Mobilization Therapy in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Multidisciplinary Quality Improvement Initiative

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 194-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blair R. L. Colwell ◽  
Cydni N. Williams ◽  
Serena P. Kelly ◽  
Laura M. Ibsen

Background Mobilization is safe and associated with improved outcomes in critically ill adults, but little is known about mobilization of critically ill children. Objective To implement a standardized mobilization therapy protocol in a pediatric intensive care unit and improve mobilization of patients. Methods A goal-directed mobilization protocol was instituted as a quality improvement project in a 20-bed cardiac and medical-surgical pediatric intensive care unit within an academic tertiary care center. The mobilization goal was based on age and severity of illness. Data on severity of illness, ordered activity limitations, baseline functioning, mobilization level, complications of mobilization, and mobilization barriers were collected. Goal mobilization was defined as a ratio of mobilization level to severity of illness of 1 or greater. Results In 9 months, 567 patient encounters were analyzed, 294 (52%) of which achieved goal mobilization. The mean ratio of mobilization level to severity of illness improved slightly but nonsignificantly. Encounters that met mobilization goals were in younger (P = .04) and more ill (P < .001) patients and were less likely to have barriers (P < .001) than encounters not meeting the goals. Complication rate was 2.5%, with no difference between groups (P = .18). No serious adverse events occurred. Conclusions A multidisciplinary, multiprofessional, goal-directed mobilization protocol achieved goal mobilization in more than 50% of patients in this pediatric intensive care unit. Undermobilized patients were older, less ill, and more likely to have mobilization barriers at the patient and provider level.

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. IJCM.S13902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blessing I. Abhulimhen-Iyoha ◽  
Suneel Kumar Pooboni ◽  
Nanda Kishore Kumar Vuppali

Background Intensive care has become very important in the management of critically ill children who require advanced airway, respiratory, and hemodynamic supports and are usually admitted into the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) with the aim of achieving an outcome better than if the patients were admitted into other parts of the hospital. It becomes important to audit admissions and their outcome, which may help to modify practices if necessary following thorough introspection, leading to better patient outcomes. Objective To evaluate the morbidity pattern and outcome of admissions into the PICU of a tertiary care center in India. Methods A retrospective study in which records of admissions (from August 2012 to June 2013) were obtained from the PICU records. Information retrieved included age, sex, diagnosis, duration of stay in the unit, and outcome. Results Mean age of the studied 341 patients was 40.01 ± 45.79 months; 50.7% were infants and 59.8% were males. The three most common disease categories admitted were cardiovascular disease (41.1%), neurological disorders (12.0%), and respiratory disease (10.0%). The mean duration of stay in PICU was 3.2 ± 4.5 days. The overall mortality rate was 2.1%. Conclusion Mortality is low in our PICU. We conclude that a well-equipped intensive care unit with modern and innovative intensive care greatly facilitates the care of critically ill patients giving desirable outcome. An expansion of the pediatric wards is advocated to enhance cost–-effective management of patients and avoid unnecessary stretch of the PICU facilities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. E11-18
Author(s):  
Camille Jutras ◽  
Nancy Robitaille ◽  
Michael Sauthier ◽  
Geneviève Du Pont-Thibodeau ◽  
Jacques Lacroix ◽  
...  

Purpose: The use of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) has increased significantly in the last decade causing challenges for blood suppliers to respond to the demand. Indications for which IVIG infusion should be given to critically ill children remain unclear. The objective of this study is to characterize the epidemiology of IVIG use in this population. Methods: We performed a single-center retrospective cohort study of all patients aged between 3 days and 18 years who received at least one IVIG infusion while hospitalized in the pediatric intensive care unit of the Centre hospitalier universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine, Montréal Quebec (Canada) between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2018. Results: One hundred and seventy-two patients received a total of 342 IVIG infusions over the study period. Most common indications for IVIG infusions were staphylococcal or streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (n=53/342, 15.5%), immunoglobulin replacement in chylothorax (n=37/342, 10.9%), prophylaxis following bone marrow transplantation (n=31/342, 9.1%), myocarditis (n=25/342, 7.3%) and post-solid organ transplant complications (n=21/342, 6.1%). The median dose of IVIG per infusion was 0.95 g/kg (IQR 0.5-1.0) and median number of IVIG infusions per patient was one (IQR: 1-2). Seventy-nine percent of IVIG infusions given were administrated for off-label indications with regards to Health Canada recommendations. Conclusion: This study identified the most common indications for IVIG infusion in critically ill children in a tertiary care pediatric intensive care unit. Given the costs, the known adverse events associated with IVIG and the pressure that blood suppliers are facing to meet the demands, clinical trials are needed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of IVIG in conditions where use is significant.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Ishaque ◽  
F Karim ◽  
S H Qazi ◽  
Q Abbas

Abstract Background Tracheostomy is one of the oldest and most commonly performed procedures among critically ill patients. The advantages of an elective tracheostomy in pediatric intensive care unit are improved patient comfort, lesser need for sedative drugs, early weaning from mechanical ventilation support eventually leading to reduced cost of care. Objective This study describes the frequency, indications, complications, and outcome of elective pediatric tracheostomies in critically ill children from a single pediatric intensive care unit of a tertiary care center. Design This is a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing tracheostomy. Setting This is a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of a tertiary-care hospital. Patients All patients underwent tracheostomy in our PICU over the ten-year period. Main Results A total of 48 children underwent a tracheostomy, corresponding to a 1.5% of the total PICU admissions during the study period. 34/48 (71%) patients were male. A 25% of our patients undergoing a tracheostomy had an underlying CNS condition, followed closely by a respiratory problem (11/48 patients).The main indication for tracheostomy in children was prolonged mechanical ventilation secondary to respiratory 35/48 (73%), that included upper airway obstruction, foreign body aspiration or pneumonia and neurological or neuromuscular illness (6.3%) including traumatic brain injury, meningitis/encephalitis, Gullain Barre’ syndrome, and neurodegenerative disorders. Two patients died from tracheostomy-related complications, making it an overall mortality rate of 4%. Conclusion Tracheostomy in children is a relatively frequent procedure at our hospital. The commonest indication was prolonged mechanical ventilation. Early tracheostomy is associated with better patient outcomes in terms of morbidity and length of stay.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zi-Hong Xiong ◽  
Xue-Mei Zheng ◽  
Guo-Ying Zhang ◽  
Meng-Jun Wu ◽  
Yi Qu

Abstract BackgroundMalnutrition is highly prevalent in critically ill children in the pediatric intensive care unit .We aimed to investigate the efficiency of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) measurements and phase angle (PhA) analysis for the assessment of nutritional risk and clinical outcomes in critically ill children.MethodsThis single-center observational study included patients admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of Chengdu Women’s and Children’s Central Hospital. All patients underwent anthropometric measurement in the first 24 h of admission and underwent BIA measurements within 3 days after the admission. The patients were classified into different groups based on body mass index (BMI) for age. Electronic hospital medical records were reviewed to collect clinical data for each patient. All the obtained data were analyzed by the statistics method.ResultsThere were 204 patients enrolled in our study, of which 32.4% were diagnosed with malnutrition. We found that BMI, arm muscle circumference, fat mass, and %body fat were lower in the group with poorer nutritional status (P < 0.05). Evident differences in the score of the Pediatric Risk of Mortality and the duration of mechanical ventilation (MV) among the three groups with different nutritional statuses were observed (P < 0.05). Patients in the severely malnourished group had the longest duration of MV. In the MV groups, there were significant differences (P < 0.05) in albumin level, PhA, and extracellular water/total body water (ECW/TBW ratio). The ECW/TBW ratio and the time for PICU stay had a weak degree of correlation (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.375). PhA showed a weak degree of correlation with the duration time of medical ventilation (coefficient of correlation = 0.398).ConclusionBIA can be considered an alternative way to assess nutritional status in critically ill children. ECW/TBW ratio and PhA were correlated with PICU stay and duration time of medical ventilation, respectively.


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