Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in South African PICUs: A Multisite Point-Prevalence Study.

Objectives: To describe the prevalence of pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (pARDS) and the characteristics of children with pARDS in South African PICUs.

Design: Observational multicenter, cross-sectional point-prevalence study.

Setting: Eight PICUs in four South African provinces.

High-flow oxygen therapy v. standard care in infants with viral bronchiolitis.

Background: High-flow humidified oxygen (HFHO) therapy has demonstrated benefit in infants with bronchiolitis.

Objectives: To investigate the efficacy of HFHO in infants with moderate to severe viral bronchiolitis, when used outside the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU), in a hospital with limited PICU resources.

Methods: A randomised controlled trial, which enrolled 28 infants between 1 month and 2 years of age, with a clinical diagnosis of acute viral bronchiolitis and moderate to severe respiratory distress.

Atypical presentation of herpes simplex virus type 1 infection in paediatric burns patients in a large tertiary hospital, South Africa.

Introduction: Herpes simplex virus has been reported in the literature to commonly complicate burn wounds. However, there is paucity of such data in the South African setting.

Case Presentation: Eight paediatric burns patients with ages ranging between 10 months and 5 years presented with a febrile maculopapular rash illness in a paediatric ward of a large South African tertiary hospital.

Global epidemiology of pediatric severe sepsis: the sepsis prevalence, outcomes, and therapies study.

Rationale: Limited data exist about the international burden of severe sepsis in critically ill children.

Objectives: To characterize the global prevalence, therapies, and outcomes of severe sepsis in pediatric intensive care units to better inform interventional trials.

Methods: A point prevalence study was conducted on 5 days throughout 2013-2014 at 128 sites in 26 countries.