Aortic Dissection in a Neonate Receiving Extracorporeal Life Support Therapy: A Case Report.

Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) therapy is increasingly being used to support children with refractory cardiorespiratory failure, but its use is occasionally associated with complications.1 Neonatal aortic dissection in association with ECLS is rare and the clinical sequelae of aortic dissection in neonates are poorly understood. We report a case of extensive type B aortic dissection in a neonate receiving ECLS therapy for refractory cardiogenic shock secondary to tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy and Wolf Parkinson White (WPW) syndrome.

Developing a new pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program.

Objectives: We aimed to critically evaluate the effectiveness of a designated ECMO team in our ECMO selection process and patient outcomes in the first 3 years of our low-volume pediatric ECMO program.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients who received an ECMO consultation between the start of our program in March 2015 and May 2018. We gathered clinical and demographic information on patients who did and did not receive ECMO, and described our selection process.

Modified Blalock-Thomas-Taussig Shunt Using Femoral Artery Homograft.

Modified Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunts are typically performed with biosynthetic polytetrafluoroethylene grafts. However, biologic conduits are being increasingly investigated. We herein report a case in which a femoral artery homograft was effectively used as material for a Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt.

Elevated Levels of Urinary Biomarkers TIMP-2 and IGFBP-7 Predict Acute Kidney Injury in Neonates after Congenital Heart Surgery.

 This article investigated the utility of urine biomarkers tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-7 (IGFBP-7) in identifying acute kidney injury (AKI) in neonates after congenital heart surgery (CHS). TIMP-2 and IGFBP-7 are cell cycle arrest proteins detected in urine during periods of kidney stress/injury.  We conducted a single-center, prospective study between September 2017 and May 2019 with neonates undergoing CHS requiring cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).

Safety Checklist Implementation Did Not Reduce Central Venous Catheter Duration in Pediatric Cardiac ICU Patients.

Unlabelled: The Center for Disease Control recommends prompt removal of nonessential central venous catheters (CVCs) to reduce the risk for central line-associated bloodstream infections. Safety checklists have been trialed to reduce nonessential CVC days, but pediatric studies are lacking. Our specific aim was to detect >10% reduction in mean CVC duration after implementation of a safety checklist addressing CVCs in our unit.