Juan C Vassallo

Dying in the intensive care unit: collaborative multicenter study about forgoing life-sustaining treatment in Argentine pediatric intensive care units.

Objective Describe modes of death and factors involved in decision-making together with life support limitation (LSL) procedures. Design Prospective, descriptive, longitudinal, and noninterventional study. Setting Sixteen pediatric intensive care units in Argentina. Patients Every patient who died during a 1-yr period was included. Measurements and Main Results Age, sex, length of stay (LOS), primary and admission diagnosis, underlying chronic disease (CD), postoperative condition (PO). Deaths were classified in four groups: a) failed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); b) do-not-resuscitate (DNR) status; c) withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment (WH/WD); and d) brain death (BD). Justifications were classified as a) imminent death; b) poor long-term prognosis; c) poor quality of life; and d) family request. Data were collected from medical records and interviews with the attending physicians. Descriptive statistics were performed. Differences among groups were analyzed through contingency tables and analysis of variance when required. Relative risks and confidence intervals of variables potentially related to LSL were analyzed, and logistic regression was performed. There were 6358 admissions and 457 deaths. CPR was performed in 52%, DNR in 16%, WH/WD in 20%, and BD in 11% of dead patients. BD patients were older, LOS and CD prevalence were higher in the WH/WD group. Inotropic drugs were the most frequently limited treatment in 110 patients (55%), CPR in 72 (35.6%), and mechanical ventilation in 63 (31%). Imminent death was the most frequently reported justification for LSL. CD and more staff were associated with a higher probability of LSL. Conclusions Most of the patients in Argentina underwent CPR before their death. We have a high proportion of patients with CD (65%) and low BD diagnosis. PO condition decreased LSL probability in chronically ill patients. Do-not-resuscitate orders and withholding new treatments were the most common LSL. Active withdrawal was exceptional. The Ethics Committee was consulted in 5% of the LSL population.

Levosimendán, un nuevo agente inotrópico: experiencia en niños con fallo cardíaco agudo

INTRODUCTION Low cardiac output syndrome occurs frequently in pediatric patients after cardiac surgery. Catecholamines are used as inotropic drugs to treat this threatening condition, but may cause undesirable and potentially harmful side effects. This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of levosimendan (LEVO) in pediatric patients with low cardiac output syndrome. PATIENTS AND METHODS Open prospective, quasi-experimental cohort. LEVO was given as compassionate treatment in patients with refractory post-surgical low cardiac output syndrome. Every patient received an IV infusion of LEVO at 6 microg/kg during a fifteen minutes period, followed by a 24 h IV infusion at 0.1 microg/kg/min. Clinical improvement of cardiac output was the primary end point of the study. Two independent observers performed clinical evaluation, bidimensional echocardiogram, hemodynamic and laboratory tests were performed pre and after LEVO infusion. RESULTS LEVO was infused in 18 opportunities (fourteen children). The response was considered successful in 9/18 interventions (50%; p= 0.004). Both inotropic score (12.1 vs. 6,1, p= 0.01) and A-VDO(2)2 (26.78 +/- 11.5% vs. 20.81 +/- 7.72%, p= 0.029) showed reduction, while SvO2 improved (69.5 +/- 11.4% vs. 76 +/- 9.29%, p= 0.03). No adverse effects were noticed. Four patients died, none of them related to LEVO administration. CONCLUSIONS LEVO improved cardiac output in 50% of the interventions with post-surgical LCOS and no adverse effect was observed.

Cirugía cardíaca reparadora en recién nacidos: Experiencia de 5 años en cirugía neonatal con circulación extracorpórea

INTRODUCTION Four hundred newborns die every year in our country suffering from congenital heart disease. Definitive surgical repair, whenever possible, is nowadays the optimal therapeutic strategy. Our goal is to describe mortality and morbidity in neonatal surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass in a tertiary public hospital in Argentina. PATIENTS AND METHODS Descriptive, retrospective study. Every patient, younger than 45 days, with cardiac surgery requiring cardiopulmonary bypass, at the Garrahan Hospital between 2004 and 2008 was included. Demographic, surgical and postoperative data were collected. Adjusted mortality risk analysis, and descriptive statistics from the most frequent diagnosis were performed. Results are expressed as median and rank or percentage. RESULTS 200 newborns were operated, 62% males. Median age was 21 days (r 1- 45) and median weight 3.1 kg (r 1.6-6.2). Total anomalous pulmonary venous return, transposition of great arteries an hypoplastic left heart syndrome diagnoses accounted for 75% of the procedures. Median length of stay was 12 days (r 0-191), and 6 days of mechanical ventilation (r 0-180). Eighteen percent of the patients required peritoneal dialysis. Whole series mortality was 19% and fell to 14% in 2008. Unstable preoperative condition and postoperative complications increased mortality, OR= 2.23 (1.02-4.89) and OR= 10 (3.6-33.4), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our postoperative mortality is similar to those reported in foreign countries databases. Patients with unstable preoperative condition and post-operative complications had higher mortality.

Factores asociados con la aprobación, desarrollo y publicación de proyectos de investigación en un hospital pediátrico

BACKGROUND Unpublished research is a frequent and reported problem. Objective. To analyze factors associated to approval, development and publication of research protocols submitted to Hospital Garrahan Institutional Review Board. METHOD Descriptive and observational study. The characteristics from every protocol submitted to the IRB (January/2001 to June/2006) were collected and a questionnaire was administered in order to explore the accomplishment of the study, meeting presentations, publications or mainspring for not-publication. We calculated OR and 95% CI to estimate what factors were related to the approval and the publication of the studies. RESULTS 190 research protocols were evaluated; 125 (66%) were approved; 84 protocols were carried out (44%) and 40 (21%) were published. The approval was related to basic research (OR 8,6 95%CI 2.3-29) and fellowship participation (OR 9.4 95%CI 4-21.7); although, experimental design (OR 0.76 95%CI 0.61-0.96) and financial support by pharmaceutical industry (OR 0.19 95%CI 0.06-0.60) decreased approval odds. The main cause for not publication was the lack of time for the writing of the article. We have not found factors related to the publication. CONCLUSION From the presentation of a protocol up to its approval and publication there exists barriers that decrease progressively the possibility of completing the research.

Características de las residencias de terapia intensiva pediátrica de la República Argentina: Encuesta nacional

INTRODUCTION Pediatric intensive care residency programs have been in place in Argentina for just a few years. Knowing their status offers the possibility to establish strategies to help with professional development and training. OBJECTIVES 1) To describe the characteristics of pediatric intensive care residency programs across Argentina. 2) To assess whether certain characteristics are related to a higher vacancy filling rate. 3) To assess job placement in the hospital where residents are trained. DESIGN Descriptive, observational study. National survey. INCLUSION CRITERIA Pediatric intensive care residency programs in place between April 1st, 2014 and May 31st, 2014. RESULTS Thirty-one residency programs were analyzed. Only 11/31 had an annual hospitalization volume >400 patients. There were no guidelines and/or criteria for care in 9/31. The program suited the national reference framework in 17/31. There was no head of residents or resident trainer in 13/31. Only 5/31 had been certified by the Ministry of Health. There were 65 vacancies; this number increased in the past four years; vacancy filling rate decreased from 59% in 2009 to 30% in 2013. Sixty percent of residents got a job in the pediatric intensive care unit where they were trained. A multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the outcome measure annual hospitalization volume >400 patients as an independent predictor of vacancy filling rate >60%. CONCLUSIONS 1) Vacancy filling is deficient. 2) The number of certified residency programs is scarce. 3) Pediatric intensive care units with a higher number of hospitalizations were associated with a higher vacancy filling rate. 4) More than half of residents got a job in the pediatric intensive care unit where they were trained.