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Pediatric septic shock is a life-threatening condition with significant rates of morbidity and mortality. Standard management includes fluid resuscitation, timely antimicrobial administration, and epinephrine or norepinephrine if unresolved with initial management. Additional therapies are not well defined and include vasopressin, hydrocortisone, phenylephrine, levosimendan, dopamine, and others. Many of these agents modify cellular effects of calcium in the smooth muscle. The use of a calcium infusion may improve vasoactivity in the smooth muscle without the use of signaling pathways. Children are more susceptible to the effects of calcium, which may predispose them to enhanced vasoconstriction with the administration of intravenous calcium. We present a case in which a patient on chronic calcium channel blocker therapy presented with septic shock. She continued to remain hypotensive after fluid resuscitation, antibiotics, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Her blood pressure improved with the initiation of a continuous calcium chloride infusion. Norepinephrine and epinephrine doses were decreased after the initiation of the calcium infusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE The Glenn procedure may lead to the development of elevated cerebral venous pressures, which is believed to result in "Glenn headaches." This manifests as excessive irritability, often requiring significant use of opioids and benzodiazepines. This study was designed to report our experience with the use of phenobarbital in the postoperative phase after the Glenn procedure. METHODS We performed a retrospective chart review to compare Glenn patients before and after implementation of a sedation protocol using phenobarbital. The 2 groups were compared for demographics, surgical characteristics, and cumulative sedation usage. Correlation coefficients between the preoperative catheterization variables and sedation usage were also calculated. RESULTS Groups A (pre-phenobarbital; n = 8) and B (post-phenobarbital; n = 11) were comparable in terms of demographics, cardiac anatomy, preoperative catheterization data, and hemodynamics. Patients in Group B received a median dose of 21.8 mg/kg of phenobarbital during their ICU stay. Although there was a decreased administration of morphine equivalents (2.60 mg/kg vs 2.25 mg/kg, p = 0.38), benzodiazepine (0.1 mg/kg vs 0.074 mg/kg, p = 0.43), and dexmedetomidine (47 mcg/kg vs 37.2 mcg/kg, p = 0.53) in Group B, the differences were not statistically significant. There was also no strong correlation between preoperative hemodynamic variables and the postoperative sedation requirement, and there was no statistically significant difference in overall outcomes between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS While phenobarbital may have mitigated the use of opioids, benzodiazepines, and alpha-agonist agents in some postoperative Glenn patients, the overall findings for all patients were not statistically significant. Further prospective studies are needed to ascertain the role of phenobarbital in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE Children admitted to the ICU are commonly treated with opioids for postoperative pain. We hypothesized that administration of IV acetaminophen in the immediate postoperative period is effective in lowering cumulative opioid use leading to other benefits. METHODS This was a retrospective chart review of patients admitted to the PICU between December 2016 and April 2019. For each patient, data including demographics, cumulative opioid usage per kilogram, oral or rectal acetaminophen, x-ray findings, hospital costs, and surgical procedure were collected. Cumulative opioid usage was determined by converting all opioids to morphine equivalents (MEs) per kg. Standard descriptive and comparative analyses were conducted using SAS 9.4 (SAS Institute, Inc, Cary, NC). RESULTS A total of 200 patients met inclusion and exclusion criteria (N = 92 in IV acetaminophen group and N = 108 in no IV acetaminophen group). There was no significant difference in ME per kilogram between the groups (0.3 ME/kg in IV acetaminophen group, IQR 0.5 ME/kg versus 0.4 ME/kg in no IV acetaminophen group, IQR 0.5 ME/kg, adjusted p = 0.38). Rate of atelectasis was not significant between the groups (47.8% in IV acetaminophen versus 45.4% in no acetaminophen group, p = 0.28). There was a significant difference in median total hospital costs between the groups ($22,456 in IV acetaminophen group, IQR $18,650 versus $18,552 in no IV acetaminophen group, IQR $13,361, adjusted p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS IV acetaminophen in the immediate postoperative period did not lead to a decrease in cumulative opioid usage or rate of atelectasis. IV acetaminophen usage was associated with increase in overall hospital costs per patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE The objective of this survey was to assess the current use of continuous infusion propofol in PICUs across the United States and Canada. METHODS A list of institutions with PICU beds/units was identified through the residency directories available on the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) and Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (CHSP) Web sites. A REDCap questionnaire was sent to each identified institution's program director via email. An initial reminder email was sent out 2 weeks later and a second reminder email was sent 4 weeks after the initial request. The survey was closed at 6 weeks. RESULTS A total of 514 emails were sent to residency program directors, and 50 pharmacists responded to the survey. Of the pharmacists that did respond, 27 (54%) reported using propofol while 23 (46%) did not. Of those that did not, 43.5% reported the FDA boxed warning as the primary reason. Thirty-seven percent of respondents using propofol felt comfortable using a maximum infusion rate of 200 mcg/kg/min. Twentynine percent, 25%, and 33% of those who responded as using propofol felt comfortable using this agent for a maximum duration of 24, 48, and 72 hours, respectively. The majority of respondents using propofol did not have a case of propofol-related infusion syndrome. CONCLUSIONS Despite the FDA warning, propofol is used as a continuous infusion (with variable limitations) by a majority of pharmacists in North America. Self-reported incidence of propofol-related infusion syndrome (PRIS) remains low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inborn errors of metabolism comprise a wide array of diseases and complications in the pediatric patient. The rarity of these disorders limits the ability to conduct and review robust literature regarding the disease states, mechanisms of dysfunction, treatments, and outcomes. Often, treatment plans will be based on the pathophysiology associated with the disorder and theoretical agents that may be involved in the metabolic process. Medication therapies usually consist of natural or herbal products. Established efficacious pediatric doses for these products are difficult to find in tertiary resources, and adverse effects are routinely limited to single case reports. This review article attempts to summarize some of the more common inborn errors of metabolism in a manner that is applicable to pharmacists who will provide care for these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Status epilepticus (SE) is a life-threatening medical emergency which is frequently encountered in the critical care setting and can be refractory to treatment. Refractory status epilepticus (RSE) is defined as SE that has failed to respond to adequately used first-line and second-line antiepileptic medications. Super refractory status epilepticus is defined as SE that persists for 24 hours or more after the use of an anaesthetic agent or recurs after its withdrawal.If SE persists beyond a period of 7 days it is referred to as prolonged, refractory status epilepticus (PRSE). There are limited data guiding treatment of RSE in the paediatric population.Lacosamide (LCM) is licensed as an adjunctive treatment for partial-onset seizures. Evidence for the efficacy of LCM in paediatric SE is scarce. This case report may suggest a synergistic effect of LCM on slow-activation sodium channels in conjunction with medications such as phenytoin that causes fast inactivation of sodium channels. The dual fast and slow inactivation of sodium channels may enhance the effectiveness in treatment of RSE. This is the first case report of PRSE in an infant, successfully treated with LCM. A brief review of literature is also a part of this report., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2022. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

OBJECTIVES: The primary purpose of this study was to determine the tolerability of intermittent intravenous (IV) sildenafil for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension in pediatric patients. Secondary objectives were to evaluate parameters related to efficacy. METHODS: This was a retrospective chart review from January 2013 to August 2014 of pediatric patients under age 18 years treated with intermittent doses of IV sildenafil for pulmonary hypertension. Patients were excluded if they were over age 18 years or received sildenafil for other indications. Measures collected to assess tolerability include blood pressure and heart rate before and after the administration of IV sildenafil, as well as adverse events. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients (21 females and 16 males) were identified meeting inclusion criteria, and 21 (56.8%) were on oral sildenafil prior to the initial IV dose. The mean decrease in blood pressure after the first dose of IV sildenafil was 7.16/2.74 mmHg. The decrease in systolic blood pressure was statistically significant. During the study period, 5 patients experienced medication related adverse events, primarily hypotension. Despite this, none of the patients had the medication discontinued due to these events. For secondary objectives, a statistically significant difference was not found between other clinical measures before and after intermittent IV sildenafil dosing. CONCLUSIONS: Sildenafil, when administered as intermittent IV doses, was tolerated by the majority of patients evaluated in this study. For pediatric patients with pulmonary hypertension in whom enteral or continuous IV sildenafil cannot be administered, intermittent IV sildenafil may be considered as an alternative administration option.

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the amount of medication adsorbed into extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) circuits with a polymethylpentane membrane oxygenator and heparin-coated polyvinyl chloride tubing., Methods: An ECMO circuit with the aforementioned components was set up ex vivo and primed with expired blood. Midazolam, lorazepam, morphine, and fentanyl were administered to the circuit. Fifteen minutes after medication administration, 60 mL of blood were removed and stored in a 60-mL syringe to serve as a control. Medication levels were drawn from the ECMO circuit (test) and control syringe (control) 15 minutes, 24 hours, and 48 hours after the medications were administered. ECMO circuit medication levels were compared to their corresponding syringe control medication levels. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the percentage of medication remaining in the blood and compare it to the control value., Results: Except for morphine, there was a large decline in medication levels over the 48-hour period. Compared to control values, 17.2% of midazolam, 41.3% of lorazepam, 32.6% of fentanyl, and 102% of morphine remained in the ECMO circuit., Conclusion: Despite the use of newer components in ECMO circuits, a large quantity of medication is adsorbed into the ECMO circuit. Midazolam, lorazepam, and fentanyl all showed reductions in medication levels greater than 50%. Morphine may have advantages for patients on ECMO, as its concentration does not appear to be affected.