Lower-Dose, Intravenous Chlorothiazide Is an Effective Adjunct Diuretic to Furosemide Following Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.

Objectives: Postoperative fluid overload is ubiquitous in neonates and infants following operative intervention for congenital heart defects; ineffective diuresis is associated with poor outcomes. Diuresis with furosemide is widely used, yet there is often resistance at higher doses. In theory, furosemide resistance may be overcome with chlorothiazide; however, its efficacy is unclear, especially in lower doses and in this population.

An ensemble boosting model for predicting transfer to the pediatric intensive care unit.

Background: Early deterioration indicators have the potential to alert hospital care staff in advance of adverse events, such as patients requiring an increased level of care, or the need for rapid response teams to be called. Our work focuses on the problem of predicting the transfer of pediatric patients from the general ward of a hospital to the pediatric intensive care unit.

Objectives: The development of a data-driven pediatric early deterioration indicator for use by clinicians with the purpose of predicting encounters where transfer from the general ward to the PICU is likely.

Safety, Efficacy, and Timeliness of Intravenous Potassium Chloride Replacement Protocols in a Pediatric Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit.

Objective: Hypokalemia in children following cardiac surgery occurs frequently, placing them at risk of life-threatening arrhythmias. However, renal insufficiency after cardiopulmonary bypass warrants careful administration of potassium (K). Two different nurse-driven protocols (high dose and tiered dosing) were implemented to identify an optimal K replacement regimen, compared to an historical low-dose protocol.

Psychometric evaluation of a modified version of the family satisfaction in the ICU survey in parents/caregivers of critically ill children*.

Objectives: The Family Satisfaction in the Intensive Care Unit 24 (FS-ICU 24) survey consists of two domains (overall care and medical decision-making) and was validated only for family members of adult patients in the ICU. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the internal consistency and construct validity of the FS-ICU 24 survey modified for parents/caregivers of pediatric patients (Pediatric Family Satisfaction in the Intensive Care Unit 24 [pFS-ICU 24]) by comparing it to McPherson's PICU satisfaction survey, in a similar racial/ethnic population as the original Family Satisfaction in the Intensive Care Unit validation studies (English-speaking Caucasian adults). We hypothesized that the pFS-ICU 24 would be psychometrically sound to assess satisfaction of parents/caregivers with critically ill children.

Race/Ethnicity is not associated with mortality in the PICU.

Objective: To determine if a difference in survival exists between children of different racial/ethnic groups who were admitted to the PICU, after controlling for severity of illness (pediatric index of mortality 2).

Methods: We used the largest national clinical PICU database (Virtual PICU Performance System) with data from 31 hospitals, from 2005 to 2008. Children 18 years and younger were included.