Direct-to-patient telemedicine: Expanding access to regional pediatric specialty care.

Telemedicine is seen as a useful tool in reducing gaps in health care but this technology-enabled care can also exacerbate health inequity if not implemented with a focus on inclusivity. Though many studies have reported improvements as well as exacerbation of disparities in access to care in their telehealth programs, there does not exist a common evaluation tool to assess these programs. To mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on health care workers and protect medically vulnerable children, in March 2020 we expanded our pre-established specialty and subspecialty direct-to-patient pediatric telemedicine program in a high volume urban pediatric health system.

Telemedicine in Pediatric Critical Care: A Retrospective Study in an International Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Program.

Introduction: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is an invaluable rescue technique for critically ill children with imminent or present cardiopulmonary collapse. However, medical team expertise to optimize results and decrease complications is scarce. Telemedicine can be used to enhance the delivery of quality interventions.

Use of Therapeutic Plasma Exchange during Extracorporeal Life Support in Critically Ill Cardiac Children with Thrombocytopenia-Associated Multi-Organ Failure.

Background: Thrombocytopenia-associated multi-organ failure (TAMOF) in children is a well-described factor for increased hospital mortality. Low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS) and the effects of cardiopulmonary bypass may manifest with several adverse physiologic and immunologic effects, with varying degrees of thrombocytopenia and multi-organ dysfunction, sometimes very similar to TAMOF. LCOS is a common occurrence in children with critical heart disease, presenting in as much as 23.

Patient Outcomes of an International Telepediatric Cardiac Critical Care Program.

Background: An optimal model for telemedicine use in the international care setting has not been established. Our objective was to describe variables associated with patient outcome during the implementation of an international pediatric cardiac critical care (PCCC) telemedicine program.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review was performed of clinical records and a telemedicine database of patients admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) at the Fundacion Cardiovascular de Colombia, Bucaramanga, Colombia, during the initial 10 months of our program, compared with patients admitted during a previous period.

International telemedicine in pediatric cardiac critical care: a multicenter experience.

Objective: To describe our multicenter experience in telemedicine-assisted pediatric cardiac critical care (PCCC) with four hospitals in Latin America from July 2011 to June 2013.

Materials And Methods: This was a descriptive study based on telemedicine encounters related to quality of communication, assessed information, activities, and recommendations. Comparison among centers was performed.