HLA DQA1*05 and risk of anti-TNF treatment failure and anti-drug antibody development in children with Crohn's Disease: HLA DQA1*05 and Pediatric Crohn's Disease.

Objectives: HLA DQA1*05 has been associated with the development of anti-drug antibodies (ADA) to tumor necrosis factor antagonists (anti-TNF) and treatment failure among adults with Crohn's disease (CD). However, findings from other studies have been inconsistent with limited pediatric data.

Methods: We analyzed banked serum from patients with CD < 21 years of age enrolled in COMBINE, a multi-center, prospective randomized trial of anti-TNF monotherapy vs.

Low Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Levels During Maintenance Phase Are Associated With Treatment Failure in Children With Crohn's Disease.

Background: Higher drug levels and combination therapy with low-dose oral methotrexate (LD-MTX) may reduce anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) treatment failure in pediatric Crohn's disease. We sought to (1) evaluate whether combination therapy with LD-MTX was associated with higher anti-TNF levels, (2) evaluate associations between anti-TNF levels and subsequent treatment failure, and (3) explore the effect of combination therapy on maintenance of remission among patients with therapeutic drug levels (>5 µg/mL for infliximab and >7.5 µg/mL for adalimumab).

Travel Time to Treating Center is Associated With Diagnostic Delay in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background & Aims: Delayed diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) leads to prolonged symptoms and worse long-term outcomes. We sought to evaluate whether race, ethnicity, disease type, and social factors are associated with delayed diagnosis of pediatric IBD.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of newly diagnosed pediatric patients with IBD at 22 United States sites from 2019 to 2022.

Diagnosis change in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease.

Objectives: This study aims to characterize pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients who change diagnosis and describe the characteristics of that change.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on pediatric IBD patients from the ImproveCareNow (ICN) multicenter international cohort from 2007 to January 2019. Primary outcome was change in diagnosis after the first four visits.

North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Position Statement for Telehealth.

Telehealth (TH) broadly encompasses remote activities of clinical care (telemedicine), provider and patient education, and general health services. The use of synchronous video for TH first occurred in 1964 and then catapulted to the forefront in 2020 during the coronavirus disease 2019 public health emergency. Due to the sudden need for increased TH utilization by nearly all health care providers at that time, TH became essential to clinical practice.

QI Project Promoting NP Compliance with an AOM Bundle in Pediatric Hospital-owned Retail Clinic.

Unlabelled: The most common diagnosis for pediatric antibiotic prescriptions is acute otitis media (AOM). Therefore, it is logical to focus on AOM when striving to improve antibiotic prescribing in pediatrics. This quality improvement project aimed to improve documentation of diagnostic criteria and physical examination findings in the medical record and improve adherence to recommended antibiotic prescribing recommendations for AOM by nurse practitioners at a children's hospital-owned pediatric retail clinic.

Clinical Practice Survey of Repeat Endoscopy in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease in North America.

Objectives: Endoscopic remission has become a standard treatment target in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It is unclear how widely this practice has been adopted amongst pediatric gastroenterology providers. This study determines the frequency of repeat endoscopy in pediatric IBD and evaluates for predictive baseline characteristics of providers.

Development and Testing of a New Simplified Endoscopic Mucosal Assessment for Crohn's Disease: The SEMA-CD.

Objectives: Endoscopic mucosal improvement is the gold standard for assessing treatment efficacy in clinical trials of Crohn's disease. Current endoscopic indices are not routinely used in clinical practice. The lack of endoscopic information in large clinical registries limits their use for research.

Updates in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease in childhood. There is an increase in disease prevalence and diagnoses as it is difficult to diagnose the problem. There are currently no effective medications.

Updates in diagnosis and management of chronic abdominal pain.

Chronic abdominal pain is a common problem seen by pediatricians and pediatric gastroenterologist alike. There should not be evidence of underlying organic pathology, with diagnosis based upon the Rome IV criteria. Although it frequently occurs, routine diagnostic testing is not always necessary.

Updates in diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel disease.

Worldwide incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is stable in developed countries, but rising in developing countries. Presenting symptoms of IBD can be highly variable. New imaging modalities, a greater armamentarium of therapeutic options, and a greater understanding of complication risks have changed the diagnosis and management of pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases.

Elevator-Related Deaths.

Elevators are mechanical transportation devices used to move vertically between different levels of a building. When first developed, elevators lacked the safety features. When safety mechanisms were developed, elevators became a common feature of multistory buildings.

Implementing a Novel Quality Improvement-Based Approach to Data Quality Monitoring and Enhancement in a Multipurpose Clinical Registry.

Objective: To implement a quality improvement based system to measure and improve data quality in an observational clinical registry to support a Learning Healthcare System.

Data Source: ImproveCareNow Network registry, which as of September 2019 contained data from 314,250 visits of 43,305 pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients at 109 participating care centers.

Study Design: The impact of data quality improvement support to care centers was evaluated using statistical process control methodology.

Decreasing Door-to-Door Times for Infliximab Infusions in a Children's Hospital Observation Unit.

Introduction: Children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often require infliximab infusions to manage their disease. Infusions administered in the hospital setting require the patient and their families to devote many hours away from home. Changing to a rapid infusion protocol has been shown in the literature to be safe and has the potential to decrease time spent in the hospital receiving infusions.

Leadership in quality improvement.

This article presents thoughts from a quality improvement team leader in a small institution application of methodology from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Successful leadership in quality improvement depends on structural supports in building learning systems as well as a supportive culture. Many resources can be used in quality improvement efforts.

Modeling Causal Relationships in Quality Improvement.

Taking the time to plan a quality improvement project before starting the project improves the likelihood of success. Understanding the tools that can be utilized for identification of a problem, the causes behind it, and the development of the theoretical framework of the planned improvement are crucial. Fishbone diagrams or cause and effect diagrams are often utilized to identify the root causes leading to an identified problem.

Disproportionate rise in Clostridium difficile-associated hospitalizations among US youth with inflammatory bowel disease, 1997-2011.

Objectives: Our aim was to characterize the temporal changes in burden that Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) added to the hospital care of children and young adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the United States.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of annual, nationally representative samples of children and young adults with IBD.

Results: There was a 5-fold increase in IBD hospitalizations with CDI from 1997 to 2011 (P for trend <0.

Increasing hospitalizations in inflammatory bowel disease among children in the United States, 1988-2011.

Background: Our objective was to characterize national trends in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-related hospitalizations for children. We hypothesized that over time, improvements in care would be associated with a decrease in hospitalization rates, similar to what has been observed in Canadian children with IBD.

Methods: Retrospective, serial, cross-sectional analysis of annual, nationally representative samples of children with IBD.

Variation in infliximab administration practices in the treatment of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease.

Objectives: Infliximab is used increasingly to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Infliximab is supplied in 100-mg vials. Doses that are typically calculated as 5 mg · kg⁻¹ · dose⁻¹ are commonly rounded up or down to the nearest 100 mg.