Blood drawings is a common hospital procedure involving laboratory and clinical disciplines that is important for the diagnosis and management of illnesses in children. Blood drawings with ...pre-analytical error (PAE) can lead to increased costs for hospitals and healthcare organisations. The direct cost of blood drawings after a PAE is not fully understood in paediatric hospital care. The aim of this study was to estimate the average direct cost of PAE per year and per 10,000 blood drawings in tertiary paediatric care. A cost analysis using a bottom-up approach was conducted on the basis of combined information from the hospital's laboratory register for the period 2013-2014 and clinical in-ward observations at a tertiary children's referral hospital in Sweden, the Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital. For the analysis, we hypothesised the re-collection of all blood drawings with PAE and included the average costs of the sampling materials, the time of the healthcare personnel, the laboratory analyses, and in-ward premises based on the time spent on the blood sampling procedure. The annual cost of PAE was estimated to be 74,267 euros per 54,040 blood drawings, which corresponds to 13,756 euros per 10,000 blood drawings or 1.5 euros per draw. The personnel cost represented 60.1% (45,261 euros per year) of the cost due to PAE, followed by costs for hospitalisation (25.2%), laboratory analyses (8.1%), and materials (5.7%). PAEs lead to substantial increases in the costs in tertiary paediatric hospital care. If these PAEs can be avoided, costs related to the re-collection of blood drawings with PAE may be re-allocated to other health-promoting activities for children visiting hospital institutions.
"The things I'm trying to say become lines and colors / And I get closer to the things I'm trying to express / And it begins to look something like a picture / And then I want to show it to someone / ...And it becomes a picturebook / And eventually, I wind up doing this over and over / And I think that's because I want to become a person who makes picturebooks and makes others happy."
Development of potentially life-threatening enterocolitis is the most frequent complication in children with Hirschsprung disease (HSCR), even after definitive corrective surgery. Intestinal ...microbiota likely contribute to the etiology of enterocolitis, so the aim of this study was to compare the fecal bacterial and fungal communities of children who developed Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis (HAEC) with HSCR patients who had never had enterocolitis. Eighteen Hirschsprung patients who had completed definitive surgery were enrolled: 9 had a history of HAEC and 9 did not. Fecal DNA was isolated and 16S and ITS-1 regions sequenced using Next Generation Sequencing and data analysis for species identification. The HAEC group bacterial composition showed a modest reduction in Firmicutes and Verrucomicrobia with increased Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria compared with the HSCR group. In contrast, the fecal fungi composition of the HAEC group showed marked reduction in diversity with increased Candida sp., and reduced Malassezia and Saccharomyces sp. compared with the HSCR group. The most striking finding within the HAEC group is that the Candida genus segregated into "high burden" patients with 97.8% C. albicans and 2.2% C. tropicalis compared with "low burden" patients 26.8% C. albicans and 73% C. tropicalis. Interestingly even the low burden HAEC group had altered Candida community structure with just two species compared to more diverse Candida populations in the HSCR patients. This is the first study to identify Candida sp. as potentially playing a role in HAEC either as expanded commensal species as a consequence of enterocolitis (or treatment), or possibly as pathobioants contributing to the pathogenesis of HAEC. These findings suggest a dysbiosis in the gut microbial ecosystem of HAEC patients, such that there may be dominance of fungi and bacteria predisposing patients to development of HAEC.
The complex treatment for diabetes type 1 (T1D) includes insulin dosing for every meal, which requires education and experience to achieve optimal outcomes. Advanced carbohydrate counting (ACC) is ...the recommended method. We studied ACC as part of a standard treatment with the aim to explore its associations with glycemic control and empowerment in adolescents and young adults. We used national registry data on glycemic outcomes, a study-specific questionnaire regarding the use of ACC and the Gothenburg Young Persons Empowerment Scale (GYPES) to measure empowerment. A total of 111 participants (10–28 years of age, diabetes duration >9 years, mean HbA1c of 55.4 mmol/mol) answered the questionnaire. We found that most participants (79.3%) who learn ACC, at onset or later, continue to use the method. A higher level of empowerment was associated with lower HbA1c (p = 0.021), making patient empowerment an important factor in achieving optimal glycemic outcomes. No associations were found between ACC and empowerment or glycemic outcomes. A mixed strategy, only using ACC sometimes when insulin dosing for meals, was associated with the lowest empowerment score and highest HbA1c and should warrant extra education and support from the diabetes team to reinforce a dosing strategy.
Factors predicting survival over time after pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admissions are not fully understood. The primary aim of the current study was to investigate whether multiple ...admissions (MADM) compared to single PICU admissions (SADM) were associated with poor survival over time after being admitted to PICU facilities. Our secondary aim was to investigate if the presence of a complex chronic condition (CCC) would further impair prognosis.
A closed cohort of all children up to 16 years of age admitted to the three PICUs in Sweden between 2008 and 2010 was prospectively collected and followed until 2012, providing survival data for at least one but up to four years of follow-up.
Three Swedish tertiary referral centers for pediatric intensive care and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) care were used.
In total, 3,688 Swedish children with 5,019 PICU admissions were included.
No interventions were conducted.
An extensive data set was recorded, including up to four-year survival information following first PICU admission. The patients were assigned to seven admission diagnostic groups, which were then divided into SADM or MADM groups. The difference in survival over time and mortality rates (MR) and mortality rate ratios (MRR) were calculated. SADM and MADM groups with and without an existing CCC were formed. The difference in survival over time between groups was calculated.
A highly significant difference in survival over time was noted between SADM and MADM patients (p<0.0001), which was intensified by the presence of a CCC. MADM patients with a CCC had the worst outcome, while SADM patients without a CCC had the best outcome. MADM patients with no CCC demonstrated decreased survival over time compared to SADM patients with a CCC. Survival over time was statistically worsened for patients with MADM compared to SADM for the following admission diagnostic groups: Cardiovascular, Gastrointestinal/Renal, Respiratory, Neurological, and Miscellaneous. The mortality rate (deaths/patient year of follow-up) during the time of follow-up was 0.023 for SADM and 0.062 for MADM patients. The mortality rate ratio (MRR) between these groups was 2.69.
Compared to single admissions, multiple admissions to PICU were associated with a significant decrease in survival over time in some but not all diagnostic groups. Regarding our secondary aim, we found that when the presence of a CCC is factored into the survival analysis, survival over time is further impaired.
The aim of the current study was to investigate how cerebral and splanchnic oxygen saturation (rSO.sub.2 -C and rSO.sub.2 -A) in critically ill children transported in air ambulance was affected by ...flight with cabin pressurization corresponding to greater than or equal to 5000 feet. A second aim was to investigate any differences between cyanotic and non-cyanotic children in relation to cerebral and splanchnic oxygen saturation during flight greater than or equal to 5000 feet. The variability of the cerebral and splanchnic Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) sensors was evaluated. NIRS was used to measure rSO.sub.2 -C and rSO.sub.2 -A during transport of critically ill children in air ambulance. rSO.sub.2 data was collected and stored by the NIRS monitor and extracted and analyzed off-line after the transport. Prior to evaluation of the NIRS signals all zero and floor-effect values were removed. The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden. In total, 44 critically ill children scheduled for inter-hospital transport by a specialized pediatric transport team were included in the study between January 2014 and January 2019 (convenience sampling). No interventions were conducted. All study patients were monitored with a cerebral NIRS-sensor placed over the forehead and an abdominal NIRS-sensor placed in the infra-umbilical area for cerebral and splanchnic regional oxygen saturation monitoring, rSO.sub.2 -C and rSO.sub.2 -A, respectively. Both cerebral and splanchnic oxygen saturation decreased at altitude greater than or equal to 5000 feet compared to baseline. In most patients, both cyanotic and non-cyanotic, cerebral oxygen saturation was preserved more than splanchnic oxygen saturation.
Procedural sedation and analgesia are commonly used in the Emergency Departments. Despite this common need, there is still a lack of options for adequate and safe analgesia and sedation in children. ...The objective of this study was to evaluate whether intranasal dexmedetomidine could provide more effective analgesia and sedation during a procedure than intranasal esketamine.
This was a double-blind equally randomized (1:1) superiority trial of 30 children aged 1-3 years presenting to the Emergency Department with a laceration or a burn and requiring procedural sedation and analgesia. Patients were randomized to receive 2.0 mcg/kg intranasal dexmedetomidine or 1.0 mg/kg intranasal esketamine. The primary outcome measure was highest pain (assessed using Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability scale (FLACC)) during the procedure. Secondary outcomes were sedation depth, parents' satisfaction, and physician's assessment. Comparisons were done using Mann-Whitney U test (continuous variables) and Fisher's test (categorical variables).
Adequate analgesia and sedation were reached in 28/30 patients. The estimated sample size was not reached due to changes in treatment of minor injuries and logistical reasons. The median (IQR) of highest FLACC was 1 (0-3) with intranasal dexmedetomidine and 5 (2-6.75) with intranasal esketamine, (p-value 0.09). 85.7% of the parents with children treated with intranasal dexmedetomidine were "very satisfied" with the procedure and sedation compared to the 46.2% of those with intranasal esketamine, (p-value 0.1). No severe adverse events were reported during this trial.
This study was underpowered and did not show any difference between intranasal dexmedetomidine and intranasal esketamine for procedural sedation and analgesia in young children. However, the results support that intranasal dexmedetomidine could provide effective analgesia and sedation during procedures in young children aged 1-3 years with minor injuries.
Eudra-CT 2017-00057-40, April 20, 2017. https://eudract.ema.europa.eu/.
Initially, Lindgren rejected that idea of creating a center focused entirely on her and her books, but she gradually warmed up to the idea of establishing a place that celebrated children’s authors ...and illustrators from Scandinavia. This idea eventually resulted in the creation of Junibacken. Promoted as a “children’s cultural center with books at its heart,” Junibacken combines the elements of an interactive children’s museum, a children’s theater, and a children’s bookstore. Junibacken opened to the public in June 8, 1996, and Lindgren, along with the King and Queen of Sweden, attended the grand opening
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