,interdisciplinary simulation,and hybrid simulation are gradually emerging.While post-graduate education and competency receive more attention,SBME has shown its value in areas including education and training,clinical thinking,assessment,and evaluation,as well as improving medical quality and patients safety,especially in the management of emergency and critical care crisis resources.However,the progress of pediatric SBME has been slow despite attracting significant attention within the field of pediatric critical care.The establishment of pediatric critical care skills simulation,scenario simulation,in-situ simulation and other training methods can not only enable clinicians to achieve“standardized operation” and “team collaboration”,but also promote“system transformation”,greatly improving the medical quality of pediatric critical care while ensuring patients safety.

Clinical characteristics of children reintubated within 48 hours in pediatric intensive care unit / 中国小儿急救医学

Objective:To analyze clinical characteristics of patients within 48 hours in pediatric intensive care unit（PICU）,and investigate causes and prognosis of extubation failure in reintubation children.Methods:A single-center retrospective study was conducted.Patients who were reintubated within 48 hours after extubation in PICU at Children's Hospital of Fudan University from January 1，2019 to December 31，2022 were retrospectively enrolled.Patients with unplanned extubation for various reasons which include re-intubation due to surgery and replacement of tracheal intubation were excluded.We analyzed the clinical characteristics，causes of extubation failure and prognosis.Main outcome measures included principal diagnosis，pediatric critical illness score（PCIS），the reason of intubation，the glasgow coma scale（GCS），the direct cause of reintubation，aeration time，hospitalization period，outcomes at PICU discharge and whether to extubate successfully.Results:During the study period，a total of 2 652 patients were extubated in PICU,and a total of 87 children were enrolled.Finally，63（72.4%）patients survived at PICU，nine（10.3%）patients died in hospital，and 15（17.2%）patients were discharged automatically.In the survival group，38（60.3%）patients were decannulated and 25（39.7%）patients underwent tracheotomy.The top three principal diagnosis in 87 cases were central nervous system disease[34（39.1%）cases]，lower airway disease[18（20.7%）cases] and sepsis[nine（10.3%）cases].Of the 87 children，28（32.2%）patients were reintubated due to central respiratory failure，21（24.1%）patients were reintubated due to lower airway disease，20（23.0%）patients were reintubated due to upper airway obstruction，14（16.1%）patients were reintubated due to cough weakness and/or swallowing disturbance，and four（4.6%）patients were reintubated for other reasons.In children with mechanical ventilation duration ≥7 days before first extubation，central nervous system diseases were the most common primary diseases，and it accounts for 55.6%.Central respiratory failure was the main direct cause of reintubation，accounting for 40.0%，and more patients(40.0%) had GCS scores＜8 before the first intubation.Compared with the successful decannulation group，the extubation failure group had the higher proportion of children with GCS＜8（32.7% vs.10.5%， P＜0.05），the longer median duration of mechanical ventilation before the first extubation[239（123，349）h vs.68.5（19，206）h， P＜0.05]and the longer median length of ICU stay[38（23，54）d vs.24（12，43）d， P＜0.05].After comparing the three groups including survival group，in-hospital death group and automatic discharge group，the PCIS score of the survival group was the highest，and the in-hospital death group was the lowest( P＜0.05). Conclusion:The rate of reintubation at 48 h after extubation in PICU is 3.3%.The immediate causes of reintubation mainly included central respiratory failure，lower airway disease，upper airway obstruction，cough weakness and/or dysphagia.The mortality rate of reintubation in critically ill children is high and the prognosis is poor.

Respiratory support for neuromuscular disease in children / 中国小儿急救医学

Neuromuscular disease is a group of rare diseases related to heredity and immunity.Most children require assisted ventilation due to chronic respiratory failure.Acute respiratory failure associated with respiratory infections is the most common cause of unplanned hospitalizations, and chronic respiratory failure is a common cause of death.Although there are many guidelines and consensus on neuromuscular disease, there is little focusing on respiratory problems.In this review, the studies related to neuromuscular disease in children were reviewed to summarize the characteristics of respiratory system, common complications and pathogenesis, respiratory function assessment and respiratory support measures, so as to protect the respiratory function of neuromuscular disease and prolong life.

Blood purification in critically ill children: a large single-center eight-year retrospective study / 中国小儿急救医学

Objective:To compare the characteristics of patients undergoing blood purification treatment in PICU of a children′s tertiary hospital during 8 years, so as to analyze the changes in the development of blood purification technology in children in East China.Methods:Patients who received blood purification treatment in PICU of Children′s Hospital of Fudan University from 2014 to 2021 were included and divided into two study periods: 2014-2017 and 2018-2021.The clinical characteristics and treatment parameters of patients were collected and analyzed.Results:A total of 1 029 patients were included in the study, of which 103 were combined with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.The 28-day survival rate of 926 patients treated with pure blood purification was 55.7%.Among them, patients with younger age, lower body weight, using mechanical ventilation, using vasoactive drugs before blood purification, and patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome had a higher distribution in the death group than those in survival group( P<0.05). During 8 years, a total of 3 688 cases of blood purification were performed.The main mode was continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration (CVVHDF) (68.6%), followed by therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) (23.8%) and hemoperfusion (HP) (4.8%); the main indication was acute kidney injury (AKI) (29.3%), followed by severe inflammatory disease (26.2%) and acute liver failure (16.2%). Compared with 2014-2017, the number of blood purification treatments in 2018-2021 increased by 47.4%, and the survival rate of patients increased significantly (48.7% vs. 58.1%, P<0.05). The distribution of blood purification patterns and indications also changed( P<0.05). The proportions of TPE (20.5% vs. 26.0%) and HP (3.1% vs. 6.0%) increased, while the proportion of CVVHDF (71.9% vs. 66.4%) decreased significantly.The proportions of AKI (29.8% vs. 38.9%) and refractory immune diseases (8.4% vs. 15.2%) were significantly higher, while severe inflammatory diseases (29.2% vs. 24.2%) and acute liver failure (19.6% vs. 13.8%) had declined. Conclusion:From 2014 to 2021, the number of blood purifications performed in our center increased significantly.Although the distribution of indications and patterns have also changed significantly, the overall survival rate is significantly improved.However, standardized practice still needs to be strengthened.

Current status of pediatric respiratory therapist / 中国小儿急救医学

Respiratory therapist is a new profession in medicine, who works therapeutically with people suffering from pulmonary disease.Their timely treatments of patients with cardiopulmonary insufficiency can significantly reduce mortality in pediatric intensive care units.This review focused on the responsibilities of respiratory therapists, the importance of respiratory support therapy in children, and the most updated development in China as well as the problems to be solved.

The application of virtual reality technology in pediatric medicine / 中国小儿急救医学

Virtual reality (VR) is a technology, which can simulate human vision, touch, hearing and other sensory functions, and it synthesizes a computer-generated 3D world to provide immersive experiences.VR technology has the characteristics of interactivity, immersion and imagination, and its application in medical education and simulation training improves the quality and efficiency of learning.At the same time, VR technology also plays a certain role in clinical treatment such as surgery, rehabilitation, psychology, sedation and analgesia.With the development of VR technology, its application in pediatric medicine field is expected to solve some difficulties of pediatric practitioners.For example, the application of virtual standard patient in pediatric training, and VR technology relieving pain and anxiety.

The characteristics and changes of bacterial infection and drug resistance in pediatric intensive care unit from 2016 to 2020 / 中国小儿急救医学

Objective:To investigate the characteristics and changes of bacterial infection and drug resistance in PICU at Children′s Hospital of Fudan University from 2016 to 2020.Methods:All the strains were collected at Children′s Hospital of Fudan University from January 1 st, 2016 to December 31 st, 2020.Antimicrobial susceptibility test was carried out according to a unified protocol using Kirby-Bauer method or automated systems.Results were analyzed according to CLSI 2020 breakpoints. Results:(1)Bacterial distribution: 2 551 bacteria were monitored from 2016 to 2020 in our center.The top 3 bacteria were all gram-negative bacteria.Among them, Burkholderia cepacian showed a tortuous downward trend(13.45% to 1.18%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae showed an upward trend(6.05% to 10.61%).The most common infected site was respiratory tract, although the strains in the respiratory tract decreased year by year.Baumanii was the most common bacteria in respiratory infections.Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most common bacteria from 2016 to 2017 in blood infections, but Achromobacter xylosoxidans were became the most common bacteria from 2018 to 2020.Enterococcus faecium was the most common bacteria in urinary infections.(2) Drug resistance: Baumanii had a high drug resistance rate to amikacin, gentamicin, cefepime, and cefitadine, with no obvious changes over the years, which had a gradually decreasing drus resistance rate to cefoperazone sulbactam, showing a tortuous upward trend to imipenem and meropenem.Baumanii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa had a low drug resistance to levofloxacin over the years, but with high resistance rates in 2020.Escherichia coliand and Klebsiella pneumoniae still had high resistance rates to beta-lactam antibiotics, and their resistance rates to levofloxacin were decreasing.Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae showed decreasing resistance rates to imipenem and increased resistance rates to meropenem.The resistance rate of Enterococcus faecium to levofloxacin decreased and always showed a high susceptibility rate to polypeptide antibiotics.Neither Staphylococcus epidermidis nor Staphylococcus aureus were currently resistant to tetracycline antibiotics, and the resistance rates of aminoglycoside antibiotics, such as gentamicin, was also declining.Conclusion:The bacterial infection in PICU shows as the main characteristics of respiratory infection and gram-negative bacteria infection.Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae bacteria, Enterococci and Staphylococcus species are becoming increasingly more resistant.

Construction of a practical program for interhospital transfer of critically ill children / 中华护理杂志

Objective To develop an evidence-based,localized practice protocol for the interhospital transfer of critically ill children.Methods Through a comprehensive evidence summary and semi-structured interviews,a preliminary inter-hospital transfer practice protocol for critically ill children was formulated.A panel of 31 experts from 12 hospitals in China participated in 2 rounds of expert correspondence between May and July 2022,facilitating meticulous revision of the protocol entries.Results The response rate for both rounds of questionnaires was 100%,and the expert authority coefficients ranged from 0.926 to 0.931.In the second round of consultation,the coefficient of variation for the importance score of each entry ranged from 0.036 to 0.226,and the Kendall's W was determined to be 0.201(P＜0.001).Additionally,the coefficient of variation for the feasibility score of each entry fell within the range of 0.070 to 0.314,with Kendall's W of 0.124(P＜0.001).Ultimately,the final interhospital transfer protocol for critically ill children comprised 8 level Ⅰ entries,16 level Ⅱ entries,and 75 level Ⅲ entries.Conclusion The interhospital transfer protocol constructed in this study is grounded in scientific evidence and exhibits practical feasibility.It serves as a valuable reference for organizing and implementing interhospital transfers of critically ill children.

Comparison of clinical characteristics and outcomes of infants with moderate and severe acute respiratory distress syndrome diagnosed according to baseline oxygenation index / 中国小儿急救医学

Objective:To analyze the difference of clinical characteristics and outcomes of infants with moderate and severe pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome(PARDS)diagnosed according to baseline oxygenation index(OI) in pediatric intensive care unit(PICU).Methods:Second analysis of the data collected from the "Efficacy of pulmonary surfactant (PS) in the treatment of children with moderate and severe ARDS" program.Retrospectively compare of the differences in clinical data such as general condition, underlying diseases, OI, mechanical ventilation, PS administration and outcomes among infants with moderate and severe PARDS divided by baseline OI who admitted to PICUs at 14 participating tertiary hospitals from 2016 to December 2021.Results:Among the 101 cases, 55 cases (54.5%) were moderate and 46 cases (45.5%) were severe PARDS.The proportion of male in the severe group (50.0% vs.72.7%, P=0.019) and the pediatric critical illness score(PCIS)[72 (68, 78) vs.76 (70, 80), P=0.019] were significantly lower than those in the moderate group, while there was no significant difference regarding age, body weight, etiology of PARDS and underlying diseases.The utilization rate of high-frequency ventilator in the severe group was significantly higher than that in the moderate group (34.8% vs.10.9%, P=0.004), but there was no significant difference in PS use, fluid load and pulmonary complications.The 24 h OI improvement (0.26±0.33 vs.0.04±0.34, P=0.001) and the 72 h OI improvement[0.34 (-0.04, 0.62) vs.0.15 (-0.14, 0.42), P=0.029)]in the severe group were significantly better than those in the moderate group, but there was no significant difference regarding mortality, length of hospital stay and intubation duration after diagnosis of PARDS between the two groups. Conclusion:In moderate and severe(divided by baseline OI) PARDS infants with invasive mechanical ventilation, children in severe group have better oxygenation improvement in the early stage after PARDS identified and are more likely to receive high frequency ventilation compared to those in moderate group.Baseline OI can not sensitively distinguish the outcomes and is not an ideal index for PARDS grading of this kind of patient.

The concept and research progress of long-term mechanical ventilation in children / 中国小儿急救医学

In recent years, the number of children with prolonged mechanical ventilation has increased rapidly, and they have been in intensive care units for a long time, resulting in a heavy disease burden and high mortality.Families and society are also paying more and more attention to this special group.The United States and Canada have issued a management consensus on mechanical ventilation for children at home, but the allocation of medical resources in China and other countries is very different, and the domestic family-centered management plan is still difficult at this stage.This review summarized the current status of long-term mechanical ventilation in children in China and other countries, and hoped to learn from foreign experience to help domestic children with long-term mechanical ventilation better.

The ventilator weaning strategies for prolonged mechanic ventilation in children / 中国小儿急救医学

The main reason for prolonged mechanic ventilation in children staying in PICU for a long time is that it cannot weaning.The reasons for prolonged mechanic ventilation are complex and diverse, and how to deal with it is a difficult problem faced by clinicians.This review summarized the etiology and weaning strategies of prolonged mechanic ventilation in children, so as to provide evidence for clinicians to deal with this problem.

Rehabilitation for prolonged mechanical ventilation in children / 中国小儿急救医学

Rehabilitation and multidisciplinary team management are very important to improve the prognosis of children with prolonged mechanical ventilation(PMV). The current status of rehabilitation intervention including physical therapy, neuromuscular electrical stimulation and inspiratory muscle training in adult patients with PMV were discussed, aiming to provide some evidence for the implementation of rehabilitation in children with PMV.

Adverse reaction of antibacterial drugs and evaluation of vital organ injuries / 中国小儿急救医学

Infectious diseases are clinically very common, among which bacterial infections are the most common ones.Therefore, antibiotics have become ones of the most widely used drugs in clinical practice.While saving lives of many infected patients, antibiotics can also lead to adverse reactions, which can cause damage to organs function in severe cases and even life-threatening.Common adverse reactions include allergic reactions and various organs damage.In this review, we aimed to focus on the evaluation of common adverse reactions and organs damage caused by antibiotics, in order to improve the prevention and treatment of adverse reactions and promote rational use of antibiotics.

Status survey on pediatric emergency in secondary and tertiary public hospitals in Shanghai city / 中国小儿急救医学

Objective:To understand the current situations and existing problems of pediatric emergency in Shanghai city and provide a basis for the construction and management of pediatric emergency.Methods:The questionnaire survey was used to investigate the current situations of pediatric emergency department in secondary and tertiary public hospitals in Shanghai city.Results:A total of 28 questionnaires were delivered, and 28 were responded.Six of the 28 hospitals had no administratively independent pediatric emergency or no separate pediatric emergency area.Of the 22 hospitals, each had an average of 9.7 professional emergency pediatricians, with the exception of one secondary hospital that lacked professional emergency pediatricians.Professional emergency pediatricians accounted for an average of 70.0% of all pediatricians.Of the 22 hospitals, 18(81.8%) were open 24 hours a day.Fourteen(63.6%) had independent triage.Eight children′s emergency rooms(36.4%) were shared with adults.Among the 22 hospitals, 20 hospitals filled in the annual total number of pediatric emergency visits, and the total number of pediatric emergency visits ranged from 2 791 to 467 428, with an average of 93 966.65.Conclusion:There are still some problems in the development of pediatric emergency department in secondary and tertiary public hospitals in Shanghai city, such as insufficient human resources, substandard personnel training, incomplete equipment and lack of critical first-aid techniques.Therefore, the construction and management of pediatric emergency department still need to be improved.

The predictive value of dynamic monitoring pediatric sequential organ failure assessment score for the prognosis in children with sepsis / 中国小儿急救医学

Objective:To dynamically monitor the pediatric sequential organ failure assessment(pSOFA) score of children in PICU at different time points, and to evaluate the predictive value of pSOFA score for the prognosis of children with sepsis.Methods:A multicenter prospective observational study was conducted to collect the data of children with sepsis admitted to the PICU of four children′s hospitals in Shanghai from December 2018 to December 2019(Children′s Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai Children′s Medical Center Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, and Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine). We collected their pSOFA scores on the 1st, 3rd, and 7th day after sepsis diagnosis and the highest score.The patients were divided into survival group and death group according to the clinical outcomes at the time of leaving PICU.The clinical characteristics of two groups were compared.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve were used to assess the resolution of the pSOFA score.Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between pSOFA score and sepsis mortality.Results:A total of 170 cases diagnosed sepsis were included, with a median age of 32.5(11.5, 83.2) months, and a median length of stay in PICU of 10(6, 21) days.Forty-two died and 128 survived.The medians of the 1st, 3rd, 7th day and the highest pSOFA score of the children in death group[10(7, 12) points, 9(5, 10) points, 7(4, 10) points, 11(7, 12) points, respectively] were higher than those in survival group[4(2, 8) points, 3(1, 6) points, 2(0, 5) points, 6(3, 8) points, respectively]( P<0.05). The area under the ROC curve of the pSOFA score predicting death on day 1 after sepsis diagnosis was greater than that on days 3, 7 and the highest pSOFA score[0.84(95% CI 0.79-0.91) vs.0.80(95% CI 0.71-0.89), 0.77(95% CI 0.65-0.89), 0.83(95% CI 0.77-0.90)], but the difference was not statistically significant( χ2=1.660, P=0.646). The pSOFA score on the first day of diagnosis had the best cut-off value of >6 points for predicting the risk of death from sepsis, with a sensitivity of 97.6% and a specificity of 53.9%.Logistic regression analysis of pSOFA score and childhood sepsis death showed that the OR values corresponding to the 1st, 3rd, 7th day of diagnosis and the highest pSOFA score were 1.58(95% CI 1.350-1.840), 1.39(95% CI 1.218-1.595), 1.38(95% CI 1.184-1.617) and 1.55(95% CI 1.333-1.800), respectively(all P<0.05). The 1-point increase in pSOFA score on the first day of diagnosis of sepsis was associated with a 58% increase in the hazard ratio for death, and each 1-point increase in the highest pSOFA score was associated with a 55% increase in the hazard ratio for death. Conclusion:The 1st, 3rd, 7th day of sepsis diagnosis and the highest pSOFA score could better predict the mortality risk of sepsis in children.Dynamic monitoring of the pSOFA score at different time points has a certain clinical value in predicting the progression and prognosis of children with sepsis.