Effects of Unit Census and Patient Acuity Levels on Discussions During Patient Rounds.

OBJECTIVES: PICU teams adapt the duration of patient rounding discussions to accommodate varying contextual factors, such as unit census and patient acuity. Although studies establish that shorter discussions can lead to the omission of critical patient information, little is known about how teams adapt their rounding discussions about essential patient topics (i.e., introduction/history, acute clinical status, care plans) in response to changing contexts. To fill this gap, we examined how census and patient acuity impact time spent discussing essential topics during individual patient encounters. DESIGN: Observational study. SETTING: PICU at a university-affiliated children's hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada. SUBJECTS: Interprofessional morning rounding teams. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We observed 165 individual patient encounters during morning rounds over 10 weeks. Regardless of census or patient acuity, the duration of patient introductions/history did not change. When census was high versus low, acute clinical status discussions significantly decreased for both low acuity patients (00 min:50 s high census; 01 min:39 s low census; -49.5% change) and high acuity patients (01 min:10 s high census; 02 min:02 s low census; -42.6% change). Durations of care plan discussions significantly reduced as a function of census (01 min:19 s high census; 02 min:52 s low census; -54.7% change) for low but not high acuity patients. CONCLUSIONS: Under high census and patient acuity levels, rounding teams disproportionately shorten time spent discussing essential patient topics. Of note, while teams preserved time to plan the care for acute patients, they cut care plan discussions of low acuity patients. This study provides needed detail regarding how rounding teams adapt their discussions of essential topics and establishes a foundation for consideration of varying contextual factors in the design of rounding guidelines. As ICUs are challenged with increasing census and patient acuity levels, it is critical that we turn our attention to these contextual aspects and understand how these adaptations impact clinical outcomes to address them.

Comparison between Del Nido and conventional blood cardioplegia in pediatric open-heart surgery.

BACKGROUND: Del Nido cardioplegia (DNc) was designed for superior myocardial protection during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). We conducted a retrospective review to explore if DNc was associated with increase in systemic ventricle dysfunction (sVD) following pediatric CPB. METHODS AND RESULTS: This single-center, retrospective study included 1534 patients undergoing CPB between 2013 and 2016, 997 prior to center-wide conversion to DNc and 537 following. The primary outcome was new postoperative ≥moderate sVD by echocardiogram. Secondary outcomes included sVD of any severity and right ventricular dysfunction. Data was evaluated by interrupted time-series analysis. Groups had similar cardiac diagnoses and surgical complexity. Del Nido cardioplegia was associated with longer median (IQR) CPB [117 (84-158) vs 108 (81-154), p = 0.04], and aortic cross-clamp [83 (55-119) vs 76 (53-106), p = 0.03], and fewer cardioplegia doses [2 (1-2) vs 3 (2-4), p < 0.0001]. Mortality was similar in both groups. Frequency of sVD was unchanged following DNc, including predetermine subgroups (neonates, infants, and prolonged cross-clamp). Logistic regression showed a significant rise in right ventricular dysfunction (OR 5.886 [95% CI: 0.588, 11.185], p = 0.03) but similar slope. CONCLUSIONS: Use of DNc was not associated with increased in reported sVD, and provided similar myocardical protection to the systemic ventricle compared to conventional cardioplegia but may possibly impact right ventricular function. Studies evaluating quantitative systolic and diastolic function are needed.

Associations With Extubation Failure and Predictive Value of Risk Analytics Algorithms With Extubation Readiness Tests Following Congenital Cardiac Surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Extubation failure is associated with morbidity and mortality in children following cardiac surgery. Current extubation readiness tests (ERT) do not consider the nonrespiratory support provided by mechanical ventilation (MV) for children with congenital heart disease. We aimed to identify factors associated with extubation failure in children following cardiac surgery and assess the performance of two risk analytics algorithms for patients undergoing an ERT. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: CICU at a tertiary-care children's hospital. PATIENTS: Children receiving MV greater than 48 hours following cardiac surgery between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2019. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Six hundred fifty encounters were analyzed with 49 occurrences (8%) of reintubation. Extubation failure occurred most frequently within 6 hours of extubation. On multivariable analysis, younger age (per each 3-mo decrease: odds ratio [OR], 1.06; 95% CI, 1.001-1.12), male sex (OR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.03-3.97), Society of Thoracic Surgery-European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery category 5 procedure (p equals to 0.005), and preoperative respiratory support (OR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.09-3.95) were independently associated with unplanned reintubation. Our institutional ERT had low sensitivity to identify patients at risk for reintubation (23.8%; 95% CI, 9.7-47.6%). The addition of the inadequate delivery of oxygen (IDO2) index to the ERT increased the sensitivity by 19.0% (95% CI, -2.5 to 40.7%; p = 0.05), but the sensitivity remained low and the accuracy of the test dropped by 8.9% (95% CI, 4.7-13.1%; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative respiratory support, younger age, and more complex operations are associated with postoperative extubation failure. IDO2 and IVCO2 provide unique cardiorespiratory monitoring parameters during ERTs but require further investigation before being used in clinical evaluation for extubation failure.

Human Factors Analysis of Latent Safety Threats in a Pediatric Critical Care Unit.

OBJECTIVES: To identify unique latent safety threats spanning routine pediatric critical care activities and categorize them according to their underlying work system factors (i.e., "environment, organization, person, task, tools/technology") and associated clinician behavior (i.e., "legal": expected compliance with or "illegal-normal": deviation from and "illegal-illegal": disregard for standard policies and protocols). DESIGN: A prospective observational study with contextual inquiry of clinical activities over a 5-month period. SETTING: Two PICUs (i.e., medical-surgical ICU and cardiac ICU) in an urban free-standing quaternary children's hospital. SUBJECTS: Attending physicians and trainees, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, respiratory therapists, dieticians, pharmacists, and patient services assistants were observed. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Conducted 188 hours of observations to prospectively identify unique latent safety threats. Qualitative observational notes were analyzed by human factors experts using a modified framework analysis methodology to summarize latent safety threats and categorize them based on associated clinical activity, predominant work system factor, and clinician behavior. Two hundred twenty-six unique latent safety threats were observed. The latent safety threats were categorized into 13 clinical activities and attributed to work system factors as follows: "organization" (n = 83; 37%), "task" (n = 52; 23%), "tools/technology" (n = 40; 18%), "person" (n = 32; 14%), and "environment" (n = 19; 8%). Twenty-three percent of latent safety threats were identified when staff complied with policies and protocols (i.e., "legal" behavior) and 77% when staff deviated from policies and protocols (i.e., "illegal-normal" behavior). There was no "illegal-illegal" behavior observed. CONCLUSIONS: Latent safety threats span various pediatric critical care activities and are attributable to many underlying work system factors. Latent safety threats are present both when staff comply with and deviate from policies and protocols, suggesting that simply reinforcing compliance with existing policies and protocols, the common default intervention imposed by healthcare organizations, will be insufficient to mitigate safety threats. Rather, interventions must be designed to address the underlying work system threats. This human factors informed framework analysis of observational data is a useful approach to identifying and understanding latent safety threats and can be used in other clinical work systems.

Creating a health equity and inclusion office in an academic pediatric medical center: priorities addressed and lessons learned.

BACKGROUND: Over the last two decades, medical schools and academic health centers have acknowledged the persistence of health disparities in their patients and the lack of diversity in their faculty, leaders and extended workforce. We established an Office of Health Equity and Inclusion (OHEI) at our pediatric academic medical center after a thorough evaluation of prior diversity initiatives and review of faculty development data. OBJECTIVE: To describe the lessons learned at a pediatric academic medical center in prioritizing and implementing health equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives in creating the OHEI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed internal administrative data and faculty development data, including data related to faculty who are underrepresented in medicine, to understand the role of our EDI initiatives in the strategic priorities addressed and lessons learned in the creation of the OHEI. RESULTS: The intentional steps taken in our medical center's strategic approach in the creation of this office led to four important lessons to improve pediatric health equity: (1) board, senior executive and institutional prioritization of EDI initiatives; (2) multi-specialty and interprofessional collaboration; (3) academic approach to EDI programmatic development; and (4) intentionality with accountability in all EDI initiatives. CONCLUSION: The key lessons learned during the creation of an Office of Health Equity and Inclusion can provide guidance to other academic health centers committed to implementing institutional priorities that focus their EDI initiatives on the improvement of pediatric health equity.

Shock Index, Coronary Perfusion Pressure, and Rate Pressure Product As Predictors of Adverse Outcome After Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether shock index, coronary perfusion pressure, or rate pressure product in the first 24 hours after congenital heart surgery are independent predictors of subsequent clinically significant adverse outcomes. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study. SETTING: A tertiary care center. PATIENTS: All patients less than 18 years old who underwent cardiac surgery at Boston Children's Hospital between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2018. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Shock index (heart rate/systolic blood pressure), coronary perfusion pressure (diastolic blood pressure-right atrial pressure), and rate pressure product (heart rate × systolic blood pressure) were calculated every 5 seconds, and the median value for the first 24 hours of cardiac ICU admission for each was used as a predictor. The composite, primary outcome was the occurrence of any of the following adverse events in the first 7 days following cardiac ICU admission: cardiopulmonary resuscitation, extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, mechanical circulatory support, unplanned surgery, heart transplant, or death. The association of each variable of interest with this outcome was tested in a multivariate logistic regression model. Of the 4,161 patients included, 296 (7%) met the outcome within the specified timeframe. In a multivariate regression model adjusted for age, surgical complexity, inotropic and respiratory support, and organ dysfunction, shock index greater than 1.83 was significantly associated with the primary outcome (odds ratio, 6.6; 95% CI, 4.4-10.0), and coronary perfusion pressure greater than 35 mm Hg was protective against the outcome (odds ratio, 0.5; 0.4-0.7). Rate pressure product was not found to be associated with the outcome. However, the predictive ability of the shock index and coronary perfusion pressure models were not superior to their component hemodynamic variables alone. CONCLUSIONS: Both shock index and coronary perfusion pressure may offer predictive value for adverse outcomes following cardiac surgery in children, although they are not superior to the primary hemodynamic variables.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Infants and Children With Cardiac Disease: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Cardiac arrest occurs at a higher rate in children with heart disease than in healthy children. Pediatric basic life support and advanced life support guidelines focus on delivering high-quality resuscitation in children with normal hearts. The complexity and variability in pediatric heart disease pose unique challenges during resuscitation. A writing group appointed by the American Heart Association reviewed the literature addressing resuscitation in children with heart disease. MEDLINE and Google Scholar databases were searched from 1966 to 2015, cross-referencing pediatric heart disease with pertinent resuscitation search terms. The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association classification of recommendations and levels of evidence for practice guidelines were used. The recommendations in this statement concur with the critical components of the 2015 American Heart Association pediatric basic life support and pediatric advanced life support guidelines and are meant to serve as a resuscitation supplement. This statement is meant for caregivers of children with heart disease in the prehospital and in-hospital settings. Understanding the anatomy and physiology of the high-risk pediatric cardiac population will promote early recognition and treatment of decompensation to prevent cardiac arrest, increase survival from cardiac arrest by providing high-quality resuscitations, and improve outcomes with postresuscitation care.

Temporal Variability in the Sampling of Vital Sign Data Limits the Accuracy of Patient State Estimation.

OBJECTIVES: Physiologic signals are typically measured continuously in the critical care unit, but only recorded at intermittent time intervals in the patient health record. Low frequency data collection may not accurately reflect the variability and complexity of these signals or the patient's clinical state. We aimed to characterize how increasing the temporal window size of observation from seconds to hours modifies the measured variability and complexity of basic vital signs. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of signal data acquired between April 1, 2013, and September 30, 2015. SETTING: Critical care unit at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. PATIENTS: Seven hundred forty-seven patients less than or equal to 18 years old (63,814,869 data values), within seven diagnostic/surgical groups. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Measures of variability (SD and the absolute differences) and signal complexity (multiscale sample entropy and detrended fluctuation analysis [expressed as the scaling component α]) were calculated for systolic blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation. The variability of all vital signs increases as the window size increases from seconds to hours at the patient and diagnostic/surgical group level. Significant differences in the magnitude of variability for all time scales within and between groups was demonstrated (p < 0.0001). Variability correlated negatively with patient age for heart rate and oxygen saturation, but positively with systolic blood pressure. Changes in variability and complexity of heart rate and systolic blood pressure from time of admission to discharge were found. CONCLUSIONS: In critically ill children, the temporal variability of physiologic signals supports higher frequency data capture, and this variability should be accounted for in models of patient state estimation.

Retrospective Application of New Pediatric Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Criteria Identifies a High-Risk Population.

OBJECTIVES: To promote standardization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention introduced a new ventilator-associated pneumonia classification, which was modified for pediatrics (pediatric ventilator-associated pneumonia according to proposed criteria [PVAP]). We evaluated the frequency of PVAP in a cohort of children diagnosed with ventilator-associated pneumonia according to traditional criteria and compared their strength of association with clinically relevant outcomes. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Tertiary care pediatric hospital. PATIENTS: Critically ill children (0-18 yr) diagnosed with ventilator-associated pneumonia between January 2006 and December 2015 were identified from an infection control database. Patients were excluded if on high frequency ventilation, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or reintubated 24 hours following extubation. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patients were assessed for PVAP diagnosis. Primary outcome was the proportion of subjects diagnosed with PVAP. Secondary outcomes included association with intervals of care. Two hundred seventy-seven children who had been diagnosed with ventilator-associated pneumonia were eligible for review; 46 were excluded for being ventilated under 48 hours (n = 16), on high frequency ventilation (n = 12), on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (n = 8), ineligible bacteria isolated from culture (n = 8), and other causes (n = 4). ICU admission diagnoses included congenital heart disease (47%), neurological (16%), trauma (7%), respiratory (7%), posttransplant (4%), neuromuscular (3%), and cardiomyopathy (3%). Only 16% of subjects (n = 45) met the new PVAP definition, with 18% (n = 49) having any ventilator-associated condition. Failure to fulfill new definitions was based on inadequate increase in mean airway pressure in 90% or FIO2 in 92%. PVAP was associated with prolonged ventilation (median [interquartile range], 29 d [13-51 d] vs 16 d [8-34.5 d]; p = 0.002), ICU (median [interquartile range], 40 d [20-100 d] vs 25 d [14-61 d]; p = 0.004) and hospital length of stay (median [interquartile range], 81 d [40-182 d] vs 54 d [31-108 d]; p = 0.04), and death (33% vs 16%; p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Few children with ventilator-associated pneumonia diagnosis met the proposed PVAP criteria. PVAP was associated with increased morbidity and mortality. This work suggests that additional study is required before new definitions for ventilator-associated pneumonia are introduced for children.

Distributions and Behavior of Vital Signs in Critically Ill Children by Admission Diagnosis.

OBJECTIVES: Define the distributions of heart rate and intraarterial blood pressure in children at admission to an ICU based on admission diagnosis and examine trends in these physiologic signs over 72 hours from admission (or to discharge if earlier). DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of continuously acquired signals. SETTING: A quaternary and primary referral children's hospital with a general PICU and cardiac critical care unit. PATIENTS: One thousand two hundred eighty-nine patients less than 18 years old were analyzed. Data from individual patient admissions were divided into 19 groups by primary admission diagnosis or surgical procedure. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULTS: Distributions at admission are dependent on patient age and admission diagnosis (p < 10(-6)). Heart rate decreases over time, whereas arterial blood pressure is relatively stable, with differences seen in the directions and magnitude of these trends when analyzed by diagnosis group (p < 10(-6)). Multiple linear regression analysis shows that patient age, diagnosis group, and physiologic vital sign value at admission explain 50-63% of the variation observed for that physiologic signal at 72 hours (or at discharge if earlier) with admission value having the greatest influence. Furthermore, the variance of either heart rate or arterial blood pressure for the individual patient is smaller than the variance measured at the level of the group of patients with the same diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study reporting distributions of continuously measured physiologic variables and trends in their behavior according to admission diagnosis in critically ill children. Differences detected between and within diagnostic groups may aid in earlier recognition of outliers as well as allowing refinement of patient monitoring strategies.

Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (E-CPR) During Pediatric In-Hospital Cardiopulmonary Arrest Is Associated With Improved Survival to Discharge: A Report from the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation (GWTG-R) Registry.

BACKGROUND: Although extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (E-CPR) can result in survival after failed conventional CPR (C-CPR), no large, systematic comparison of pediatric E-CPR and continued C-CPR has been reported. METHODS AND RESULTS: Consecutive patients <18 years old with CPR events ≥10 minutes in duration reported to the Get With the Guidelines-Resuscitation registry between January 2000 and December 2011 were identified. Hospitals were grouped by teaching status and location. Primary outcome was survival to discharge. Regression modeling was performed, conditioning on hospital groups. A secondary analysis was performed with the use of propensity score matching. Of 3756 evaluable patients, 591 (16%) received E-CPR and 3165 (84%) received C-CPR only. Survival to hospital discharge and survival with favorable neurological outcome (Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category score of 1-3 or unchanged from admission) were greater for E-CPR (40% [237 of 591] and 27% [133 of 496]) versus C-CPR patients (27% [862 of 3165] and 18% [512 of 2840]). Odds ratios (ORs) for survival to hospital discharge and survival with favorable neurological outcome were greater for E-CPR versus C-CPR. After adjustment for covariates, patients receiving E-CPR had higher odds of survival to discharge (OR, 2.80; 95% confidence interval, 2.13-3.69; P<0.001) and survival with favorable neurological outcome (OR, 2.64; 95% confidence interval, 1.91-3.64; P<0.001) than patients who received C-CPR. This association persisted when analyzed by propensity score-matched cohorts (OR, 1.70; 95% confidence interval, 1.33-2.18; P<0.001; and OR, 1.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.31-2.41; P<0.001, respectively]. CONCLUSION: For children with in-hospital CPR of ≥10 minutes duration, E-CPR was associated with improved survival to hospital discharge and survival with favorable neurological outcome compared with C-CPR.

Cerebral Oxygen Saturation in Children With Congenital Heart Disease and Chronic Hypoxemia.

BACKGROUND: Increased hemoglobin (Hb) concentration accompanying hypoxemia is a compensatory response to maintain tissue oxygen delivery. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is used clinically to detect abnormalities in the balance of cerebral tissue oxygen delivery and consumption, including in children with congenital heart disease (CHD). Although NIRS-measured cerebral tissue O2 saturation (ScO2) correlates with arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2), jugular bulb O2 saturation (SjbO2), and Hb, little data exist on the interplay between these factors and cerebral O2 extraction (COE). This study investigated the associations of ScO2 and ΔSaO2-ScO2 with SaO2 and Hb and verified the normal range of ScO2 in children with CHD. METHODS: Children undergoing cardiac catheterization for CHD were enrolled in a calibration and validation study of the FORE-SIGHT NIRS monitor. Two pairs of simultaneous arterial and jugular bulb samples were drawn for co-oximetry, calculation of a reference ScO2 (REF CX), and estimation of COE. Pearson correlation and linear regression were used to determine relationships between O2 saturation parameters and Hb. Data were also analyzed according to diagnostic group defined as acyanotic (SaO2 ≥ 90%) and cyanotic (SaO2 < 90%). RESULTS: Of 65 children studied, acceptable jugular bulb samples (SjbO2 absolute difference between samples ≤10%) were obtained in 57 (88%). The ΔSaO2-SjbO2, ΔSaO2-ScO2, and ΔSaO2-REF CX were positively correlated with SaO2 and negatively correlated with Hb (all P < .001). Although by diagnostic group ScO2 differed statistically (P = .002), values in the cyanotic patients were within the range considered normal (69% ± 6%). COE estimated by the difference between arterial and jugular bulb O2 content (ΔCaO2-CjbO2, mL O2/100 mL) was not different for cyanotic and acyanotic patients (P = .10), but estimates using ΔSaO2-SjbO2, ΔSaO2-ScO2, or ΔSaO2-ScO2/SaO2 were significantly different between the cyanotic and acyanotic children (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Children with adequately compensated chronic hypoxemia appear to have ScO2 values within the normal range. The ΔSaO2-ScO2 is inversely related to Hb, with the implication that in the presence of reduced Hb, particularly if coupled with a decreased cardiac output, the ScO2 can fall to values associated with brain injury in laboratory studies.

Landmark lecture on cardiac intensive care and anaesthesia: continuum and conundrums.

Cardiac anesthesia and critical care provide an important continuum of care for patients with congenital heart disease. Clinicians in both areas work in complex environments in which the interactions between humans and technology is critical. Understanding our contributions to outcomes (modifiable risk) and our ability to perceive and predict an evolving clinical state (low failure-to-predict rate) are important performance metrics. Improved methods for capturing continuous physiologic signals will allow for new and interactive approaches to data visualization, and for sophisticated and iterative data modeling that will help define a patient's phenotype and response to treatment (precision physiology).

Tight glycemic control versus standard care after pediatric cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: In some studies, tight glycemic control with insulin improved outcomes in adults undergoing cardiac surgery, but these benefits are unproven in critically ill children at risk for hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia. We tested the hypothesis that tight glycemic control reduces morbidity after pediatric cardiac surgery. METHODS: In this two-center, prospective, randomized trial, we enrolled 980 children, 0 to 36 months of age, undergoing surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Patients were randomly assigned to either tight glycemic control (with the use of an insulin-dosing algorithm targeting a blood glucose level of 80 to 110 mg per deciliter [4.4 to 6.1 mmol per liter]) or standard care in the cardiac intensive care unit (ICU). Continuous glucose monitoring was used to guide the frequency of blood glucose measurement and to detect impending hypoglycemia. The primary outcome was the rate of health care-associated infections in the cardiac ICU. Secondary outcomes included mortality, length of stay, organ failure, and hypoglycemia. RESULTS: A total of 444 of the 490 children assigned to tight glycemic control (91%) received insulin versus 9 of 490 children assigned to standard care (2%). Although normoglycemia was achieved earlier with tight glycemic control than with standard care (6 hours vs. 16 hours, P<0.001) and was maintained for a greater proportion of the critical illness period (50% vs. 33%, P<0.001), tight glycemic control was not associated with a significantly decreased rate of health care-associated infections (8.6 vs. 9.9 per 1000 patient-days, P=0.67). Secondary outcomes did not differ significantly between groups, and tight glycemic control did not benefit high-risk subgroups. Only 3% of the patients assigned to tight glycemic control had severe hypoglycemia (blood glucose <40 mg per deciliter [2.2 mmol per liter]). CONCLUSIONS: Tight glycemic control can be achieved with a low hypoglycemia rate after cardiac surgery in children, but it does not significantly change the infection rate, mortality, length of stay, or measures of organ failure, as compared with standard care. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and others; SPECS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00443599.).

Evaluation of cerebral oxygenation and perfusion with conversion from an arterial-to-systemic shunt circulation to the bidirectional Glenn circulation in patients with univentricular cardiac abnormalities.

OBJECTIVE: Superior vena cava pressure after the bidirectional Glenn operation usually is higher than that associated with the preceding shunt-dependent circulation. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the acute elevation in central venous pressure was associated with changes in cerebral oxygenation and perfusion. DESIGN: Single-center prospective, observational cohort study. SETTING: Academic children's hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Infants with single-ventricle lesions and surgically placed systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunts undergoing the bidirectional Glenn operation. INTERVENTIONS: Near-infrared spectroscopy and transcranial Doppler sonography were used to measure regional cerebral oxygen saturation and cerebral blood flow velocity. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Mean differences in regional cerebral oxygen saturation and cerebral blood flow velocity before anesthetic induction and shortly before hospital discharge were compared using the F-test in repeated measures analysis of variance. In the 24 infants studied, mean cerebral oxygen saturation increased from 49%±2% to 57%±2% (p = 0.007), mean cerebral blood flow velocity decreased from 57±4 cm/s to 47±4 cm/s (p = 0.026), and peak systolic cerebral blood flow velocity decreased from 111±6 cm/s to 99±6 cm/s (p = 0.046) after the bidirectional Glenn operation. Mean central venous pressure was 8±2 mmHg postinduction of anesthesia and 14±4 mmHg on the first postoperative day and was not associated with a change in cerebral perfusion pressure (p = 0.35). CONCLUSIONS: The bidirectional Glenn operation in infants with a shunt-dependent circulation is associated with an improvement in cerebral oxygenation, and the lower cerebral blood flow velocity is likely a response of intact cerebral autoregulation.

Learning and evolving.

It is an honour to present the Anthony Chang lecture at this 10th International Conference of the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society. I have had the privilege of knowing Dr Chang for over 20 years, and although we only worked for a short period of time together at the Children's Hospital, Boston, in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, we have remained close colleagues and friends since that time. The contributions of Dr Chang to the development of paediatric cardiac intensive care are very clear, based on his clinical expertise, research and scholarship, and the development of the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society in its early days. More than this, Dr Chang is an individual with vision; in many respects, he has been ahead of the curve, anticipating and leading the direction of paediatric cardiac intensive care.

Collaborative quality improvement in the cardiac intensive care unit: development of the Paediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium (PC4).

Despite many advances in recent years for patients with critical paediatric and congenital cardiac disease, significant variation in outcomes remains across hospitals. Collaborative quality improvement has enhanced the quality and value of health care across specialties, partly by determining the reasons for variation and targeting strategies to reduce it. Developing an infrastructure for collaborative quality improvement in paediatric cardiac critical care holds promise for developing benchmarks of quality, to reduce preventable mortality and morbidity, optimise the long-term health of patients with critical congenital cardiovascular disease, and reduce unnecessary resource utilisation in the cardiac intensive care unit environment. The Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium (PC4) has been modelled after successful collaborative quality improvement initiatives, and is positioned to provide the data platform necessary to realise these objectives. We describe the development of PC4 including the philosophical, organisational, and infrastructural components that will facilitate collaborative quality improvement in paediatric cardiac critical care.

Anaesthesia outside of the operating room: the paediatric cardiac catheterization laboratory.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The focus of cardiac catheterization has changed from principally a diagnostic procedure to providing therapeutic options at various stages of childhood and adult congenital heart disease. The paediatric cardiac catheterization laboratory functions as a 'satellite' operating room. Combined ('hybrid') procedures with interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons present additional challenges for anaesthesia. The increased patient and procedure complexity represents higher risk for anaesthesia-related adverse events. RECENT FINDINGS: This review concentrates on the recent efforts to determine these patient and procedure-related risks. Multicentre registries have been developed, generating information regarding adverse events and patient outcomes. Standardized adverse events ratios allow comparisons between institutions and providers. Models to identify high-risk groups have been developed. SUMMARY: Advances in paediatric cardiac catheterization have created significant challenges for delivering anaesthesia in this environment. Anaesthetists need to have an integral role in the cardiac catheterization team, understanding and anticipating the risks for patients and leading the organization of workflow. Techniques used to improve systems in the operating room have been introduced to the cardiac catheterization laboratory to promote patient safety.

The frequency of cardiac arrests in patients with congenital heart disease undergoing cardiac catheterization.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac catheterization for patients with congenital heart disease has shifted from diagnostic to predominantly interventional procedures because of advances in catheter-based technologies. Children undergoing therapeutic catheterization may be at higher risk of adverse events, and the purpose of our study was to determine the incidence of cardiac arrest (CA) in patients with congenital heart disease undergoing cardiac catheterization at a large pediatric tertiary referral center. METHODS: All CAs from January 2004 through December 2009 occurring in the cardiac catheterization laboratory were reviewed. A CA was defined as an event in which cessation of circulation required chest compressions. Procedure, patient, practitioner, and system-related factors were examined. RESULTS: Over the study period, during 7289 catheterization procedures, 70 procedures were associated with a CA (0.96 [99% confidence interval, 0.7-1.3] per 100 procedures); 48 events (69%) were successfully resuscitated to a perfusing rhythm, 18 events (26%) resulted in need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and 4 events (6%) resulted in unsuccessful resuscitation. Sudden onset of cardiac arrhythmia led to CA during 38 events (54%). The duration of resuscitation after CA was ≤11 minutes in 71%. Occurrence of CA was associated with interventional procedures (P < 0.001) and younger age (P < 0.001). A change in systems for scheduling and communication of cases was associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of CA (1.5% vs 0.7%; P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of CA in children undergoing cardiac catheterization is high compared with pediatric noncardiac surgery. Procedural and system factors were associated with occurrence of CA in this cohort. These issues highlight the need for close communication, anticipation, and preparation.