Building global collaborative research networks in paediatric critical care: a roadmap.

Paediatric critical care units are designed for children at a vulnerable stage of development, yet the evidence base for practice and policy in paediatric critical care remains scarce. In this Health Policy, we present a roadmap providing strategic guidance for international paediatric critical care trials. We convened a multidisciplinary group of 32 paediatric critical care experts from six continents representing paediatric critical care research networks and groups.

The relationship between muscle mass changes and protein or energy intake in critically ill children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Survivorship after pediatric critical illness is high in developed countries, but many suffer physical morbidities afterwards. The increasing focus on follow-up after critical illness has led to more pediatric studies reporting muscle mass changes (using ultrasound), albeit with different results. A systematic literature review was undertaken examining muscle mass changes, assessed by ultrasound of the quadriceps femoris muscle in children who are critically ill.

Cost-effectiveness of high flow nasal cannula therapy versus continuous positive airway pressure for non-invasive respiratory support in paediatric critical care.

Background: High flow nasal cannula therapy (HFNC) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) are two widely used modes of non-invasive respiratory support in paediatric critical care units. The FIRST-ABC randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluated the clinical and cost-effectiveness of HFNC compared with CPAP in two distinct critical care populations: acutely ill children ('step-up' RCT) and extubated children ('step-down' RCT). Clinical effectiveness findings (time to liberation from all forms of respiratory support) showed that HFNC was non-inferior to CPAP in the step-up RCT, but failed to meet non-inferiority criteria in the step-down RCT.

Accurate height and length estimation in hospitalized children not fulfilling WHO criteria for standard measurement: a multicenter prospective study.

In hospitalized children, height should be measured. When world health organization (WHO) height measurement gold standards is impossible, the ideal height estimation technique is still unclear. We conducted an international prospective study in eight different pediatric intensive care units to assess the accuracy, precision, practicability, safety, and inter-rater reliability of 12 different height estimation techniques, based on body segment measurement extrapolation, or other calculations using previous or projected heights.

Framework for Research Gaps in Pediatric Ventilator Liberation.

Background: The 2023 International Pediatric Ventilator Liberation Clinical Practice Guidelines provided evidence-based recommendations to guide pediatric critical care providers on how to perform daily aspects of ventilator liberation. However, because of the lack of high-quality pediatric studies, most recommendations were conditional based on very low to low certainty of evidence.

Research Question: What are the research gaps related to pediatric ventilator liberation that can be studied to strengthen the evidence for future updates of the guidelines?

Study Design And Methods: We conducted systematic reviews of the literature in eight predefined Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome (PICO) areas related to pediatric ventilator liberation to generate recommendations.

Changes in Global Nutrition Practices in Critically Ill Children and the Influence of Emerging Evidence: A Secondary Analysis of the Pediatric International Nutrition Studies, 2009-2018.

Background: The timeline of the 3 Pediatric International Nutrition Studies (PINS) coincided with the publication of 2 major guidelines for the timing of parenteral nutrition (PN) and recommended energy and protein delivery dose.

Objective: The study's main objective was to describe changes in the nutrition delivery practice recorded in PINS1 and PINS2 (PINS1-2) (conducted in 2009 and 2011, preexposure epoch) vs PINS3 (conducted in 2018, postexposure epoch), in relation to the published practice guidelines.

Design: This study is a secondary analysis of data from a multicenter prospective cohort study.

How is bioelectrical impedance used in neonatal intensive care? A scoping review.

Unlabelled: Poor growth and nutrition management in the neonatal period can have a negative impact upon both the short- and long-term outcomes for the infant. Improvements in bioelectrical impedance technology and accompanying licencing agreements now make this enhanced device available for use in infants as small as 23 weeks gestational age. An exploration of this technology and its use is now timely.

Association between protein intake and muscle wasting in critically ill children: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Survival from pediatric critical illness in high-income countries is high, and the focus now must be on optimizing the recovery of survivors. Muscle mass wasting during critical illness is problematic, so identifying factors that may reduce this is important. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between quadricep muscle mass wasting (assessed by ultrasound), with protein and energy intake during and after pediatric critical illness.

How to follow the guidelines, when the appropriate fluid is missing?

Intravenous maintenance fluid therapy (IV-MFT) is probably the most prescribed drug in paediatric hospital care. Recently paediatric societies have produced evidence-based practice guidelines that recommend the use of balanced isotonic fluid when prescribing IV-MFT in both acute and critical paediatric care. Unfortunately, the applicability of these guidelines could be called into question when a ready-to-use glucose-containing balanced isotonic fluid is not available.

Nurses' decision-making around gastric residual volume measurement in UK adult intensive care: A four-centre survey.

Background: Despite increasing evidence of the potential inaccuracy and unwarranted practice of regular GRV measurement in critically in adults, this practice persists within the United Kingdom.

Aim: To explore adult intensive care nurses' decision-making around the practice of GRV measurement to guide enteral feeding.

Study Design: A cross-sectional 16 item electronic survey in four adult intensive care units (ICUs) in England and Wales.

Use of selective gut decontamination in critically ill children: PICnIC a pilot RCT and mixed-methods study.

Background: Healthcare-associated infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill children. In adults, data suggest the use of selective decontamination of the digestive tract may reduce the incidence of healthcare-associated infections. Selective decontamination of the digestive tract has not been evaluated in the paediatric intensive care unit population.

Intravenous maintenance fluid therapy in acutely and critically ill children: state of the evidence.

Intravenous maintenance fluid therapy (IV-MFT) is one of the most prescribed, yet one of the least studied, interventions in paediatric acute and critical care settings. IV-MFT is not typically treated in the same way as drugs with specific indications, contraindications, compositions, and associated adverse effects. In the last decade, societies in both paediatric and adult medicine have issued evidence-based practice guidelines for the use of intravenous fluids in clinical practice.

Development and application of a 2-step methodology to select a reference society providing Dietary Reference Values for national implementation.

Objective: To describe and discuss a 2-step methodology developed to select a reference society that provides Dietary Reference Values (DRV) for national implementation and to illustrate its application in Switzerland with one macronutrient and one micronutrient.

Design: During Step 1, we searched and compared DRV and methodologies used to define DRV from eight European societies for seven selected nutrients. We repeated this procedure during Step 2 for DRV from two preselected societies for forty-four nutrients.

Implementing paediatric appropriate use criteria for endotracheal suction to reduce complications in mechanically ventilated children with respiratory infections.

Background: Endotracheal suction is used to maintain endotracheal tube patency. There is limited guidance to inform clinical practice for children with respiratory infections.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether implementation of a paediatric endotracheal suction appropriate use guideline Paediatric AirWay Suction (PAWS) is associated with an increased use of appropriate and decreased use of inappropriate suction interventions.

Selective digestive tract decontamination to prevent healthcare associated infections in critically ill children: the PICNIC multicentre randomised pilot clinical trial.

Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill children. Data from adult studies suggest Selective Decontamination of the Digestive tract (SDD) may reduce the incidence of HCAIs and improve survival. There are no data from randomised clinical trials in the paediatric setting.

Delivery of a novel intervention to facilitate liberation from mechanical ventilation in paediatric intensive care: A process evaluation.

Background: Prolonged mechanical ventilation increases the risk of mortality and morbidity. Optimising sedation and early testing for possible liberation from invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) has been shown to reduce time on the ventilator. Alongside a multicentre trial of sedation and ventilation weaning, we conducted a mixed method process evaluation to understand how the intervention content and delivery was linked to trial outcomes.

Determining energy and protein needs in critically ill pediatric patients: A scoping review.

Introduction: In critically ill pediatric patients, optimal energy and protein intakes are associated with a decreased risk of morbidity and mortality. However, the determination of energy and protein needs is complex. The objective of this scoping review was to understand the extent and type of evidence related to the methods used to determine energy and protein needs in critically ill pediatric patients.

Mechanical insufflation-exsufflation to promote extubation success in critically ill adults on intensive care: protocol for a randomised controlled feasibility trial.

Background: Extubation failure, defined as reintubation within 48 h, is associated with increased intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay and higher mortality risk. One cause of extubation failure is secretion retention, resulting from an inability to cough effectively. Mechanical insufflation-exsufflation (MI-E) simulates a cough aiding secretion clearance.

Association between enteral feeding and gastrointestinal complications in children receiving extracorporeal life support: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: Extracorporeal life support is an accepted treatment modality for children with severe cardiac and/or respiratory dysfunction. However, after a period of inadequate gut perfusion, clinicians are often reluctant to initiate enteral nutrition.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study in a single large pediatric intensive care unit in North West England over 5.