Objectives
To develop evidence-based recommendations for clinicians caring for children (including infants, school-aged children, and adolescents) with septic shock and other sepsis-associated organ ...dysfunction.
Design
A panel of 49 international experts, representing 12 international organizations, as well as three methodologists and three public members was convened. Panel members assembled at key international meetings (for those panel members attending the conference), and a stand-alone meeting was held for all panel members in November 2018. A formal conflict-of-interest policy was developed at the onset of the process and enforced throughout. Teleconferences and electronic-based discussion among the chairs, co-chairs, methodologists, and group heads, as well as within subgroups, served as an integral part of the guideline development process.
Methods
The panel consisted of six subgroups: recognition and management of infection, hemodynamics and resuscitation, ventilation, endocrine and metabolic therapies, adjunctive therapies, and research priorities. We conducted a systematic review for each Population, Intervention, Control, and Outcomes question to identify the best available evidence, statistically summarized the evidence, and then assessed the quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. We used the evidence-to-decision framework to formulate recommendations as strong or weak, or as a best practice statement. In addition, “in our practice” statements were included when evidence was inconclusive to issue a recommendation, but the panel felt that some guidance based on practice patterns may be appropriate.
Results
The panel provided 77 statements on the management and resuscitation of children with septic shock and other sepsis-associated organ dysfunction. Overall, six were strong recommendations, 49 were weak recommendations, and nine were best-practice statements. For 13 questions, no recommendations could be made; but, for 10 of these, “in our practice” statements were provided. In addition, 52 research priorities were identified.
Conclusions
A large cohort of international experts was able to achieve consensus regarding many recommendations for the best care of children with sepsis, acknowledging that most aspects of care had relatively low quality of evidence resulting in the frequent issuance of weak recommendations. Despite this challenge, these recommendations regarding the management of children with septic shock and other sepsis-associated organ dysfunction provide a foundation for consistent care to improve outcomes and inform future research.
To develop evidence-based recommendations for clinicians caring for children (including infants, school-aged children, and adolescents) with septic shock and other sepsis-associated organ ...dysfunction.
A panel of 49 international experts, representing 12 international organizations, as well as three methodologists and three public members was convened. Panel members assembled at key international meetings (for those panel members attending the conference), and a stand-alone meeting was held for all panel members in November 2018. A formal conflict-of-interest policy was developed at the onset of the process and enforced throughout. Teleconferences and electronic-based discussion among the chairs, co-chairs, methodologists, and group heads, as well as within subgroups, served as an integral part of the guideline development process.
The panel consisted of six subgroups: recognition and management of infection, hemodynamics and resuscitation, ventilation, endocrine and metabolic therapies, adjunctive therapies, and research priorities. We conducted a systematic review for each Population, Intervention, Control, and Outcomes question to identify the best available evidence, statistically summarized the evidence, and then assessed the quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. We used the evidence-to-decision framework to formulate recommendations as strong or weak, or as a best practice statement. In addition, "in our practice" statements were included when evidence was inconclusive to issue a recommendation, but the panel felt that some guidance based on practice patterns may be appropriate.
The panel provided 77 statements on the management and resuscitation of children with septic shock and other sepsis-associated organ dysfunction. Overall, six were strong recommendations, 52 were weak recommendations, and nine were best-practice statements. For 13 questions, no recommendations could be made; but, for 10 of these, "in our practice" statements were provided. In addition, 49 research priorities were identified.
A large cohort of international experts was able to achieve consensus regarding many recommendations for the best care of children with sepsis, acknowledging that most aspects of care had relatively low quality of evidence resulting in the frequent issuance of weak recommendations. Despite this challenge, these recommendations regarding the management of children with septic shock and other sepsis-associated organ dysfunction provide a foundation for consistent care to improve outcomes and inform future research.
Although neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a potentially devastating infection requiring prompt evaluation and treatment, large-scale assessments of the frequency in potentially infected infants ...have not been performed.
We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study of infants ≤60 days old who had cerebrospinal fluid culture testing performed in 1 of 23 participating North American emergency departments. HSV infection was defined by a positive HSV polymerase chain reaction or viral culture. The primary outcome was the proportion of encounters in which HSV infection was identified. Secondary outcomes included frequency of central nervous system (CNS) and disseminated HSV, and HSV testing and treatment patterns.
Of 26 533 eligible encounters, 112 infants had HSV identified (0.42%, 95% confidence interval CI: 0.35%-0.51%). Of these, 90 (80.4%) occurred in weeks 1 to 4, 10 (8.9%) in weeks 5 to 6, and 12 (10.7%) in weeks 7 to 9. The median age of HSV-infected infants was 14 days (interquartile range: 9-24 days). HSV infection was more common in 0 to 28-day-old infants compared with 29- to 60-day-old infants (odds ratio 3.9; 95% CI: 2.4-6.2). Sixty-eight (0.26%, 95% CI: 0.21%-0.33%) had CNS or disseminated HSV. The proportion of infants tested for HSV (35%; range 14%-72%) and to whom acyclovir was administered (23%; range 4%-53%) varied widely across sites.
An HSV infection was uncommon in young infants evaluated for CNS infection, particularly in the second month of life. Evidence-based approaches to the evaluation for HSV in young infants are needed.
To determine age-specific reference values and quantify age-related changes for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) white blood cell (WBC) counts and protein and glucose concentrations in infants ≤60 days of ...age.
This multicenter, cross-sectional study included infants ≤60 days old with CSF cultures and complete CSF profiles obtained within 24 hours of presentation. Those with conditions suspected or known to cause abnormal CSF parameters (eg, meningitis) and those with a hospital length of stay of >72 hours were excluded. Reference standards were determined for infants ≤28 days of age and 29 to 60 days of age by using the third quartile +1.5 interquartile range for WBC and protein and the first quartile -1.5 interquartile range for glucose. CSF parameter centile curves based on age were calculated by using the LMST method.
A total of 7766 patients were included. CSF WBC counts were higher in infants ≤28 days of age (upper bound: 15 cells/mm
) than in infants 29 to 60 days of age (upper bound: 9 cells/mm
;
< .001). CSF protein concentrations were higher in infants ≤28 days of age (upper bound: 127 mg/dL) than in infants 29 to 60 days of age (upper bound: 99 mg/dL;
< .001). CSF glucose concentrations were lower in infants ≤28 days of age (lower bound: 25 mg/dL) than in infants 29 to 60 days of age (lower bound: 27 mg/dL;
< .001).
The age-specific CSF WBC count, protein concentration, and glucose concentration reference values identified in this large, multicenter cohort of infants can be used to interpret the results of lumbar puncture in infants ≤60 days of age.
Febrile young children present frequently to the emergency department. While most febrile children recover uneventfully, certain subgroups are at higher risk of serious infection. Febrile neonates ...require extensive diagnostic testing, antibiotic therapy, and hospital admission. Diagnostic testing can be utilized in older patients to identify children at low risk and high risk for serious infection. This information may assist in determining the treatment and disposition of these febrile children.
OBJECTIVES
To identify independent predictors of and derive a risk score for invasive herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection.
METHODS
In this 23-center nested case-control study, we matched 149 infants ...with HSV to 1340 controls; all were ≤60 days old and had cerebrospinal fluid obtained within 24 hours of presentation or had HSV detected. The primary and secondary outcomes were invasive (disseminated or central nervous system) or any HSV infection, respectively.
RESULTS
Of all infants included, 90 (60.4%) had invasive and 59 (39.6%) had skin, eyes, and mouth disease. Predictors independently associated with invasive HSV included younger age (adjusted odds ratio aOR: 9.1 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.4–24.5 <14 and 6.4 95% CI: 2.3 to 17.8 14–28 days, respectively, compared with >28 days), prematurity (aOR: 2.3, 95% CI: 1.1 to 5.1), seizure at home (aOR: 6.1, 95% CI: 2.3 to 16.4), ill appearance (aOR: 4.2, 95% CI: 2.0 to 8.4), abnormal triage temperature (aOR: 2.9, 95% CI: 1.6 to 5.3), vesicular rash (aOR: 54.8, (95% CI: 16.6 to 180.9), thrombocytopenia (aOR: 4.4, 95% CI: 1.6 to 12.4), and cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis (aOR: 3.5, 95% CI: 1.2 to 10.0). These variables were transformed to derive the HSV risk score (point range 0–17). Infants with invasive HSV had a higher median score (6, interquartile range: 4–8) than those without invasive HSV (3, interquartile range: 1.5–4), with an area under the curve for invasive HSV disease of 0.85 (95% CI: 0.80–0.91). When using a cut-point of ≥3, the HSV risk score had a sensitivity of 95.6% (95% CI: 84.9% to 99.5%), specificity of 40.1% (95% CI: 36.8% to 43.6%), and positive likelihood ratio 1.60 (95% CI: 1.5 to 1.7) and negative likelihood ratio 0.11 (95% CI: 0.03 to 0.43).
CONCLUSIONS
A novel HSV risk score identified infants at extremely low risk for invasive HSV who may not require routine testing or empirical treatment.
OBJECTIVES:We hypothesized that the use of ultrasound guidance would improve the success rate of peripheral intravenous catheter placement in pediatric patients with difficult access in a pediatric ...emergency department (ED). Our secondary hypotheses were that ultrasound guidance would reduce the number of attempts, the number of needle redirections, and the overall time to catheter placement.
METHODS:This was a prospective randomized study of pediatric ED patients younger than 10 years old requiring intravenous access, presenting between August 2006 and May 2007. Inclusion criteria were 2 unsuccessful traditional attempts at peripheral intravenous access or history of difficult access. Exclusion was critical illness or instability. Patients were randomized to undergo peripheral intravenous catheter placement using continued traditional approaches or real-time, dual-operator ultrasound-guided technique. Measured outcomes were success of cannulation, number of attempts, number of needle redirections, and overall time to catheter placement.
RESULTS:Fifty patients were enrolled, with 25 patients randomized to each group. The overall success rates for the ultrasound-guided group were 80% and for the traditional-attempts group, 64%, with a difference in proportions of 16% (95% confidence interval, −9% to 38%, P = 0.208). The ultrasound-guided group required less overall time (6.3 vs 14.4 minutes, difference of −8.1 minutes 95% confidence interval, −12.5 to −3.6, P = 0.001), fewer attempts (median, 1 vs 3; P = 0.004), and fewer needle redirections (median, 2 vs 10; P < 0.0001) than traditional approaches.
CONCLUSIONS:In a sample of pediatric ED patients with difficult access, ultrasound-guided intravenous cannulation required less overall time, fewer attempts, and fewer needle redirections than traditional approaches.
To determine age-stratified prevalence of concomitant bacterial meningitis in infants ≤60 days with a urinary tract infection, we performed a 23-center, retrospective study of 1737 infants with ...urinary tract infection. Concomitant bacterial meningitis was rare, but more common in infants 0–28 days of age 0.9%; 95% confidence interval (CI)0.4%–1.9%) compared with infants 29–60 days of age (0.2%; 95% CI0%–0.8%).
Each year, more than 30 million children visit U.S. emergency departments (EDs). Although the number of pediatric emergency medicine specialists continues to rise, the vast majority of children are ...cared for in general EDs outside of children's hospitals. The diverse workforce of care providers for children must possess the knowledge, experience, skills, and systemic support necessary to deliver excellent pediatric emergency care. There is a crucial need to understand the factors that drive the professional development and support systems of this diverse workforce. Through the iterative process culminating with the 2018 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference, we have identified five key research themes and prioritized a specific research agenda. These themes represent critical gaps in our understanding of the development and maintenance of the pediatric emergency care workforce and allow for a prioritization of future research efforts. Only by more fully understanding the gaps in workforce needs, and the necessary steps to address these gaps, can outcomes be optimized for children in need of emergency care.
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