Chris Feudtner

Dramatic increase in venous thromboembolism in children's hospitals in the United States from 2001 to 2007.

OBJECTIVES: The goals were to determine whether there has been an increase in the rate of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in pediatric tertiary care hospitals and to evaluate the use of anticoagulants in the treatment of hospitalized pediatric patients with VTE. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of patients <18 years of age who were discharged from 35 to 40 childrens hospitals (depending on the year) across the United States in 2001–2007 was performed. By using the Pediatric Health Information System administrative database, cases were assessed for discharge diagnosis codes for VTE; the use of anticoagulants was assessed by using patient-specific pharmacy files. RESULTS: During the 7-year study period, in which 11337 hospitalized patients were diagnosed with VTE, the annual rate of VTE increased by 70%, from 34 to 58 cases per 10000 hospital admissions (P < .001). This increase was observed in neonates, infants, children, and adolescents. The majority (63%) of children with VTE had ≥1 coexisting chronic complex medical condition. Pediatric malignancy was the medical comorbid condition associated most strongly with recurrent VTE (P < .001). The proportion of children with VTE who were treated with enoxaparin increased from 29% to 49% during this time period (P < .001); the use of warfarin decreased slightly from 11.4% to 9.6% (P = .02). Increasing age was associated with increased likelihood of patients with VTE being treated with either enoxaparin or warfarin. CONCLUSION: This multicenter study demonstrates a dramatic increase in the diagnosis of VTE at childrens hospitals from 2001 to 2007.

Children With Complex Chronic Conditions in Inpatient Hospital Settings in the United States

OBJECTIVES: Hospitalized children are perceived to be increasingly medically complex, but no such trend has been documented. The objective of this study was to determine whether the proportion of pediatric inpatient use that is attributable to patients with a diagnosis of one or more complex chronic condition (CCC) has increased over time and to assess the degree to which CCC hospitalizations are associated with attributes that are consistent with heightened medical complexity. METHODS: A retrospective observational study that used the 1997, 2000, 2003, and 2006 Kids Inpatient Databases examined US hospitalizations for children. Attributes of medical complexity included hospital admissions, length of stay, total charges, technology-assistance procedures, and mortality risk. RESULTS: The proportion of inpatient pediatric admissions, days, and charges increased from 1997 to 2006 for any CCC and for every CCC group except hematology. CCCs accounted for 8.9% of US pediatric admissions in 1997 and 10.1% of admissions in 2006. These admissions used 22.7% to 26.1% of pediatric hospital days, used 37.1% to 40.6% of pediatric hospital charges, accounted for 41.9% to 43.2% of deaths, and (for 2006) used 73% to 92% of different forms of technology-assistance procedures. As the number of CCCs for a given admission increased, all markers of use increased. CONCLUSIONS: CCC-associated hospitalizations compose an increasing proportion of inpatient care and resource use. Future research should seek to improve methods to identify the population of medically complex children, monitor their increasing inpatient use, and assess whether current systems of care are meeting their needs.

Hospital utilization and characteristics of patients experiencing recurrent readmissions within children's hospitals.

CONTEXT Early hospital readmission is emerging as an indicator of care quality. Some children with chronic illnesses may be readmitted on a recurrent basis, but there are limited data describing their rehospitalization patterns and impact. OBJECTIVES To describe the inpatient resource utilization, clinical characteristics, and admission reasons of patients recurrently readmitted to childrens hospitals. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS Retrospective cohort analysis of 317,643 patients (n = 579,504 admissions) admitted to 37 US childrens hospitals in 2003 with follow-up through 2008. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Maximum number of readmissions experienced by each child within any 365-day interval during the 5-year follow-up period. RESULTS In the sample, 69,294 patients (21.8%) experienced at least 1 readmission within 365 days of a prior admission. Within a 365-day interval, 9237 patients (2.9%) experienced 4 or more readmissions; time between admissions was a median 37 days (interquartile range [IQR], 21-63). These patients accounted for 18.8% (109,155 admissions) of all admissions and 23.2% (

Pediatric Palliative Care Patients: A Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study

3.4 billion) of total inpatient charges for the study cohort during the entire follow-up period. Tests for trend indicated that as the number of readmissions increased from 0 to 4 or more, the prevalences increased for a complex chronic condition (from 22.3% [n = 55,382/248,349] to 89.0% [n = 8225/9237]; P < .001), technology assistance (from 5.3% [n = 13,163] to 52.6% [n = 4859]; P < .001), public insurance use (from 40.9% [n = 101,575] to 56.3% [n = 5202]; P < .001), and non-Hispanic black race (from 21.8% [n = 54,140] to 34.4% [n = 3181]; P < .001); and the prevalence decreased for readmissions associated with an ambulatory care-sensitive condition (from 23.1% [62,847/272,065] to 14.0% [15,282/109,155], P < .001). Of patients readmitted 4 or more times in a 365-day interval, 2633 (28.5%) were rehospitalized for a problem in the same organ system across all admissions during the interval. CONCLUSIONS Among a group of pediatric hospitals, 18.8% of admissions and 23.2% of inpatient charges were accounted for by the 2.9% of patients with frequent recurrent admissions. Many of these patients were rehospitalized recurrently for a problem in the same organ system.

Pediatric complex chronic conditions classification system version 2: updated for ICD-10 and complex medical technology dependence and transplantation

OBJECTIVE: To describe demographic and clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients who received hospital-based pediatric palliative care (PPC) consultations. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: Prospective observational cohort study of all patients served by 6 hospital-based PPC teams in the United States and Canada from January to March 2008. RESULTS: There were 515 new (35.7%) or established (64.3%) patients who received care from the 6 programs during the 3-month enrollment interval. Of these, 54.0% were male, and 69.5% were identified as white and 8.1% as Hispanic. Patient age ranged from less than one month (4.7%) to 19 years or older (15.5%). Of the patients, 60.4% lived with both parents, and 72.6% had siblings. The predominant primary clinical conditions were genetic/congenital (40.8%), neuromuscular (39.2%), cancer (19.8%), respiratory (12.8%), and gastrointestinal (10.7%). Most patients had chronic use of some form of medical technology, with gastrostomy tubes (48.5%) being the most common. At the time of consultation, 47.2% of the patients had cognitive impairment; 30.9% of the cohort experienced pain. Patients were receiving many medications (mean: 9.1). During the 12-month follow-up, 30.3% of the cohort died; the median time from consult to death was 107 days. Patients who died within 30 days of cohort entry were more likely to be infants and have cancer or cardiovascular conditions. CONCLUSIONS: PPC teams currently serve a diverse cohort of children and young adults with life-threatening conditions. In contrast to the reported experience of adult-oriented palliative care teams, most PPC patients are alive for more than a year after initiating PPC.

High prevalence of temporomandibular joint arthritis at disease onset in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, as detected by magnetic resonance imaging but not by ultrasound.

BackgroundThe pediatric complex chronic conditions (CCC) classification system, developed in 2000, requires revision to accommodate the International Classification of Disease 10th Revision (ICD-10). To update the CCC classification system, we incorporated ICD-9 diagnostic codes that had been either omitted or incorrectly specified in the original system, and then translated between ICD-9 and ICD-10 using General Equivalence Mappings (GEMs). We further reviewed all codes in the ICD-9 and ICD-10 systems to include both diagnostic and procedural codes indicative of technology dependence or organ transplantation. We applied the provisional CCC version 2 (v2) system to death certificate information and 2 databases of health utilization, reviewed the resulting CCC classifications, and corrected any misclassifications. Finally, we evaluated performance of the CCC v2 system by assessing: 1) the stability of the system between ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes using data which included both ICD-9 codes and ICD-10 codes; 2) the year-to-year stability before and after ICD-10 implementation; and 3) the proportions of patients classified as having a CCC in both the v1 and v2 systems.ResultsThe CCC v2 classification system consists of diagnostic and procedural codes that incorporate a new neonatal CCC category as well as domains of complexity arising from technology dependence or organ transplantation. CCC v2 demonstrated close comparability between ICD-9 and ICD-10 and did not detect significant discontinuity in temporal trends of death in the United States. Compared to the original system, CCC v2 resulted in a 1.0% absolute (10% relative) increase in the number of patients identified as having a CCC in national hospitalization dataset, and a 0.4% absolute (24% relative) increase in a national emergency department dataset.ConclusionsThe updated CCC v2 system is comprehensive and multidimensional, and provides a necessary update to accommodate widespread implementation of ICD-10.

Physical Health Outcomes of Childhood Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disease in a cohort of children with new-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and to compare magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with ultrasound (US) for the detection of acute and chronic changes of TMJ arthritis. METHODS Between January 2005 and April 2007, children with newly diagnosed JIA were prospectively evaluated for TMJ arthritis. Prior to imaging, jaw pain and disability were assessed with questionnaires and physical examination. The TMJs of all patients were imaged with MRI and US within 8 weeks of diagnosis. RESULTS Of the 32 patients enrolled, 78% were female, and the median age was 8.6 years (range 1.5-17.2 years). Acute TMJ arthritis was diagnosed in 75% of the children by MRI and in none by US; chronic arthritis was diagnosed in 69% by MRI and in 28% by US. Findings of both acute and chronic TMJ disease were detected by MRI in 53% of the patients. Of those with acute TMJ arthritis, 71% were asymptomatic, and 63% had normal findings on jaw examination. Fifty-six percent of patients with acute disease had an improved maximal incisal opening after corticosteroid injection. Among these responders, 56% had been asymptomatic and had normal jaw examination findings. CONCLUSION TMJ arthritis was present in the majority of patients with new-onset JIA. Findings on MRI along with responses to treatment among asymptomatic patients with normal jaw examination findings suggest that a history review and physical examination are not sufficient to screen for TMJ disease. Our results also suggest that MRI and US findings are not well correlated, and that MRI is preferable for the detection of TMJ disease in new-onset JIA.

Hospitalizations for Endemic Mycoses: A Population-Based National Study

BACKGROUND. Children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) are at increased risk for adverse mental and behavioral health sequelae, as has been documented by both systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Studies addressing the physical health impact of childhood IPV exposure, however, have not been summarized in a manner that might facilitate additional hypothesis-driven research and accelerate the development of targeted interventions. METHODS. To identify a comprehensive set of articles examining the association between childhood IPV exposure and physical health, we searched online bibliographic databases including Medline, CINAHL, PsychInfo, and Sociological Abstracts using the keywords “domestic” or “intimate partner violence” and “infant,” “child,” or “pediatric.” From >2000 articles retrieved in the initial search, we used online abstract and bibliographic information to identify 94 articles potentially meeting the inclusion criteria of studies that (1) examined a postnatal physical health outcome related to IPV exposure and (2) had a contemporaneous control group. Thorough review of these 94 published studies yielded 22 that met these inclusion criteria. The data then were abstracted independently by 2 of the authors, and differences were settled with the assistance of a third author. RESULTS. Childhood exposure to IPV increases the likelihood of risk-taking behaviors during adolescence and adulthood and is likely associated with underimmunization. Minimal data and study limitations preclude establishing a clear connection between IPV exposure and general health and use of health services, breastfeeding, or weight gain. CONCLUSIONS. The impact on physical health from exposure to IPV during childhood is still uncertain. Future studies should be grounded in a theoretical model that specifies how IPV exposure can affect child health, should adjust for confounders adequately, should include a community-based sample, and should be of larger scale.

How do primary care physicians identify young children with developmental delays? A national survey.

We performed a retrospective cohort study, using the 2002 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a national database of hospital inpatient stays, to describe the incidence and epidemiology of endemic mycoses requiring hospitalization. An estimated 332 pediatric and 6003 adult patients with endemic mycoses required hospitalization (4.6 and 28.7 cases per 1 million children and adults, respectively). Crude mortality rates were 5% and 7% among children and adults, respectively.

Effects of Corticosteroid on Henoch-Schönlein Purpura: A Systematic Review

Little is known about the current practices of primary care physicians regarding developmental surveillance and screening during pediatric preventive care visits. We conducted a mailed survey of a random national sample of pediatricians and family physicians to describe their practices and identify factors that predict use of developmental screening tools, an efficacious way of identifying children with developmental delays. Most physicians reviewed developmental milestones and prompted parents for developmental concerns at preventive care visits. Approximately half of the physicians used a formal developmental screening instrument. Female physician gender predicted higher rates of use of screening tools for family physicians, but not for pediatricians. Most physicians seemed committed to the early diagnosis of developmental delays. Substantial variability in surveillance and screening practices, barriers of time and reimbursement, and under-reliance on parent-completed questionnaires underscore areas for improvement.