Clinical practices related to liberation from mechanical ventilation in Latin American pediatric intensive care units: survey of the Sociedad Latino-Americana de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos Mechanical Ventilation Liberation Group.

Objective: To address the current practice of liberating patients from invasive mechanical ventilation in pediatric intensive care units, with a focus on the use of standardized protocols, criteria, parameters, and indications for noninvasive respiratory support postextubation.

Methods: Electronic research was carried out from November 2021 to May 2022 in Ibero-American pediatric intensive care units. Physicians and respiratory therapists participated, with a single representative for each pediatric intensive care unit included.

Investigation of an outbreak of metallo-β-lactamase producing linked to the water distribution system in a Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Unit.

Introduction: (PA) is an opportunistic pathogen. Metallo-β-lactamase producing PA (MBL-PA) poses a problematic issue given limited available treatments. In Argentina, it accounts for less than one percent of healthcare-associated infections.

Transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach (TOETVA): a novel option in the treatment of pediatric patients.

Introduction: Thyroid surgery has increased in the pediatric population. One of the main issues following this surgery is the presence of a neck scar, which has been reported to have an impact on quality of life. Transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy is used in adult patients with good results, but there are few reports on the use of this technique in pediatrics.

Association of Cancer Diagnosis and Therapeutic Stage With Mortality in Pediatric Patients With COVID-19, Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study From Latin America.

Background: Children with cancer are at risk of critical disease and mortality from COVID-19 infection. In this study, we describe the clinical characteristics of pediatric patients with cancer and COVID-19 from multiple Latin American centers and risk factors associated with mortality in this population.

Methods: This study is a multicenter, prospective cohort study conducted at 12 hospitals from 6 Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras and Peru) from April to November 2021.

Children admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: Analysis of survival and predictors of mortality.

Introduction: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in children is a procedure that is not exempt of severe complications. Admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is associated with a high mortality rate. Objectives: To analyze survival and predictors of mortality among children who received a HSCT and were admitted to the PICU, and to develop a mortality prediction model in this population.

An Update on Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Chronic Kidney Disease.

Chronic kidney disease is a major public health issue globally and the risk of cancer (including HCC) is greater in patients on long-term dialysis and kidney transplant compared with the general population. According to an international study on 831,804 patients on long-term dialysis, the standardized incidence ratio for liver cancer was 1.2 (95% CI, 1.

The liver in times of COVID-19: What hepatologists should know.

The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses a serious threat to healthcare systems globally. Information regarding how the infection affects the liver and relevance of pre-existing liver disease as a risk factor for acquiring the infection or having a severe disease are still scarce. Also, considerations in liver transplant patients, those having hepatocellular carcinoma or under immunosuppressive therapy are being matter of analysis as information is being generated.

Opinions of Argentinean neonatologists on the initiation of life-sustaining treatment in preterm infants.

Background: In June 2014, the Argentinean Ministry of Health published guidelines for the management of neonates born at the limit of viability (≤25 weeks of gestation). We explored the opinion of neonatologists in Buenos Aires, Argentina, regarding the initiation of life-sustaining treatment (LST) in critically ill neonates, focusing on the effect of sociocultural factors on their opinion.

Methods: An anonymous survey was designed to explore the opinions of Argentinean neonatologists on whether or not to initiate LST in newborns born prematurely.

Efficacy and safety of long term entecavir in chronic hepatitis B treatment naïve patients in clinical practice.

Background And Aims: Entecavir (ETV) is effective and safe in patients with chronic hepatitis B in the short term, but its long term efficacy and safety has not been established.

Material And Methods: We evaluated HBV DNA clearance, HBeAg/antiHBe and HBsAg/antiHBs seroconversion rates in HBeAg-positive and negative NUC naïve HBV patients treated with ETV for more than 6 months, and predictors of response.

Results: A hundred and sixty nine consecutive patients were treated with ETV for a median of 181 weeks.

[Bowel preparation for colonoscopy: comparative study using Boston Bowel Preparation Scale].

Background: Most comparative studies on different preparations for colonic cleanliness use unvalidated scales with terms as "excellent," "good," "fair," and "poor" which lack standardized definitions. The Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS) is a valid and simple measure of bowel preparation.

Objective: To compare three different bowel preparations [polyethylenglycol (PEG), sodium phosphates, and PEG + bisacodyl tablets] using BBPS.