Impact of a pediatric primary care office-based mock code program on physician and staff confidence to perform life-saving skills.

Background: Previous studies have described that pediatric offices are ill-prepared for medical emergencies. Pediatric "mock codes" have been utilized to increase the emergency preparedness of inpatient medical units for several decades. These practice drills have been shown to both increase practitioners' confidence and decrease anxiety during actual resuscitations.

Microvascular thrombosis in pediatric multiple organ failure: Is it a therapeutic target?

PURPOSE: To discuss the current rationale for the use of specific and nonspecific therapies for thrombotic microangiopathy in thrombocytopenia-associated pediatric multiple organ failure syndromes. Methods: Pertinent PubMed and MEDLINE citations and proceedings of recent critical care meeting presentations were reviewed. RESULTS: Critical care clinicians have reported using antithrombin III concentrate, protein C concentrate, activated protein C, prostacyclin and its analogues, heparin, tissue factor pathway inhibitor concentrate, plasma infusion, plasma exchange, whole blood exchange, pentoxifylline, tissue plasminogen activator, urokinase, and streptokinase with perceived therapeutic benefits in patients with thrombocytopenia-associated multiple organ failure, including those with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura/hemolytic uremic syndrome, disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome, and secondary thrombotic microangiopathy syndrome without prolonged prothrombin time/activated partial thromboplastin time.