Kathy McCarthy

Dexamethasone alters sleep and fatigue in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Dexamethasone improves the cure rate of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) but causes physical and behavioral adverse events. The objective of the current study was to determine the effect of dexamethasone exposure on sleep and fatigue in pediatric patients with ALL.

Nocturnal Awakenings, Sleep Environment Interruptions, and Fatigue in Hospitalized Children With Cancer

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To describe nocturnal awakenings and sleep environment interruptions experienced by children and adolescents hospitalized for two to four days to receive chemotherapy and to assess the relationships among nocturnal awakenings, sleep environment interruptions, sleep duration, and fatigue. DESIGN Longitudinal, descriptive design. SETTING St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital and Texas Childrens Cancer Center. SAMPLE 25 patients with solid tumors and 4 with acute myeloid leukemia. METHODS Actigraphy, fatigue instruments, sleep diary, room entry and exit checklists, and blood samples. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES Nocturnal awakenings, sleep environment interruptions, sleep duration, and fatigue. FINDINGS The number of nocturnal awakenings per night as measured by actigraphy ranged from 0-40. The number of room entries and exits by a staff member or parent was 3-22 times per eight-hour night shift. The number of nocturnal awakenings was related to fatigue by patient report; patients who experienced 20 or more awakenings had significantly higher fatigue scores than those with fewer awakenings. Nocturnal awakenings also were significantly associated with sleep duration by patient and parent report. CONCLUSIONS Hospitalized pediatric patients with cancer who experience more nocturnal awakenings are more fatigued and sleep longer. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Nurses may be able to control some of the factors that contribute to nocturnal awakenings and sleep environment interruptions that affect fatigue and sleep duration in hospitalized pediatric patients with cancer.

Managing painful procedures in children with cancer.

Children with cancer experience repeated invasive and painful medical procedures. Pain and distress does not decrease with repeated procedures and may worsen if pain is not adequately managed. In 1990, the first recommendations on the management of pain and anxiety associated with procedures for children with cancer were published. Guiding principles described in the recommendations continue to hold true today: maximize comfort and minimize pain, use nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic interventions, prepare the child and family, consider the developmental age of the child, support family and child involvement, assure provider competency in performing procedures and sedation, and use appropriate monitoring to assure safety. This article reviews these key components for managing painful procedures in children and reviews the latest pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions most effective in minimizing pain and discomfort.

Carnitine plasma levels and fatigue in children/adolescents receiving cisplatin, ifosfamide, or doxorubicin

Fatigue is the most frequent symptom experienced by children/adolescents with cancer. One mechanism contributing to cancer-related fatigue involves abnormalities in adenosine triphosphate synthesis caused by carnitine deficiency. The purpose of this study was to examine fatigue and carnitine in children/adolescents before and after ifosfamide, cisplatin, or doxorubicin chemotherapy. Sixty-seven patients from 2 childrens cancer centers participated. Fatigue and carnitine measures were obtained before chemotherapy and a week later. Newly diagnosed children/adolescents had significantly higher free (P=0.018) and total carnitine levels (P=0.017) compared with those who received prior chemotherapy. There was a significant increase in free and total carnitine levels after treatment for patients receiving doxorubicin than patients receiving cisplatin or ifosfamide. Increased fatigue and decreased carnitine were significantly correlated a week after chemotherapy in children/adolescents who had received prior chemotherapy. Increased carnitine in newly diagnosed patients is likely associated with rapid tissue release into the bloodstream, replacing carnitine lost by chemotherapy metabolism. Decreased carnitine and increased fatigue occurred after 1 to 2 courses of chemotherapy. This study provides support for a relationship between carnitine and fatigue in children/adolescents with cancer.

Mathematics intervention for prevention of neurocognitive deficits in childhood leukemia

Despite evidence that CNS treatment is associated with cognitive and academic impairment, interventions to prevent or mitigate these problems are limited. The purpose was to determine if early intervention can prevent declines in mathematics abilities.

Improving Care for Children With Sickle Cell Disease/Acute Chest Syndrome

BACKGROUND: Acute chest syndrome (ACS) is a leading cause of hospitalization and death of children with sickle cell disease (SCD). An evidence-based ACS/SCD guideline was established to standardize care throughout the institution in February 2008. However, by the summer of 2009 use of the guideline was inconsistent, and did not seem to have an impact on length of stay. As a result, an implementation program was developed. OBJECTIVE: This quality-improvement project evaluated the influence of the development and implementation of a clinical practice guideline for children with SCD with ACS or at risk for ACS on clinical outcomes. METHODS: Clinical outcomes of 139 patients with SCD were evaluated before and after the development of the implementation program. Outcomes included average length of stay, number of exchange transfusions, average cost per SCD admission, and documentation of the clinical respiratory score and pulmonary interventions. RESULTS: Average length of stay decreased from 5.8 days before implementation of the guideline to 4.1 days after implementation (P = .033). No patients required an exchange transfusion. Average cost per SCD admission decreased from

Sickness behavior clustering in children with cancer.

30 359 before guideline implementation to

F2-Isoprostanes A Measure of Oxidative Stress in Children Receiving Treatment for Leukemia

22 368. Documentation of the clinical respiratory score increased from 31.0% before implementation to 75.5%, which is an improvement of 44.5% (P < .001). Documentation of incentive spirometry and positive expiratory pressure increased from 23.3% before implementation to 50.4%, which is an improvement of 27.1% (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a guideline for children with SCD with ACS or at risk for ACS improved outcomes for patients with SCD.

The influence of oxidative stress on symptom occurrence, severity, and distress during childhood leukemia treatment.

Despite knowing that pediatric cancer patients experience multiple concurrent symptoms, most research focuses on individual symptoms. This study is a secondary data analysis from previous research evaluating symptom clusters and carnitine plasma levels in 67 children and adolescents aged between 7 and 18 years, before and after receiving ifosfamide, doxorubicin, or cisplatin chemotherapy. In preparation for cluster analysis, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, depression, and performance status symptoms were rated in categories of none, mild, moderate, or severe. A conceptual approach was used to evaluate the identification of unique patterns of symptoms that cluster as well as what subgroup members of pediatric oncology patients assemble together. Comparison of symptoms is made with the recent literature on sickness behavior symptoms. The hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis was used to identify and classify variables into groups based on similarities they possess. This cluster analysis increases awareness of sickness behavior symptoms, patterns, interaction, and synergy. Increasing knowledge of the complex symptom experiences of pediatric oncology patients provides the scientific basis for new directions in symptom intervention.

Evaluation of Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis in Patients With Severe Methotrexate Neurotoxicity: A Case Series

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most prevalent and curable cancer among children and adolescents less than 15 years of age in the United States. Essential for cure of childhood ALL is prophylactic treatment of the central nervous system (CNS), with methotrexate (MTX) being the most widely used drug in this treatment. While CNS treatment has contributed to long-term disease-free survival, resulting declines in academic abilities have been reported. There is growing evidence that CNS treatment with MTX increases oxidative stress, a potential mechanism of CNS injury. This article reports changes in oxidative stress, measured by the biomarker F2-isoprostane (F2-IsoP), in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in 47 children with ALL during the first 18 months of treatment. The number of CSF samples ranged from 5 to 14 during postinduction and from 1 to 9 during continuation. Total doses of intrathecal MTX during postinduction were significantly correlated with the mean and highest concentrations of F2-IsoP during postinduction and the mean concentration of F2-IsoP during continuation. F2-IsoP concentrations during postinduction and continuation were higher in children who received more than six doses of intrathecal MTX. New therapies for a highly curable disease such as childhood leukemia have the potential to be individualized in the future, requiring reliable molecular and biochemical markers, such as oxidative stress indicators. Innovative use of biomarkers has the potential to increase our understanding of treatment-related toxicities and associated symptoms and to inform future therapeutic approaches for optimizing cure and quality of life among children with leukemia.