Oxygenation Defects, Ventilatory Ratio, and Mechanical Power During Severe Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: Longitudinal Time Sequence Analyses in a Single-Center Retrospective Cohort.

Objectives: Our understanding of pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome is based on information from studies reporting intermittent, serial respiratory data. We have analyzed a high-resolution, longitudinal dataset that incorporates measures of hypoxemia severity, metrics of lung mechanics, ventilatory ratio, and mechanical power and examined associations with survival after the onset of pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Design: Single-center retrospective cohort, 2013-2018.

Setting: Tertiary surgical/medical PICU.

Patients: Seventy-six cases of severe pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome, determined according to the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference criteria.

Interventions: None.

Measurements And Main Results: The high-resolution database included continuous monitoring of ventilatory data (0.03 Hz) for up to 14 days after the diagnosis of pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome or until extubation or death (n = 26). In the 12,128 hours of data during conventional mechanical ventilation, we used generalized estimating equations to compare groups, accounting for any effect of time. We identified an association between survival and faster rate of improvement in delta pressure (peak inspiratory pressure minus positive end-expiratory pressure; p = 0.028). Nonsurvival was associated with higher daily Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2 scores (p = 0.005) and more severe hypoxemia metrics (p = 0.005). Mortality was also associated with the following respiratory/pulmonary metrics (mean difference [95% CI]): positive end-expiratory pressure level (+2.0 cm H2O [0.8-3.2 cm H2O]; p = 0.001), peak inspiratory pressure level (+3.0 cm H2O [0.5-5.5 cm H2O]; p = 0.022), respiratory rate (z scores +2.2 [0.9-3.6]; p = 0.003], ventilatory ratio (+0.41 [0.28-0.55]; p = 0.0001], and mechanical power (+5 Joules/min [1-10 Joules/min]; p = 0.013). Based on generalized linear mixed modeling, mechanical power remained associated with mortality after adjustment for normal respiratory rate, age, and daily Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2 score (+3 Joules/breath [1-6 Joules/breath]; p = 0.009).

Conclusions: Mortality after severe pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome is associated with the severity of organ dysfunction, oxygenation defects, and pulmonary metrics including dead space and theoretical mechanical energy load.