Cardiac tamponade with chylopericardium in a 6-year-old boy with central venous catheter: a case report

Cardiac tamponade (CT) is a rare but potentially lethal complication associated with central venous catheters (CVCs). We present a 6-year-old boy who developed CT after CVC insertion in the right internal jugular vein, with its tip in the inferior vena cava. Initially, he was hospitalized to a tertiary hospital with presumptive diagnoses of pneumonia and left ankle cellulitis. Three days after CVC placement, he developed CT, manifesting as recurrent episodes of hypotension and bradycardia. Once a bedside echocardiography showed CT, pericardiocentesis was performed, resulting in successful resuscitation. Pericardiocentesis revealed a milk-appearing pericardial fluid, indicating chylopericardium. The boy also underwent debridement and joint irrigation of the left ankle, which turned out to be osteomyelitis. Although CVC tips in most reported CVC-related CTs have been commonly located in the right atrium, our case featured a tip located in the inferior vena cava. Additionally, chylopericardium was likely due to the extravasation of total parenteral nutrition fluid, rather than the usual causes, such as recent thoracic surgery. Understanding the mechanisms behind chylopericardium associated with CVCs and timely pericardiocentesis is crucial for improving the outcomes.

Two cases of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for ventilator-dependent infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia and pulmonary hypertension

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and pulmonary hypertension (PH) are potentially fatal complications in prematurely born infants. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) may be a life-saving option for managing infants with BPD and PH. We present 2 patients who were successfully weaned off mechanical ventilators (MVs) through the application of ECMO. The patients were transferred to our institution after receiving MV care for 8 and 10 months, respectively, for BPD and PH. We were able to remove the patients from MVs after a period of ECMO-mediated lung rest. Although more research is required to determine specific criteria for ECMO use in patients with BPD and PH, our clinical experiences may contribute to the early application of ECMO in MV-dependent patients.

Pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Korea: A Multicenter Retrospective Study on Utilization and Outcomes Spanning Over a Decade

Background@#Over the last decade, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) use in critically ill children has increased and is associated with favorable outcomes. Our study aims to evaluate the current status of pediatric ECMO in Korea, with a specific focus on its volume and changes in survival rates based on diagnostic indications. @*Methods@#This multicenter study retrospectively analyzed the indications and outcomes of pediatric ECMO over 10 years in patients at 14 hospitals in Korea from January 2012 to December 2021. Four diagnostic categories (neonatal respiratory, pediatric respiratory, postcardiotomy, and cardiac-medical) and trends were compared between periods 1 (2012–2016) and 2 (2017–2021). @*Results@#Overall, 1065 ECMO runs were performed on 1032 patients, with the annual number of cases remaining unchanged over the 10 years. ECMO was most frequently used for post-cardiotomy (42.4%), cardiac-medical (31.8%), pediatric respiratory (17.5%), and neonatal respiratory (8.2%) cases. A 3.7% increase and 6.1% decrease in pediatric respiratory and post-cardiotomy cases, respectively, were noted between periods 1 and 2.Among the four groups, the cardiac-medical group had the highest survival rate (51.2%), followed by the pediatric respiratory (46.4%), post-cardiotomy (36.5%), and neonatal respiratory (29.4%) groups. A consistent improvement was noted in patient survival over the 10 years, with a significant increase between the two periods from 38.2% to 47.1% (P = 0.004). Improvement in survival was evident in post-cardiotomy cases (30–45%, P = 0.002).Significant associations with mortality were observed in neonates, patients requiring dialysis, and those treated with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (P < 0.001). In pediatric respiratory ECMO, immunocompromised patients also showed a significant correlation with mortality (P < 0.001). @*Conclusion@#Pediatric ECMO demonstrated a steady increase in overall survival in Korea;however, further efforts are needed since the outcomes remain suboptimal compared with global outcomes.

A 35-month-old boy who ingested laundry detergent pods and underwent veno-pulmonary extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support

Laundry detergent pod (LDP) exposure has been reported to be fatal in children younger than 2 years, leading to respiratory or central nervous system depression. While gastrointestinal irritation is the most common symptom, there are reported cases of severe acidosis with respiratory depression or pneumonia, resulting in mortality. To our best knowledge, there is no report on a case of LDP exposure presenting with acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support. Here, we present a case of a child with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome following LDP exposure, who was successfully treated with veno-pulmonary extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and steroids.

Change in Severity and Clinical Manifestation of MIS-C Over SARSCoV-2 Variant Outbreaks in Korea

Background@#There is difference in the incidence of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) in patients with different variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, however, little is known about the epidemiology in Asian countries. We investigated and compared the epidemiology of the MIS-C during omicron-dominant period with that of previous periods in South Korea. @*Methods@#We obtained clinical, epidemiological and laboratory data on MIS-C cases from national MIS-C surveillance in South Korea. We defined pre-delta period as January 2020–May 2021; delta period as June 2021–December 2021; and omicron period as January 2022–April 2022. We describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of MIS-C patients by period. @*Results@#A total of 91 cases were assessed to be MIS-C cases. Number of MIS-C cases have increased from six cases during pre-delta period to 66 cases during omicron period, while the incidence rate (the number of MIS-C cases per 100,000 cases of reported coronavirus disease 2019) has decreased from 38.5 cases per 100,000 (95% confidence interval [CI], 14.1–83.9) during pre-delta period to 1.6 cases per 100,000 (95% CI, 1.2–2.0) during omicron periods. During pre-delta period, 66.7% and 100% had hypotension and gastrointestinal involvement, respectively; while during omicron period, 12.1% and 6.1% had such clinical manifestations. Fifty percent of pre-delta MIS-C patients were taken intensive care unit (ICU) cares, while 10.6% of patients during omicron periods were in ICUs. @*Conclusion@#Omicron period were associated with less severe clinical manifestation compared to pre-delta and delta periods. Although incidence rate of MIS-C was lower for the omicron period than pre-delta and delta periods, number of patients reported with MIS-C may pose a substantial clinical burden.

Primary Tumor Suppression and Systemic Immune Activation of Macrophages through the Sting Pathway in Metastatic Skin Tumor

Purpose@#Agonists of the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) play a key role in activating the STING pathway by promoting the production of cytokines. In this study, we investigated the antitumor effects and activation of the systemic immune response of treatment with DMXAA (5,6-dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid), a STING agonist, in EML4-ALK lung cancer and CT26 colon cancer. @*Materials and Methods@#The abscopal effects of DMXAA in the treatment of metastatic skin nodules were assessed. EML4-ALK lung cancer and CT26 colon cancer models were used to evaluate these effects after DMXAA treatment. To evaluate the expression of macrophages and T cells, we sacrificed the tumor-bearing mice after DMXAA treatment and obtained the formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue and tumor cells. Immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry were performed to analyze the expression of each FFPE and tumor cell. @*Results@#We observed that highly infiltrating immune cells downstream of the STING pathway had increased levels of chemokines after DMXAA treatment. In addition, the levels of CD80 and CD86 in antigen-presenting cells were significantly increased after STING activation. Furthermore, innate immune activation altered the systemic T cell-mediated immune responses, induced proliferation of macrophages, inhibited tumor growth, and increased numbers of cytotoxic memory T cells. Tumor-specific lymphocytes also increased in number after treatment with DMXAA. @*Conclusion@#The abscopal effect of DMXAA treatment on the skin strongly reduced the spread of EML4-ALK lung cancer and CT26 colon cancer through the STING pathway and induced the presentation of antigens.

Background and necessity of implementing the subspecialty of pediatric emergency medicine in Korea

The members of the Task Force Team of the Korean Society of Pediatric Emergency Medicine prepared the document to apply for the subspecialty accreditation of pediatric emergency medicine by the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences in spring 2020. Here, we summarize the background and necessity of implementing the subspecialty of pediatric emergency medicine in Korea. The goals of the implementation are as follows: 1) to augment research, 2) to cope with the development of medical technology, 3) to respond to the change in disease patterns, 4) to meet the increasing demand for medical care, and 5) to improve real aspects of the medical delivery system.

Background and necessity of implementing the subspecialty of pediatric emergency medicine in Korea

The members of the Task Force Team of the Korean Society of Pediatric Emergency Medicine prepared the document to apply for the subspecialty accreditation of pediatric emergency medicine by the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences in spring 2020. Here, we summarize the background and necessity of implementing the subspecialty of pediatric emergency medicine in Korea. The goals of the implementation are as follows: 1) to augment research, 2) to cope with the development of medical technology, 3) to respond to the change in disease patterns, 4) to meet the increasing demand for medical care, and 5) to improve real aspects of the medical delivery system.

Factors Associated with Triage Modifications Using Vital Signs in Pediatric Triage: a NationwideCross-Sectional Study in Korea

Background@#Previous studies on inter-rater reliability of pediatric triage systems have compared triage levels classified by two or more triage providers using the same information about individual patients. This overlooks the fact that the evaluator can decide whether or not to use the information provided. The authors therefore aimed to analyze the differences in the use of vital signs for triage modification in pediatric triage. @*Methods@#This was an observational cross-sectional study of national registry data collected in real time from all emergency medical services beyond the local emergency medical centers (EMCs) throughout Korea. Data from patients under the age of 15 who visited EMC nationwide from January 2016 to December 2016 were analyzed. Depending on whether triage modifications were made using respiratory rate or heart rate beyond the normal range by age during the pediatric triage process, they were divided into down-triage and non-down-triage groups. The proportions in the down-triage group were analyzed according to the triage provider's profession, mental status, arrival mode, presence of trauma, and the EMC class. @*Results@#During the study period, 1,385,579 patients' data were analyzed. Of these, 981,281 patients were eligible for triage modification. The differences in down-triage proportions according to the profession of the triage provider (resident, 50.5%; paramedics, 47.7%; specialist, 44.9%; nurses, 44.2%) was statistically significant (P < 0.001). The triage provider's professional down-triage proportion according to the medical condition of the patients showed statistically significant differences except for the unresponsive mental state (P = 0.502) and the case of air transport (P = 0.468). @*Conclusion@#Down-triage proportion due to abnormal heart rates and respiratory rates was significantly different according to the triage provider's condition. The existing concept of inter-rater reliability of the pediatric triage system needs to be reconsidered.

Aspergillus Laryngotracheobronchitis in a Child with Primary Immunodeficiency

Laryngotracheobronchitis (LTB) is a common disease in the pediatric population, and it is rarely caused by a fungal infection. Acute respiratory failure caused by fungal LTB mainly occurs in immunocompromised patients, and early diagnosis is closely associated with morbidity and mortality. However, an appropriate diagnosis is challenging for pediatricians because symptoms and signs of LTB caused by Aspergillus spp. are nonspecific. Here, we report a case of progressive respiratory failure caused by pseudomembranous LTB in a child with a suspicion of primary immunodeficiency and highlight the importance of an early investigation, especially in immunocompromised patients.

Aspergillus Laryngotracheobronchitis in a Child with Primary Immunodeficiency

Laryngotracheobronchitis (LTB) is a common disease in the pediatric population, and it is rarely caused by a fungal infection. Acute respiratory failure caused by fungal LTB mainly occurs in immunocompromised patients, and early diagnosis is closely associated with morbidity and mortality. However, an appropriate diagnosis is challenging for pediatricians because symptoms and signs of LTB caused by Aspergillus spp. are nonspecific. Here, we report a case of progressive respiratory failure caused by pseudomembranous LTB in a child with a suspicion of primary immunodeficiency and highlight the importance of an early investigation, especially in immunocompromised patients.

Erratum: Correction of the Text in the Article “Table”: Discordance between Physician and the General Public Perceptions of Prognostic Disclosure to Children with Serious Illness: a Korean Nationwide Study

While recently extending that research, however, the authors discovered that 236 members of the general population were mistakenly to be duplicated by the investigating agency (Word Research) and 1,241 were reported rather than 1,005. The authors present corrections and discuss the relevant data. The authors wish to apologize to the publisher and readers of Journal of Korean Medical Science for these errors.

Erratum: Correction of the Text in the Article “Table”: Discordance between Physician and the General Public Perceptions of Prognostic Disclosure to Children with Serious Illness: a Korean Nationwide Study

While recently extending that research, however, the authors discovered that 236 members of the general population were mistakenly to be duplicated by the investigating agency (Word Research) and 1,241 were reported rather than 1,005. The authors present corrections and discuss the relevant data. The authors wish to apologize to the publisher and readers of Journal of Korean Medical Science for these errors.

Erratum: Correction of the Text in the Article “Table”: Discordance between Physician and the General Public Perceptions of Prognostic Disclosure to Children with Serious Illness: a Korean Nationwide Study

While recently extending that research, however, the authors discovered that 236 members of the general population were mistakenly to be duplicated by the investigating agency (Word Research) and 1,241 were reported rather than 1,005. The authors present corrections and discuss the relevant data. The authors wish to apologize to the publisher and readers of Journal of Korean Medical Science for these errors.

Home Mechanical Ventilation in Children from Intensive Care Unit to Home: What Is the Major Hurdle to Overcome in Korea?

No abstract available.

Efficacy and Safety of Fentanyl in Combination with Midazolam in Children on Mechanical Ventilation

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of fentanyl for sedation therapy in mechanically ventilated children. METHODS: This was a double-blind, randomized controlled trial of mechanically ventilated patients between 2 months and 18 years of age. Patients were randomly divided into two groups; the control group with midazolam alone, and the combination group with both fentanyl and midazolam. The sedation level was evaluated using the Comfort Behavior Scale (CBS), and the infusion rates were adjusted according to the difference between the measured and the target CBS score. RESULTS: Forty-four patients were recruited and randomly allocated, with 22 patients in both groups. The time ratio of cumulative hours with a difference in CBS score (measured CBS–target CBS) of ≥ 4 points (i.e., under-sedation) was lower in the combination group (median, 0.06; interquartile range [IQR], 0–0.2) than in the control group (median, 0.15; IQR, 0.04–0.29) (P < 0.001). The time ratio of cumulative hours with a difference in CBS score of ≥ 8 points (serious under-sedation) was also lower in the combination group (P < 0.001). The cumulative amount of midazolam used in the control group (0.11 mg/kg/hr; 0.07–0.14 mg/kg/hr) was greater than in the combination group (0.07 mg/kg/hr; 0.06–0.11 mg/kg/hr) (P < 0.001). Two cases of hypotension in each group were detected but coma and ileus, the major known adverse reactions to fentanyl, did not occur. CONCLUSION: Fentanyl combined with midazolam is safe and more effective than midazolam alone for sedation therapy in mechanically ventilated children. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02172014

Clinical characteristics of pediatric pneumothorax during a noninvasive positive pressure ventilation

PURPOSE: Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) is one of the ventilation-supporting methods by providing adequate exogenous pressure without intubation or tracheostomy. We aimed to assess the frequency and clinical factors for pneumothorax occurring during NIPPV application in a tertiary children's hospital. METHODS: We selected cases of pneumothorax related to NIPPV by keyword searching in our institution's clinical data warehouse, and their medical records were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: During a period of 17 years, 15 cases undergoing NIPPV developed pneumothorax, which was an incidence of 0.64% (15 of 2,343). There were 9 neonates and 6 adolescents. In 9 neonates, pneumothorax was caused by the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) ventilator, and occurred on 2 days after birth (median, range 1–3 days). In neonates, pneumothorax developed within 36 hours after CPAP application. One neonate underwent tracheal intubation and 3 neonates underwent chest tube insertion. In the postteenager group, pneumothorax developed 23 months (median, range 5 days to 47 months) after NIPPV application with a mask. All of the 6 patients had underlying neuromuscular disorders and one had superimposed interstitial lung disease. One of the 7 cases underwent surgical treatment and 4 cases were intubated. One case died from the deterioration of underlying interstitial lung disease. CONCLUSION: Although it rarely happens, the NIPPV can result in pneumothorax. In most cases, it can be resolved by supportive cares with oxygen or chest tube with or without tracheostomy. The prognosis is related to the type of underlying disease and its progression.

Erratum: Correction of Ethics Statement: Discordance between Physician and the General Public Perceptions of Prognostic Disclosure to Children with Serious Illness: a Korean Nationwide Study

The approval number of Institutional Review Board (IRB) was wrong in the article.

A Case of Plastic Bronchitis Associated Influenza A Pneumonia Requiring ECMO Assistance

A 6-year-old boy with underlying hemolytic anemia of unknown etiology, atopic dermatitis, and recurrent urticaria visited our hospital because of acute respiratory failure induced by influenza A. Despite mechanical ventilation after endotracheal intubation along with inhalation of nitric oxide, respiratory acidosis and hypoxemia persisted. Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) insertion was performed to provide respiratory support. After performing flexible bronchoscopy, we found that thick mucus plugs were obstructing the right bronchus intermedius and the upper lobe orifice. After bronchial washing and removal of the plugs, we were able to wean the patient off VV ECMO and transfer him to the general ward. He was discharged without any neurologic or pulmonary sequelae.

Pediatric Case Report on an Interstitial Lung Disease with a Novel Mutation of SFTPC Successfully Treated with Lung Transplantation

Mutations of the surfactant protein (SP)-C gene (SFTPC) have been associated with neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and childhood interstitial lung disease (ILD). If accurate diagnosis and proper management are delayed, irreversible respiratory failure demanding lung transplantation may ensue. A girl was born at term but was intubated and given exogenous surfactant due to RDS. Cough and tachypnea persisted, and symptoms rapidly progressed at 16 months of age despite treatment with antibiotics, oral prednisolone, methylprednisolone pulse therapy, and intravenous immunoglobulin. At 20 months, she visited our hospital for a second opinion. A computed tomography scan showed a diffuse mosaic pattern with ground-glass opacity and subpleural cysts compatible with ILD. A video-assisted thoracoscopic lung biopsy revealed ILD with eosinophilic proteinaceous material and macrophages in the alveolar space. Bilateral lung transplant from a 30-month-old child was done, and she was discharged in room air without acute complications. Genetic analysis revealed a novel c.203T>A, p.Val68Asp mutation of SP-C, based on the same exon as a known pathogenic mutation, p.Glu66Lys.