Donation after cardiac death kidneys are suitable for pediatric recipients

Despite the high number of children listed for kidney transplantation and shortage of deceased organ donors, there is reluctance to utilize DCD kidneys in pediatric recipients. We examined outcomes in pediatric kidney transplant patients who received a DCD kidney allograft. UNOS database was queried to examine outcomes in all pediatric kidney transplant recipients from 1994 to 2017. Pediatric status was defined as <18 years at the time of transplantation. Recipients were divided by DBD or DCD allograft status. Donor and recipient demographic data were examined. Patient and allograft survival was calculated, and Kaplan‐Meier survival curves were generated. A P‐value of <0.05 was considered to be significant. A total of 286 pediatric kidney transplant recipients received a DCD allograft. The donors in the DCD group were significantly younger than those in the DBD group (21.7 vs 23.3 years), with a higher KDPI (26.5% vs 22.9%). In the DCD group, the average age at transplant was younger (11.6 vs 12.9 years), with no difference in cold ischemia time or length of stay between the two groups. Rates of delayed graft function were higher in the DCD group, but despite this, there were no significant differences in allograft or patient survival between the groups. There is no difference in allograft survival in pediatric kidney transplant recipients who receive a DCD kidney allograft. DCD kidney allografts are suitable for transplantation in pediatric patients and can greatly expand the donor pool.     

Measuring quality and outcomes in pediatric cardiac critical care

Measuring quality and outcomes in the pediatric cardiac critical care environment is challenging due to many inherent obstacles. These include a diverse patient mix, difficulty in determining how the care of the intensive care unit team contributes to outcomes and lack of an adequate risk-adjustment method for pediatric cardiac critical care patients. Despite these barriers, new solutions are emerging that capitalizes on lessons learned from other quality improvement initiatives and provide opportunities to build on those successes. The infrastructure is in place to develop robust quality metrics, create benchmarks for patient outcomes and to determine the structures and processes that drive variation in outcomes in the pediatric cardiac critical care setting.     

Pediatric critical care nurses' perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes regarding organ donation after cardiac death.

OBJECTIVE: Donation after cardiac death (DCD) is being implemented nationwide in the United States to increase the number of organ donors. Pediatric critical care nurses (PCRNs) are key facilitators in the organ donation process. This study assesses their perception, level of knowledge, and understanding of DCD and the effect of an educational intervention. DESIGN: Anonymous questionnaire administered before and after an educational intervention. SETTING: Children's hospital with 39 pediatric and cardiac/transplant intensive care unit beds. SUBJECTS: PCRNs in these intensive care units. INTERVENTIONS: DCD education. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Response to the initial questionnaire was 93 of 123 (76%): 63% of PCRNs supported organ donation, 69% felt it gives meaning and worth to death, and 76% felt that it contributes positively to the donating family's grieving process. Ninety-five percent agreed that DCD patients have a right to pain medications, and 92% supported such medications even if they hasten death. However, 11% feared that the DCD donor feels pain and suffering. Fourteen percent felt that a 5-min observation period after asystole is insufficient to pronounce death, and 8% feared legal repercussions. PCRNs scored lower on questions assessing their knowledge (p < .01), their comfort answering family questions (p < .05), and their comfort in calling the organ procurement agency about DCD donors compared with similar questions about brain-dead donors. One month after 104 PCRNs attended the educational intervention, 64 (62%) completed a follow-up survey. Correct identification of the DCD process improved from 20% to 79%. Confidence with knowledge, comfort answering family questions, and comfort in calling the organ procurement agency about DCD donors improved by 41%, 25%, and 18%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: PCRNs are generally supportive of organ donation but have a self-perceived and objectively identified knowledge deficit regarding DCD, resulting in their being unprepared to identify potential DCD donors or handle family questions. A simple educational intervention can improve PCRNs' knowledge of the DCD process and their confidence and comfort with this process. As DCD policies are implemented, specific interventions should target these key members of the intensive care unit team.     

儿童DCD供肝肝移植术后胆道并发症高危因素研究

目的 分析儿童心脏死亡器官捐献(DCD)肝移植受者术后胆道并发症发生的高危因素.方法 收集天津市第一中心医院2013年3月至2015年3月施行的48例儿童DCD肝移植手术的临床资料,回顾性分析临床因素对受者胆道并发症的影响.结果 48例儿童DCD肝移植受者术后共11例发生胆道并发症,发生率为22.9％.单因素分析显示胆道并发症组与对照组间的热缺血时间(P=0.003)差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05),受体年龄(P--0.998)、受体性别(P=0.094)、MELD评分(P=0.159)、PELD评分(P=0.740)、Child-Pugh评分(P=0.159)、冷缺血时间(P=0.990)、受体ICU逗留时间(P=0.105)、是否发生感染(P=0.930)、有无其他并发症(门静脉狭窄/血栓形成、肝动脉栓塞、DGF)(P=0.268)以及A3O血型是否相容(P=1.106)差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05).多因素分析显示热缺血时间(P=0.020,OR=10.367,95％可信区间为1.451～74.089)是术后胆道并发症的独立危险因素.结论 胆道并发症仍然是儿童DCD肝移植术后的重要难题,热缺血时间是受者术后胆道并发症的独立危险因素.因此选择更短热缺血时间的CDC供肝可以降低儿童肝移植受者胆道并发症的发生率.     

Intraosseous access in the setting of pediatric critical care transport.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate safety and efficacy of intraosseous needle placement among health care provider groups in the setting of pediatric critical care transport. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: Pediatric critical care transports to a pediatric intensive care unit. PATIENTS: Children undergoing pediatric critical care transport between January 1, 2000, and March 31, 2002, requiring intraosseous access before arrival to the pediatric intensive care unit. INTERVENTIONS: Intraosseous access placed for emergent vascular access. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: During the study period, the transport team performed 1,792 transports and identified 47 patients requiring 58 intraosseous placements. These were placed by emergency medical technician-paramedics (18%), referring emergency medicine physicians (42%), and the transport team members (40%). The intraosseous needles were placed with a mean of 1.2 attempts per placement and a first attempt success rate of 78%. Main site of placement was the proximal anterior tibia (95%). Access was maintained for a mean of 5.2 hrs. The intraosseous needle was used for fluids, medications, and laboratory studies. Admitting diagnoses included respiratory distress (28%), cardiopulmonary arrest (26%), neurologic insults (17%), dehydration (15%), sepsis (11%), and other (3%). Ages ranged from 3 wks to 14 yrs (mean 2.2 yrs) and weights from 2.1 to 60 kg (mean 12.3 kg). Complications were noted in seven of 58 (12%), all limited to local edema or infiltration. CONCLUSIONS: Intraosseous placement is frequently needed in the care of critically ill pediatric patients before they reach the pediatric intensive care unit. We have demonstrated that intraosseous needles can be placed safely with similar rates of success when comparing different provider groups. Emergency medical technician-paramedics, emergency medicine physicians, and pediatric critical care transport teams should be familiar with intraosseous placement.     

A single center experience of donation after cardiac death liver transplantation in pediatric recipients

Bartlett A, Vara R, Muiesan P, Mariott P, Dhawan A, Mieli‐Vergani G, Rela M, Heaton N. A single center experience of donation after cardiac death liver transplantation in pediatric recipients.
Pediatr Transplantation 2010:14: 388–392. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Abstract: Many centers are now performing DCD adult LT. There has been a reluctance to transplant pediatric recipients with DCD livers due to concern over the medium to long‐term outcome. We describe the outcome of 14 children (median age seven yr, 8 months–16 yr) that underwent LT with DCD grafts from July 2001 to December 2007. Donors had a median age of 23 yr (10–64), intensive care stay of five d (2–14) and bilirubin of 9 mmol/L (6–60). Median warm and cold ischemic time was 16 min (11–29) and seven h (5.5–8.4). Livers were transplanted as a whole organ (4), reduced graft (8), formal split (1) or auxiliary transplant (1). Compared to DBD recipients AST was significantly higher on the first three post‐operative days and there was no difference in the INR, bilirubin or GGT out to 12 months. There were no biliary or vascular complications and patient and graft survival is 100% at a median follow‐up of 41.8 months (1.7–74 months). LT with DCD grafts in pediatric recipients can be performed with low morbidity and excellent short‐to‐medium term patient and graft outcome.     

Negative pressure ventilation in pediatric critical care setting

Invasive ventilation is associated with both pulmonary and non-pulmonary complications. There has been a renewed interest in the use of negative pressure ventilation (NPV) for various medical conditions to minimise the complications associated with positive pressure ventilation. The routine use of NPV in an ICU setting still requires further studies and research. In this article, the authors review the clinical applications of NPV together with associated risks and limitations. Case reports of patients with cardiac, neuromuscular, and respiratory diseases managed with NPV on our unit are described. NPV improved the clinical condition in each of these patients and decreased the requirement for invasive therapy.     

Renal replacement therapy in pediatric critical care medicine

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The use of continuous renal replacement therapy in pediatric critical care has increased in the last 10 years. Adaptive makeshift machinery has been replaced with dedicated volumetric and/or gravimetric devices that afford accurate blood flow and ultrafiltrate production rates. While renal dysfunction continues to be related to primary renal disease, the incidence of secondary causes of acute renal failure continue to grow, especially in patients following cardiothoracic surgery, bone marrow transplantation, respiratory failure and multi-organ dysfunction syndrome. RECENT FINDINGS: Although much of the outcome data for continuous renal replacement therapy has been retrospective in nature, these therapies are safe for use in the sickest of intensive care unit patients. Moreover, early data from the prospective pediatric continuous renal replacement therapy registry suggests that early intervention with continuous renal replacement therapy, as well as goal-directed fluid resuscitation may lead to improved survival in critically ill patients. In patients with sepsis and septic shock, continuous renal replacement therapy offers a means for blood purification. SUMMARY: Though randomized placebo controlled trials are lacking at this time, center-based results suggest that continuous renal replacement therapy may prove beneficial to critically ill patients with sepsis and/or septic shock.     

A history of pediatric critical care medicine

Critical care medicine developed out of other subspecialties' need to provide care for their most critically ill patients. Advanced technologies, the understanding of the pathophysiology of critical illness, and the development of the multidisciplinary team have made this care possible. Pediatric critical care medicine emerged in the 1960s and has expanded dramatically since then. The field has made major advances in the areas of lung injury, sepsis, traumatic brain injury, and postoperative care. We review here the evolution of modern pediatric critical care medicine from its roots in general pediatric and cardiac surgery, adult respiratory care medicine, neonatology, and pediatric anesthesiology to its current state as a unique discipline.