Matthew Pinto

Incidence and Acute Complications of Asymptomatic Central Venous Catheter–Related Deep Venous Thrombosis in Critically Ill Children

OBJECTIVE To determined the current incidence and acute complications of asymptomatic central venous catheter (CVC)-related deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in critically ill children. STUDY DESIGN We performed a prospective cohort study in 3 pediatric intensive care units. A total of 101 children with newly inserted untunneled CVC were included. CVC-related DVT was diagnosed using compression ultrasonography with color Doppler. RESULTS Asymptomatic CVC-related DVT was diagnosed in 16 (15.8%) children, which equated to 24.7 cases per 1000 CVC-days. Age was independently associated with DVT. Compared with children aged <1 year, children aged >13 years had significantly higher odds of DVT (aOR, 14.1, 95% CI, 1.9-105.8; P = .01). Other patient demographics, interventions (including anticoagulant use), and CVC characteristics did not differ between children with and without DVT. Mortality-adjusted duration of mechanical ventilation, a surrogate for pulmonary embolism, was statistically similar in the 2 groups (22 ± 9 days in children with DVT vs 23 ± 7 days in children without DVT; P = .34). Mortality-adjusted intensive care unit and hospital lengths of stay also were similar in the 2 groups. CONCLUSION Asymptomatic CVC-related DVT is common in critically ill children. However, the acute complications do not seem to differ between children with and without DVT. Larger studies are needed to confirm these results. Future studies should also investigate the chronic complications of asymptomatic CVC-related DVT.

Risk Factors for Delayed Enteral Nutrition in Critically Ill Children.

Objective: Delayed enteral nutrition, defined as enteral nutrition started 48 hours or more after admission to the PICU, is associated with an inability to achieve full enteral nutrition and worse outcomes in critically ill children. We reviewed nutritional practices in six medical-surgical PICUs and determined risk factors associated with delayed enteral nutrition in critically ill children. Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study using medical records as source of data. Setting: Six medical-surgical PICUs in northeastern United States. Patients: Children less than 21 years old admitted to the PICU for 72 hours or more excluding those awaiting or recovering from abdominal surgery. Measurements and Main Results: A total of 444 children with a median age of 4.0 years were included in the study. Enteral nutrition was started at a median time of 20 hours after admission to the PICU. There was no significant difference in time to start enteral nutrition among the PICUs. Of those included, 88 children (19.8%) had delayed enteral nutrition. Risk factors associated with delayed enteral nutrition were noninvasive (odds ratio, 3.37; 95% CI, 1.69–6.72) and invasive positive-pressure ventilation (odds ratio, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.15–3.69), severity of illness (odds ratio for every 0.1 increase in pediatric index of mortality 2 score, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.14–1.71), procedures (odds ratio, 3.33; 95% CI, 1.67–6.64), and gastrointestinal disturbances (odds ratio, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.14–3.68) within 48 hours after admission to the PICU. Delayed enteral nutrition was associated with failure to reach full enteral nutrition while in the PICU (odds ratio, 4.09; 95% CI, 1.97–8.53). Nutrition consults were obtained in less than half of the cases, and none of the PICUs used tools to assure the adequacy of energy and protein nutrition. Conclusions: Institutions in this study initiated enteral nutrition for a high percentage of patients by 48 hours of admission. Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation was most strongly associated with delay enteral nutrition. A better understanding of these risk factors and assessments of nutritional requirements should be explored in future prospective studies.

Factor VIII May Predict Catheter-Related Thrombosis in Critically Ill Children: A Preliminary Study.

Objective: If we can identify critically ill children at high risk for central venous catheter-related thrombosis, then we could target them for pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis. We determined whether factor VIII activity or G value was associated with catheter-related thrombosis in critically ill children. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Two tertiary academic centers. Patients: We enrolled children younger than 18 years who were admitted to the PICU within 24 hours after insertion of a central venous catheter. We excluded children with a recently diagnosed thrombotic event or those anticipated to receive anticoagulation. Children with thrombosis diagnosed with surveillance ultrasonography on the day of enrollment were classified as having prevalent thrombosis. Those who developed catheter-related thrombosis thereafter were classified as having incident thrombosis. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: We enrolled 85 children in the study. Once enrolled, we measured factor VIII activity with one-stage clotting assay and determined G value with thromboelastography. Of those enrolled, 25 had incident and 12 had prevalent thromboses. The odds ratio for incident thrombosis per SD increase in factor VIII activity was 1.98 (95% CI, 1.10–3.55). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.66 (95% CI, 0.52–0.79). At factor VIII activity more than 100 IU/dL, which was the optimal threshold identified using Youden index, sensitivity and specificity were 92.0% and 41.3%, respectively. The association between factor VIII activity and incident thrombosis remained significant after adjusting for important clinical predictors of thrombosis (odds ratio, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.10–3.39). G value was associated with prevalent but not with incident thrombosis. Conclusion: Factor VIII activity may be used to stratify critically ill children based on their risk for catheter-related thrombosis.

Relationship Between Adverse Tracheal Intubation Associated Events and PICU Outcomes

Objective: Tracheal intubation in PICUs is a common procedure often associated with adverse events. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between immediate events such as tracheal intubation associated events or desaturation and ICU outcomes: length of stay, duration of mechanical ventilation, and mortality. Study Design: Prospective cohort study with 35 PICUs using a multicenter tracheal intubation quality improvement database (National Emergency Airway Registry for Children: NEAR4KIDS) from January 2013 to June 2015. Desaturation defined as Spo2 less than 80%. Setting: PICUs participating in NEAR4KIDS. Patients: All patients less than18 years of age undergoing primary tracheal intubations with ICU outcome data were analyzed. Measurements and Main Results: Five thousand five hundred four tracheal intubation encounters with median 108 (interquartile range, 58–229) tracheal intubations per site. At least one tracheal intubation associated event was reported in 892 (16%), with 364 (6.6%) severe tracheal intubation associated events. Infants had a higher frequency of tracheal intubation associated event or desaturation than older patients (48% infants vs 34% for 1–7 yr and 18% for 8–17 yr). In univariate analysis, the occurrence of tracheal intubation associated event or desaturation was associated with a longer mechanical ventilation (5 vs 3 d; p < 0.001) and longer PICU stay (14 vs 11 d; p < 0.001) but not with PICU mortality. The occurrence of severe tracheal intubation associated events was associated with longer mechanical ventilation (5 vs 4 d; p < 0.003), longer PICU stay (15 vs 12 d; p < 0.035), and PICU mortality (19.9% vs 9.6%; p < 0.0001). In multivariable analyses, the occurrence of tracheal intubation associated event or desaturation was significantly associated with longer mechanical ventilation (+12%; 95% CI, 4–21%; p = 0.004), and severe tracheal intubation associated events were independently associated with increased PICU mortality (OR = 1.80; 95% CI, 1.24–2.60; p = 0.002), after adjusted for patient confounders. Conclusions: Adverse tracheal intubation associated events and desaturations are common and associated with longer mechanical ventilation in critically ill children. Severe tracheal intubation associated events are associated with higher ICU mortality. Potential interventions to decrease tracheal intubation associated events and oxygen desaturation, such as tracheal intubation checklist, use of apneic oxygenation, and video laryngoscopy, may need to be considered to improve ICU outcomes.

A regional cohort study of the treatment of critically ill children with bronchiolitis

Abstract Objective: To describe the treatment practices in critically ill children with RSV bronchiolitis across four regional PICUs in the northeastern United States, and to determine the factors associated with increased ICU length of stay in this population. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of children who were admitted with RSV bronchiolitis between July 2009 and July 2011 to the PICUs of Connecticut Childrens Medical Center, Yale-New Haven Childrens Hospital, Maria Fareri Childrens Hospital, and Baystate Childrens Hospital. Data were collected regarding clinical characteristics and intensive care course among these hospitals. Results: During the study period, 323 children were admitted to one of the four ICUs with RSV bronchiolitis. Despite similar mortality risk scores among ICUs, there was considerable variation in the use of therapies, particularly intubation and mechanical ventilation, in which there was greater than a 3.5-fold increased risk of intubation between sites with the highest and lowest frequency of intubation (odds ratio: 3.8; 95% confidence interval: 2.2–6.4). Albuterol was the most commonly used respiratory treatment, followed by chest physiotherapy, high-flow nasal cannula, and hypertonic saline. Longer stays in the ICU were associated with more frequent use of therapies, specifically invasive mechanical ventilation, inhaled corticosteroids, intrapulmonary percussive ventilation, and chest physiotherapy. Conclusions: Even within a close geographic region, there is significant variation in the treatment provided to critically ill children with RSV bronchiolitis. None of these treatments were associated with shorter durations of hospitalization in this population and some, such as mechanical ventilation, were associated with longer ICU lengths of stay.

Corticosteroid therapy in critically ill pediatric asthmatic patients.

Objectives: IV corticosteroids are routinely prescribed to treat critically ill children with asthma. However, no specific dosing recommendations have been made for children admitted to the PICU. We aim to determine current asthma corticosteroid dosing preferences in PICUs within North America. Design: Cross-sectional, self-administered survey. Setting: North American PICUs. Subjects: Pediatric intensivists working in the United States and Canada. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: A total of 104 intensivists completed the survey. Of these, 70% worked in the United States, 67% attended in PICUs with at most 20 beds, and 79% had more than 10 years of PICU experience. The majority of asthmatics were admitted to PICUs based on clinical asthma examination/score or because the patient was receiving continuous albuterol. IV methylprednisolone is prescribed by a large majority of intensivists (96%). Of those who prescribe methylprednisolone, 66% use a starting dose of 4 mg/kg/d, whereas 31% use a starting dose of 2 mg/kg/d, and only 3% use 1 mg/kg/d. The large majority of respondents (85%) use “clinical experience” as their rationale for their preferred dosage. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, only knowledge of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute guidelines was an independent predictor of prescribing an initial corticosteroid dose of 4 mg/kg/d (odds ratio, 3.69 [95% CI, 1.26–10.80]; p = 0.017). Country of practice, years of experience, and PICU size were not associated with corticosteroid dosing preference. Conclusions: Most intensivists administer methylprednisolone to critically ill asthmatics at doses 2 to 4 times higher than recommended by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute guidelines for hospitalized asthmatic children. The rationale for these decisions is likely multifactorial, but in the absence of evidence-based data, most of them cite clinical experience as their deciding factor. Future research is needed to determine the most appropriate corticosteroid dosage in this critically ill patient population.

Promoters and Barriers to Implementation of Tracheal Intubation Airway Safety Bundle: A Mixed-method Analysis*

Objectives: To describe promoters and barriers to implementation of an airway safety quality improvement bundle from the perspective of interdisciplinary frontline clinicians and ICU quality improvement leaders. Design: Mixed methods. Setting: Thirteen PICUs of the National Emergency Airway Registry for Children network. Intervention: Remote or on-site focus groups with interdisciplinary ICU staff. Two semistructured interviews with ICU quality improvement leaders with quantitative and qualitative data-based feedbacks. Measurements and Main Results: Bundle implementation success (compliance) was defined as greater than or equal to 80% use for tracheal intubations for 3 consecutive months. ICUs were classified as early or late adopters. Focus group discussions concentrated on safety concerns and promoters and barriers to bundle implementation. Initial semistructured quality improvement leader interviews assessed implementation tactics and provided recommendations. Follow-up interviews assessed degree of acceptance and changes made after initial interview. Transcripts were thematically analyzed and contrasted by early versus late adopters. Median duration to achieve success was 502 days (interquartile range, 182–781). Five sites were early (median, 153 d; interquartile range, 146–267) and eight sites were late adopters (median, 783 d; interquartile range, 773–845). Focus groups identified common “promoter” themes—interdisciplinary approach, influential champions, and quality improvement bundle customization—and “barrier” themes—time constraints, competing paperwork and quality improvement activities, and poor engagement. Semistructured interviews with quality improvement leaders identified effective and ineffective tactics implemented by early and late adopters. Effective tactics included interdisciplinary quality improvement team involvement (early adopter: 5/5, 100% vs late adopter: 3/8, 38%; p = 0.08); ineffective tactics included physician-only rollouts, lack of interdisciplinary education, lack of data feedback to frontline clinicians, and misconception of bundle as research instead of quality improvement intervention. Conclusions: Implementation of an airway safety quality improvement bundle with high compliance takes a long time across diverse ICUs. Both early and late adopters identified similar promoter and barrier themes. Early adopter sites customized the quality improvement bundle and had an interdisciplinary quality improvement team approach.

Epidemiology of Lower Extremity Deep Venous Thrombosis in Critically Ill Adolescents

Objective To determine the epidemiology of lower extremity deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in critically ill adolescents, which currently is unclear. Study design We performed a multicenter, prospective, cohort study. Adolescents aged 13‐17 years who were admitted to 6 pediatric intensive care units and were anticipated to receive cardiopulmonary support for at least 48 hours were eligible, unless they were admitted with DVT or pulmonary embolism or were receiving or anticipated to receive therapeutic anticoagulation. While patients were in the unit, serial sonograms of the lower extremities were performed, then centrally adjudicated. Bayesian statistics were used to leverage the similarities between adults and adolescents. Results A total of 88 adolescents were enrolled, from whom 184 lower extremity sonograms were performed. Of these, 9 adolescents developed DVT, with 1 having bilateral DVT. The frequency of DVT was 12.4% (95% credible interval: 6.1%, 20.1%), which ranged from 6.3% to 19.8% with a variability of 41.0% across units. All cases of DVT occurred in adolescents who received invasive mechanical ventilation (frequency: 16.5%; 95% credible interval 8.1%, 26.6%). DVT was associated with femoral central venous catheterization (OR 15.44; 95% credible interval 1.62, 69.05) and severe illness (OR for every 0.1 increase in risk of mortality 3.11; 95% credible interval 1.19, 6.85). DVT appears to be associated with prolonged days on support. Conclusions Our findings highlight the similarities and differences in the epidemiology of DVT between adults and adolescents. They support the conduct and inform the design of a trial of pharmacologic prophylaxis in critically ill adolescents.

Frequency of Desaturation and Association with Hemodynamic Adverse Events during Tracheal Intubations in PICUs

Objectives: Oxygen desaturation during tracheal intubation is known to be associated with adverse ICU outcomes in critically ill children. We aimed to determine the occurrence and severity of desaturation during tracheal intubations and the association with adverse hemodynamic tracheal intubation–associated events. Design: Retrospective cohort study as a part of the National Emergency Airway Registry for Children Network’s quality improvement project from January 2012 to December 2014. Setting: International PICUs. Patients: Critically ill children younger than 18 years undergoing primary tracheal intubations in the ICUs. Interventions: tracheal intubation processes of care and outcomes were prospectively collected using standardized operational definitions. We defined moderate desaturation as oxygen saturation less than 80% and severe desaturation as oxygen saturation less than 70% during tracheal intubation procedures in children with initial oxygen saturation greater than 90% after preoxygenation. Adverse hemodynamic tracheal intubation–associated event was defined as cardiac arrests, hypo or hypertension requiring intervention, and dysrhythmia. Measurements and Main Results: A total of 5,498 primary tracheal intubations from 31 ICUs were reported. Moderate desaturation was observed in 19.3% associated with adverse hemodynamic tracheal intubation–associated events (9.8% among children with moderate desaturation vs 4.4% without desaturation; p < 0.001). Severe desaturation was observed in 12.9% of tracheal intubations, also significantly associated with hemodynamic tracheal intubation–associated events. After adjusting for patient, provider, and practice factors, the occurrence of moderate desaturation was independently associated with hemodynamic tracheal intubation–associated events: adjusted odds ratio 1.83 (95% CI, 1.34–2.51; p < 0.001). The occurrence of severe desaturation was also independently associated with hemodynamic tracheal intubation–associated events: adjusted odds ratio 2.16 (95% CI, 1.54–3.04; p < 0.001). Number of tracheal intubation attempts was also significantly associated with the frequency of moderate and severe desaturations (p < 0.001). Conclusions: In this large tracheal intubation quality improvement database, we found moderate and severe desaturation are reported among 19% and 13% of all tracheal intubation encounters. Moderate and severe desaturations were independently associated with the occurrence of adverse hemodynamic events. Future quality improvement interventions may focus to reduce desaturation events.

1116: END-TIDAL CARBON DIOXIDE MONITORING FOR TRACHEAL INTUBATION

Learning Objectives: Quantitative end-tidal carbon dioxide (qEtCO2) measurement with capnography device (CD) is becoming more available in pediatric ICUs and EDs. Yet CD utilization for confirmation of tracheal intubation (TI) is not known across variable pediatric ICUs and EDs. Clinical significance of CD use in detection of esophageal intubation, and prevention of acute desaturation (SpO2<80%) during TI are also unknown. We hypothesize that CD use to confirm TI success has become more common in both ICUs and EDs, and associated with lower occurrence of esophageal intubation with delayed recognition (DEI) and desaturation. Methods: Prospective multicenter cohort of a pediatric airway quality improvement database (NEAR4KIDS) between 7/2010 and 12/2015 was analyzed with inclusion criteria: age<18yr with initial TI. We evaluated the trend of CD use over time, and the association between CD use and the occurrence DEI/desaturation, while adjusting for patient, provider, location and clustering by site. Chi2 test for univariate analyses, multivariable logistic regression with GEE model, p<0.05 as significant. Results: Among 11,239 TIs (ICU:10,698, ED:541) from 34 sites, CDs were used in 45% in ICUs and 66% in EDs (p<0.001). CD use was significantly increased overtime in both locations (year 2015, ICU:52%, ED:73%, p<0.01 for trend at both locations). There was significant site variability in CD use (median 50%, IQR 25–85%, p<0.001). The use of a CD was less common in TI for respiratory failure (p<0.001) and by resident providers (p<0.001). DEI was reported in 0.44%; the occurrence was not different in TIs with/without a CD (with capnography 0.38% vs. without 0.48%, OR 0.78, p=0.34). Desaturations <80% were seen in 17% (with CD 16% vs. without CD 19%, OR 0.98, 95% CI: 0.96–0.99, p=0.003). Conclusions: There is large practice variation in CD use in pediatric ICUs and EDs. CD use was also significantly associated with fewer occurrences of desaturations, but not with DEI.