Extravascular lung water assessment by lung ultrasound in infants following pediatric cardiac surgery.

Background: Lung edema is a significant factor in prolonged mechanical ventilation and extubation failure after cardiac surgery. This study assessed the predictive capability of point-of-care Lung Ultrasound (LUS) for the duration of mechanical ventilation and extubation failure in infants following cardiac procedures.

Methods: We conducted a prospective observational trial on infants under 1 year, excluding those with pre-existing conditions or requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

A Stewardship Program to Optimize the Use of Inhaled Nitric Oxide in Pediatric Critical Care.

Purpose: Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is a pulmonary vasodilator that is approved for use in term and near-term neonates with hypoxic respiratory failure associated with evidence of pulmonary hypertension. However, it is commonly used in infants and children to treat a variety of other cardiopulmonary diseases associated with pulmonary hypertension and hypoxic respiratory failure. In critically ill children, iNO therapy may be continued for a prolonged period, and this increases the risk for adverse consequences including toxicity and unnecessary costs.

Retrospective Application of New Pediatric Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Criteria Identifies a High-Risk Population.

Objectives: To promote standardization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention introduced a new ventilator-associated pneumonia classification, which was modified for pediatrics (pediatric ventilator-associated pneumonia according to proposed criteria [PVAP]). We evaluated the frequency of PVAP in a cohort of children diagnosed with ventilator-associated pneumonia according to traditional criteria and compared their strength of association with clinically relevant outcomes.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.