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Background: There is limited evidence to guide interventions that promote cost-effectiveness in adult intensive care units (ICU). The aim of this consensus statement is to identify globally applicable interventions for best ICU practice and provide guidance for judicious use of resources., Methods: A three-round modified online Delphi process, using a web-based platform, sought consensus from 61 multidisciplinary ICU experts (physicians, nurses, allied health, administrators) from 21 countries. Round 1 was qualitative to ascertain opinions on cost-effectiveness criteria based on four key domains of high-value healthcare (foundational elements; infrastructure fundamentals; care delivery priorities; reliability and feedback). Round 2 was qualitative and quantitative, while round 3 was quantitative to reiterate and establish criteria. Both rounds 2 and 3 utilized a five-point Likert scale for voting. Consensus was considered when > 70% of the experts voted for a proposed intervention. Thereafter, the steering committee endorsed interventions that were identified as 'critical' by more than 50% of steering committee members. These interventions and experts' comments were summarized as final considerations for best practice., Results: At the conclusion of round 3, consensus was obtained on 50 best practice considerations for cost-effectiveness in adult ICU. Finally, the steering committee endorsed 9 'critical' best practice considerations. This included adoption of a multidisciplinary ICU model of care, focus on staff training and competency assessment, ongoing quality audits, thus ensuring high quality of critical care services whether within or outside the four walls of ICUs, implementation of a dynamic staff roster, multidisciplinary approach to implementing end-of-life care, early mobilization and promoting international consensus efforts on the Green ICU concept., Conclusions: This Delphi study with international experts resulted in 9 consensus statements and best practice considerations promoting cost-effectiveness in adult ICUs. Stakeholders (government bodies, professional societies) must lead the efforts to identify locally applicable specifics while working within these best practice considerations with the available resources., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Competing Interests: Dr. Martin serves as president of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM). Drs. Kane-Gill, Nadkarni, Sorce, and Kaplan serve as members of the Society of Critical Care Medicine Executive Committee. Drs. Cecconi, Azoulay, Teboul, Forni and Kesecioglu serve as members of the ESICM Executive Committee. Drs. Martin, Kane-Gill, Cecconi, and Azoulay serve as members of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign Executive Committee. Dr. Kaplan received funding from SCCM. Dr. Cecconi received funding from Edwards Lifesciences and Directed Systems. Dr. Azoulay’s institution received funding from Fisher & Paykel, Jazz Pharma, MSD, and Alexion; he received funding from Pfizer, Sanofi, Alexion, and Gilead. Drs. Azoulay and Forni received funding from Baxter Medical. Dr. Teboul received funding from Getinge. Dr. Forni received funding from Exthera Medical and Biomerieux. The remaining authors have disclosed that they do not have any potential conflicts of interest.

Background and Objective: Pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest most commonly occurs in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and is frequently preceded by early warning signs of clinical deterioration. In this study, we describe the implementation and evaluation of criteria to identify high-risk patients from a paper-based checklist into a clinical decision support (CDS) tool in the electronic health record (EHR)., Materials and Methods: The validated paper-based tool was first adapted by PICU clinicians and clinical informaticians and then integrated into clinical workflow following best practices for CDS design. A vendor-based rule engine was utilized. Littenberg's assessment framework helped guide the overall evaluation. Preliminary testing took place in EHR development environments with more rigorous evaluation, testing, and feedback completed in the live production environment. To verify data quality of the CDS rule engine, a retrospective Structured Query Language (SQL) data query was also created. As a process metric, preparedness was measured in pre- and postimplementation surveys., Results: The system was deployed, evaluating approximately 340 unique patients monthly across 4 clinical teams. The verification against retrospective SQL of 15-minute intervals over a 30-day period revealed no missing triggered intervals and demonstrated 99.3% concordance of positive triggers. Preparedness showed improvements across multiple domains to our a priori goal of 90%., Conclusion: We describe the successful adaptation and implementation of a real-time CDS tool to identify PICU patients at risk of deterioration. Prospective multicenter evaluation of the tool's effectiveness on clinical outcomes is necessary before broader implementation can be recommended., Competing Interests: None., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Background: Although nurses are the most likely first responders to witness an in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) and provide treatment, little research has been undertaken to determine what features of nursing are related to cardiac arrest outcomes., Objectives: To determine the association between nurse staffing, nurse work environments, and IHCA survival., Research Design: Cross-sectional study of data from: (1) the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation database; (2) the University of Pennsylvania Multi-State Nursing Care and and Patient Safety; and (3) the American Hospital Association annual survey. Logistic regression models were used to determine the association of the features of nursing and IHCA survival to discharge after adjusting for hospital and patient characteristics., Subjects: A total of 11,160 adult patients aged 18 and older between 2005 and 2007 in 75 hospitals in 4 states (Pennsylvania, Florida, California, and New Jersey)., Results: Each additional patient per nurse on medical-surgical units was associated with a 5% lower likelihood of surviving IHCA to discharge (odds ratio=0.95; 95% confidence interval, 0.91-0.99). Further, patients cared for in hospitals with poor work environments had a 16% lower likelihood of IHCA survival (odds ratio=0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.71-0.99) than patients cared for in hospitals with better work environments., Conclusions: Better work environments and decreased patient-to-nurse ratios on medical-surgical units are associated with higher odds of patient survival after an IHCA. These results add to a large body of literature suggesting that outcomes are better when nurses have a more reasonable workload and work in good hospital work environments. Improving nurse working conditions holds promise for improving survival following IHCA.

Objectives: Brief, intermittent cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training sessions, "Booster Trainings," improve CPR skill acquisition and short-term retention. The objective of this study was to incorporate arterial blood pressure (ABP) tracings into Booster Trainings to improve CPR skill retention. We hypothesized that ABP-directed CPR "Booster Trainings" would improve intensive care unit (ICU) provider 3-month retention of excellent CPR skills without need for interval retraining., Methods: A CPR manikin creating a realistic relationship between chest compression depth and ABP was used for training/testing. Thirty-six ICU providers were randomized to brief, bedside ABP-directed CPR manikin skill retrainings: (1) Booster Plus (ABP visible during training and testing) versus (2) Booster Alone (ABP visible only during training, not testing) versus (3) control (testing, no intervention). Subjects completed skill tests pretraining (baseline), immediately after training (acquisition), and then retention was assessed at 12 hours, 3 and 6 months. The primary outcome was retention of excellent CPR skills at 3 months. Excellent CPR was defined as systolic blood pressure of 100 mm Hg or higher and compression rate 100 to 120 per minute., Results: Overall, 14 of 24 (58%) participants acquired excellent CPR skills after their initial training (Booster Plus 75% vs 50% Booster Alone, P = 0.21). Adjusted for age, ABP-trained providers were 5.2× more likely to perform excellent CPR after the initial training (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.3-21.2; P = 0.02), and to retain these skills at 12 hours (adjusted odds ratio, 4.4; 95% CI, 1.3-14.9; P = 0.018) and 3 months (adjusted odds ratio, 4.1; 95% CI, 1.2-13.9; P = 0.023) when compared to baseline performance., Conclusions: The ABP-directed CPR booster trainings improved ICU provider 3-month retention of excellent CPR skills without the need for interval retraining.

Objective: In-hospital cardiac arrest is an important public health problem. High-quality resuscitation improves survival but is difficult to achieve. Our objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel, interdisciplinary, postevent quantitative debriefing program to improve survival outcomes after in-hospital pediatric chest compression events., Design, Setting, and Patients: Single-center prospective interventional study of children who received chest compressions between December 2008 and June 2012 in the ICU., Interventions: Structured, quantitative, audiovisual, interdisciplinary debriefing of chest compression events with front-line providers., Measurements and Main Results: Primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes included survival of event (return of spontaneous circulation for ≥ 20 min) and favorable neurologic outcome. Primary resuscitation quality outcome was a composite variable, termed "excellent cardiopulmonary resuscitation," prospectively defined as a chest compression depth ≥ 38 mm, rate ≥ 100/min, ≤ 10% of chest compressions with leaning, and a chest compression fraction > 90% during a given 30-second epoch. Quantitative data were available only for patients who are 8 years old or older. There were 119 chest compression events (60 control and 59 interventional). The intervention was associated with a trend toward improved survival to hospital discharge on both univariate analysis (52% vs 33%, p = 0.054) and after controlling for confounders (adjusted odds ratio, 2.5; 95% CI, 0.91-6.8; p = 0.075), and it significantly increased survival with favorable neurologic outcome on both univariate (50% vs 29%, p = 0.036) and multivariable analyses (adjusted odds ratio, 2.75; 95% CI, 1.01-7.5; p = 0.047). Cardiopulmonary resuscitation epochs for patients who are 8 years old or older during the debriefing period were 5.6 times more likely to meet targets of excellent cardiopulmonary resuscitation (95% CI, 2.9-10.6; p < 0.01)., Conclusion: Implementation of an interdisciplinary, postevent quantitative debriefing program was significantly associated with improved cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality and survival with favorable neurologic outcome.

INTRODUCTION: Though early hypotension after pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) is associated with inferior outcomes, ideal post-arrest blood pressure (BP) targets have not been established. We aimed to leverage prospectively collected BP data to explore the association of post-arrest BP thresholds with outcomes. We hypothesized that post-arrest systolic and diastolic BP thresholds would be higher than the currently recommended post-cardiopulmonary resuscitation BP targets and would be associated with higher rates of survival to hospital discharge. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of prospectively collected BP data from the first 24 h following return of circulation from index IHCA events enrolled in the ICU-RESUScitation trial (NCT02837497). The lowest documented systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were percentile-adjusted for age, height and sex. Receiver operator characteristic curves and cubic spline analyses controlling for illness category and presence of pre-arrest hypotension were generated exploring the association of lowest post-arrest SBP and DBP with survival to hospital discharge and survival to hospital discharge with favorable neurologic outcome (Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category of 1-3 or no change from baseline). Optimal cutoffs for post-arrest BP thresholds were based on analysis of receiver operator characteristic curves and spline curves. Logistic regression models accounting for illness category and pre-arrest hypotension examined the associations of these thresholds with outcomes. RESULTS: Among 693 index events with 0-6 h post-arrest BP data, identified thresholds were: SBP > 10th percentile and DBP > 50th percentile for age, sex and height. Fifty-one percent (n = 352) of subjects had lowest SBP above threshold and 50% (n = 346) had lowest DBP above threshold. SBP and DBP above thresholds were each associated with survival to hospital discharge (SBP: aRR 1.21 [95% CI 1.10, 1.33]; DBP: aRR 1.23 [1.12, 1.34]) and survival to hospital discharge with favorable neurologic outcome (SBP: aRR 1.22 [1.10, 1.35]; DBP: aRR 1.27 [1.15, 1.40]) (all p  10th percentile for age and DBP > 50th percentile for age during the first 6 h post-arrest.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate associations between sodium bicarbonate use and outcomes during pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest (p-IHCA). DESIGN: Prespecified secondary analysis of a prospective, multicenter cluster randomized interventional trial. SETTING: Eighteen participating ICUs of the ICU-RESUScitation Project (NCT02837497). PATIENTS: Children less than or equal to 18 years old and greater than or equal to 37 weeks post conceptual age who received chest compressions of any duration from October 2016 to March 2021. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Child and event characteristics, prearrest laboratory values (2-6 hr prior to p-IHCA), pre- and intraarrest hemodynamics, and outcomes were collected. In a propensity score weighted cohort, the relationships between sodium bicarbonate use and outcomes were assessed. The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes included return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival to hospital discharge with favorable neurologic outcome. Of 1,100 index cardiopulmonary resuscitation events, median age was 0.63 years (interquartile range, 0.19-3.81 yr); 528 (48.0%) received sodium bicarbonate; 773 (70.3%) achieved ROSC; 642 (58.4%) survived to hospital discharge; and 596 (54.2%) survived to hospital discharge with favorable neurologic outcome. Among the weighted cohort, sodium bicarbonate use was associated with lower survival to hospital discharge rate (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.7; 95% CI, 0.54-0.92; p = 0.01) and lower survival to hospital discharge with favorable neurologic outcome rate (aOR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.53-0.91; p = 0.007). Sodium bicarbonate use was not associated with ROSC (aOR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.62-1.34; p = 0.621). CONCLUSIONS: In this propensity weighted multicenter cohort study of p-IHCA, sodium bicarbonate use was common and associated with lower rates of survival to hospital discharge.

ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to associate ventilation rates during in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation with 1) arterial blood pressure during cardiopulmonary resuscitation and 2) survival outcomes.DesignProspective, multicenter observational study.SettingPediatric and pediatric cardiac ICUs of the Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network.PatientsIntubated children (≥ 37 wk gestation and < 19 yr old) who received at least 1 minute of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.InterventionsNone.Measurements and main resultsArterial blood pressure and ventilation rate (breaths/min) were manually extracted from arterial line and capnogram waveforms. Guideline rate was defined as 10 ± 2 breaths/min; high ventilation rate as greater than or equal to 30 breaths/min in children less than 1 year old, and greater than or equal to 25 breaths/min in older children. The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. Regression models using Firth penalized likelihood assessed the association between ventilation rates and outcomes. Ventilation rates were available for 52 events (47 patients). More than half of patients (30/47; 64%) were less than 1 year old. Eighteen patients (38%) survived to discharge. Median event-level average ventilation rate was 29.8 breaths/min (interquartile range, 23.8-35.7). No event-level average ventilation rate was within guidelines; 30 events (58%) had high ventilation rates. The only significant association between ventilation rate and arterial blood pressure occurred in children 1 year old or older and was present for systolic blood pressure only (-17.8 mm Hg/10 breaths/min; 95% CI, -27.6 to -8.1; p < 0.01). High ventilation rates were associated with a higher odds of survival to discharge (odds ratio, 4.73; p = 0.029). This association was stable after individually controlling for location (adjusted odds ratio, 5.97; p = 0.022), initial rhythm (adjusted odds ratio, 3.87; p = 0.066), and time of day (adjusted odds ratio, 4.12; p = 0.049).ConclusionsIn this multicenter cohort, ventilation rates exceeding guidelines were common. Among the range of rates delivered, higher rates were associated with improved survival to hospital discharge.

AimThe primary aim of this study was to evaluate the association between chest compression rates and 1) arterial blood pressure and 2) survival outcomes during pediatric in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).MethodsProspective observational study of children ≥37 weeks gestation and 120-140, >140) and outcomes.ResultsCompression rate data were available for 164 patients. More than half (98/164; 60%) were 120-140, p = 0.010; >140, p = 0.077), but not survival. A rate between 80-

ObjectiveDelayed antimicrobial therapy in sepsis is associated with increased hospital mortality, but the impact of antimicrobial timing on long-term outcomes is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that hourly delays to antimicrobial therapy are associated with 1-year mortality in pediatric severe sepsis.DesignRetrospective observational study.SettingQuaternary academic pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) from February 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013.PatientsOne hundred sixty patients aged ≤21 years treated for severe sepsis.InterventionsNone.Measurements and main resultsWe tested the association of hourly delays from sepsis recognition to antimicrobial administration with 1-year mortality using multivariable Cox and logistic regression. Overall 1-year mortality was 24% (39 patients), of whom 46% died after index PICU discharge. Median time from sepsis recognition to antimicrobial therapy was 137 min (IQR 65-287). After adjusting for severity of illness and comorbid conditions, hourly delays up to 3 h were not associated with 1-year mortality. However, increased 1-year mortality was evident in patients who received antimicrobials ≤1 h (aOR 3.8, 95% CI 1.2, 11.7) or >3 h (aOR 3.5, 95% CI 1.3, 9.8) compared with patients who received antimicrobials within 1 to 3 h from sepsis recognition. For the subset of patients who survived index PICU admission, antimicrobial therapy ≤1 h was also associated with increased 1-year mortality (aOR 5.5, 95% CI 1.1, 27.4), while antimicrobial therapy >3 h was not associated with 1-year mortality (aOR 2.2, 95% CI 0.5, 11.0).ConclusionsHourly delays to antimicrobial therapy, up to 3 h, were not associated with 1-year mortality in pediatric severe sepsis in this study. The finding that antimicrobial therapy ≤1 h from sepsis recognition was associated with increased 1-year mortality should be regarded as hypothesis-generating for future studies.

Rationale: Adult and pediatric studies provide conflicting data regarding whether post–cardiac arrest hypoxemia, hyperoxemia, hypercapnia, and/or hypocapnia are associated with worse outcomes. Objectives: We sought to determine whether postarrest hypoxemia or postarrest hyperoxemia is associated with lower rates of survival to hospital discharge, compared with postarrest normoxemia, and whether postarrest hypocapnia or hypercapnia is associated with lower rates of survival, compared with postarrest normocapnia. Methods: An embedded prospective observational study during a multicenter interventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation trial was conducted from 2016 to 2021. Patients ⩽18 years old and with a corrected gestational age of ≥37 weeks who received chest compressions for cardiac arrest in one of the 18 intensive care units were included. Exposures during the first 24 hours postarrest were hypoxemia, hyperoxemia, or normoxemia—defined as lowest arterial oxygen tension/pressure (PaO2) <60 mm Hg, highest PaO2 ⩾200 mm Hg, or every PaO2 60–199 mm Hg, respectively—and hypocapnia, hypercapnia, or normocapnia, defined as lowest arterial carbon dioxide tension/pressure (PaCO2) <30 mm Hg, highest PaCO2 ⩾50 mm Hg, or every PaCO2 30–49 mm Hg, respectively. Associations of oxygenation and carbon dioxide group with survival to hospital discharge were assessed using Poisson regression with robust error estimates. Results: The hypoxemia group was less likely to survive to hospital discharge, compared with the normoxemia group (adjusted relative risk [aRR] = 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI] =  0.58–0.87), whereas survival in the hyperoxemia group did not differ from that in the normoxemia group (aRR = 1.0; 95% CI = 0.87–1.15). The hypercapnia group was less likely to survive to hospital discharge, compared with the normocapnia group (aRR = 0.74; 95% CI = 0.64–0.84), whereas survival in the hypocapnia group did not differ from that in the normocapnia group (aRR = 0.91; 95% CI = 0.74–1.12). Conclusions: Postarrest hypoxemia and hypercapnia were each associated with lower rates of survival to hospital discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are limited data on the use of video laryngoscopy for pediatric patients outside of the operating room. Aim: Our primary aim was to evaluate whether implementation of video laryngoscopy‐guided coaching for tracheal intubation is feasible with a high level of compliance and associated with a reduction in adverse tracheal intubation‐associated events. Methods: This is a pre‐post observational study of video laryngoscopy implementation with standardized coaching language for tracheal intubation in a single‐center, pediatric intensive care unit. The use of video laryngoscopy as a coaching device with standardized coaching language was implemented as a part of practice improvement. All patients in the pediatric intensive care unit were included between January 2016 and December 2017 who underwent primary tracheal intubation with either video laryngoscopy or direct laryngoscopy. The uptake of the implementation, sustained compliance, tracheal intubation outcomes including all adverse tracheal intubation‐associated events, oxygen desaturations (<80% SpO2), and first attempt success were measured. Results: Among 580 tracheal intubations, 284 (49%) were performed during the preimplementation phase, and 296 (51%) postimplementation. Compliance for the use of video laryngoscopy with standardized coaching language was high (74% postimplementation) and sustained. There were no statistically significant differences in adverse tracheal intubation‐associated events between the two phases (pre‐ 9% vs. post‐ 5%, absolute difference −3%, CI95: −8% to 1%, p =.11), oxygen desaturations <80% (pre‐ 13% vs. post‐ 13%, absolute difference 1%, CI95: –6% to 5%, p =.75), or first attempt success (pre‐ 73% vs. post‐ 76%, absolute difference 4%, CI95: –3% to 11%, p =.29). Supervisors were more likely to use the standardized coaching language when video laryngoscopy was used for tracheal intubation than with standard direct laryngoscopy (80% vs. 43%, absolute difference 37%, CI95: 23% to 51%, p <.001). Conclusions: Implementation of video laryngoscopy as a supervising device with standardized coaching language was feasible with high level of adherence, yet not associated with an increased occurrence of any adverse tracheal intubation‐associated events and oxygen desaturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For hospitalized children admitted outside of a critical care unit, the location, mode of death, "do-not-resuscitate" order (DNR) use, and involvement of palliative care teams have not been described across high-income countries. Objective: To describe location of death, patient and terminal care plan characteristics of pediatric inpatient deaths inside and outside the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Design: Secondary analysis of inpatient deaths in the Evaluating Processes of Care and Outcomes of Children in Hospital (EPOCH) randomized controlled trial. Setting/Subjects: Twenty-one centers from Canada, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Measurement: Descriptive statistics were used to compare patient and terminal care plan characteristics. A multivariable generalized estimating equation examined if palliative care consult during hospital admission was associated with location of death. Results: A total of 365 of 144,539 patients enrolled in EPOCH died; 219 (60%) died in PICU and 143 (40%) died on another inpatient unit. Compared with other inpatient wards, patients who died in PICU were less likely to be expected to die, have a DNR or palliative care consult. Hospital palliative care consultation was more common in older children and independently associated with a lower adjusted odds (95% confidence interval) of dying in PICU [0.59 (0.52–0.68)]. Conclusion: Most pediatric inpatient deaths occur in PICU where patients were less likely to have a DNR or palliative care consult. Palliative care consultation could be better integrated into end-of-life care for younger children and those dying in PICU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To improve pediatric airway management outside of the operating room, a Hospital‐wide Emergency Airway Response Team (HEART) program composed of anesthesiology, otorhinolaryngology, and respiratory therapy clinicians was developed. Aims: To report processes and outcomes of HEART activations in a quaternary academic children's hospital. Methods: A retrospective observational cohort study between January 2017 and December 2019. Local airway emergency database was reviewed for HEART activations. Additional safety data was obtained from patients' electronic health records. Primary outcome: Adverse airway outcomes, either adverse tracheal intubation‐associated events or oxygen desaturation (SpO2 <80%). We compared airway management by primary teams before HEART arrival and by HEART after arrival. Results: Of 96 HEART activations, 36 were from neonatal intensive care unit, 35 from pediatric and cardiac intensive care units, 14 from emergency department, and 11 from inpatient wards. 56 (62%) children had airway anomalies and 41/96 (43%) were invasively ventilated. Median HEART arrival time was 5 min (interquartile range, 3–5). 56/96 (58%) required insertion of an advanced airway (supra/extra‐glottic airway, endotracheal tube, tracheostomy tube). HEART succeeded in establishing a definitive airway in 53/56 (94%). Adverse airway outcomes were more common before (56/96, 58%) versus after HEART arrival (28/96, 29%; absolute risk difference 29%; 95% confidence interval 16, 41%; p <.001). Oxygen desaturation occurred more frequently before (46/96, 48%) versus after HEART arrival (24/96, 25%; absolute risk difference 23%; 95% confidence interval 11, 35%; p =.02). Cardiac arrests were more common before (9/96, 9%) versus after HEART arrival (3/96, 3%). Multiple (≥3) intubation attempts were more frequent before (14/42, 33%) versus after HEART arrival (9/46, 20%; absolute risk difference −14%; 95% confidence interval −32, 5%; p =.15). Conclusions: A multidisciplinary emergency airway response team plays an important role in pediatric airway management outside of the operating room. Adverse airway outcomes were more frequent before compared to after HEART arrival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Intubations are frequently performed procedures in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and delivery rooms (DR). Unsuccessful first attempts are common as are tracheal intubation-associated events (TIAEs) and severe desaturations. Stylets are often used during intubation, but their association with intubation outcomes is unclear. Objective: To compare intubation success, rate of relevant TIAEs, and severe desaturations in neonates intubated with and without stylets. Methods: Tracheal intubations of neonates in the NICU or DR from 16 centers between October 2014 and December 2018, performed by neonatology or pediatric providers, were collected from the NEAR4NEOs international registry. Primary oral intubations with a laryngoscope were included in the analysis. First-attempt success, the occurrence of relevant TIAEs, and severe oxygen desaturation (≥20% saturation drop from baseline) were compared between intubations performed with versus without a stylet. Logistic regression with generalized estimate equations was used to control for covariates and clustering by sites. Results: Out of 5,292 primary oral intubations, 3,877 (73%) utilized stylets. Stylet use varied considerably across the centers with a range between 0.5 and 100%. Stylet use was not associated with first-attempt intubation success, esophageal intubation, mainstem intubation, or severe desaturations after controlling for confounders. Patient size was associated with these outcomes and much more predictive of success. Conclusions: Stylet use during neonatal intubation was not associated with higher first-attempt intubation success, fewer relevant TIAEs, or less severe desaturations. These data suggest that stylets can be used based on individual preference, but stylet use may not be associated with better intubation outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Develop an automated approach to detect flash (<1.0 s) or prolonged (>2.0 s) capillary refill time (CRT) that correlates with clinician judgment by applying several supervised machine learning (ML) techniques to pulse oximeter plethysmography data. Materials and Methods: Data was collected in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Cardiac ICU, Progressive Care Unit, and Operating Suites in a large academic children's hospital. Ninety-nine children and 30 adults were enrolled in testing and validation cohorts, respectively. Patients had 5 paired CRT measurements by a modified pulse oximeter device and a clinician, generating 485 waveform pairs for model training. Supervised ML models using gradient boosting (XGBoost), logistic regression (LR), and support vector machines (SVMs) were developed to detect flash (<1 s) or prolonged CRT (≥2 s) using clinician CRT assessment as the reference standard. Models were compared using Area Under the Receiver Operating Curve (AUC) and precision-recall curve (positive predictive value vs. sensitivity) analysis. The best performing model was externally validated with 90 measurement pairs from adult patients. Feature importance analysis was performed to identify key waveform characteristics. Results: For flash CRT, XGBoost had a greater mean AUC (0.79, 95% CI 0.75–0.83) than logistic regression (0.77, 0.71–0.82) and SVM (0.72, 0.67–0.76) models. For prolonged CRT, XGBoost had a greater mean AUC (0.77, 0.72–0.82) than logistic regression (0.73, 0.68–0.78) and SVM (0.75, 0.70–0.79) models. Pairwise testing showed statistically significant improved performance comparing XGBoost and SVM; all other pairwise model comparisons did not reach statistical significance. XGBoost showed good external validation with AUC of 0.88. Feature importance analysis of XGBoost identified distinct key waveform characteristics for flash and prolonged CRT, respectively. Conclusion: Novel application of supervised ML to pulse oximeter waveforms yielded multiple effective models to identify flash and prolonged CRT, using clinician judgment as the reference standard. Tweet: Supervised machine learning applied to pulse oximeter waveform features predicts flash or prolonged capillary refill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Characteristics of neonatal tracheal intubations (TI) may vary between the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and delivery room (DR). The impact of the setting on TI outcomes is not well characterized. Objective: The aim of this study was to define variation in neonatal TI practice between settings, and identify the association between setting and TI success and safety outcomes. Design: This was a retrospective cohort study of TIs in the National Emergency Airway Registry for Neonates from October 2014 to September 2017. The setting (NICU vs. DR) was the exposure of interest. The outcomes were first attempt success, course success, success within 4 attempts, adverse TI-associated events, severe desaturation, and bradycardia. We compared TI characteristics and outcomes between settings in univariable analysis. Factors significant in univariable analysis (p < 0.1) were included in a logistic regression model, with adjustment for clustering by center, to identify the independent impact of the setting on TI outcomes. Results: There were 3,145 TI encounters (2279 NICU, 866 DR) in 9 centers. Almost all baseline characteristics significantly varied between settings. First attempt success rates were 48% (NICU) and 46% (DR). In multivariable analysis, the setting was not associated with first attempt success. DR was associated with a higher adjusted OR (aOR) of success within 4 attempts (1.48, 95% CI 1.06–2.08) and a lower aOR for bradycardia (0.43, 95% CI 0.26–0.71). Conclusion: Significant differences in patient, provider, and practice characteristics exist between NICU and DR TIs. There is substantial room for improvement in first attempt success rates. These results suggest interventions to improve safety and success need to be targeted to the distinct setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the incidence, indicators and clinical impact of difficult tracheal intubations in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).Design: Retrospective review of prospectively collected data on intubations performed in the NICU from the National Emergency Airway Registry for Neonates.Setting: Ten academic NICUs.Patients: Neonates intubated in the NICU at each of the sites between October 2014 and March 2017.Main Outcome Measures: Difficult intubation was defined as one requiring three or more attempts by a non-resident provider. Patient (age, weight and bedside predictors of difficult intubation), practice (intubation method and medications used), provider (training level and profession) and outcome data (intubation attempts, adverse events and oxygen desaturations) were collected for each intubation.Results: Out of 2009 tracheal intubations, 276 (14%) met the definition of difficult intubation. Difficult intubations were more common in neonates <32 weeks, <1500 g. The difficult intubation group had a 4.9 odds ratio (OR) for experiencing an adverse event and a 4.2 OR for severe oxygen desaturation. Bedside screening tests of difficult intubation lacked sensitivity (receiver operator curve 0.47-0.53).Conclusions: Difficult intubations are common in the NICU and are associated with adverse event and severe oxygen desaturation. Difficult intubations occur more commonly in small preterm infants. The occurrence of a difficult intubation in other neonates is hard to predict due to the lack of sensitivity of bedside screening tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Brain injury with changes in clinical neurological signs and symptoms can develop while children are undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit. Critical care nurses routinely screen for neurological decline by using serial bedside neurological assessments. However, assessment components, frequency, and communication thresholds are not standardized. Objectives To standardize neurological assessment procedures used by nurses, improve compliance with physicians' ordering and nurses' documentation of neurological assessments, and explore the frequency with which changes from preillness neurological status and previous assessments can be detected by using the assessment tool developed. Methods A quality improvement intervention was implemented during a 1-year period in a 55-bed pediatric intensive care unit with 274 nurses. Procedures for neurological assessment by nurses were standardized, a system for physicians to order neurological assessments by nurses at a frequency based on the patient's risk for brain injury was developed and implemented, and a system to compare patients' current neurological status with their preillness neurological status was developed and implemented. Results Process metrics that focused on compliance of ordering and documenting the standardized neurological assessments indicated improvement and sustained compliance greater than 80%. Exploratory analyses indicated that 29% of patients had an episode of neurological decline and that these episodes were more common in patients with developmental disabilities than in patients without such disabilities. Conclusions Compliance with physicians' ordering and nurses' documentation of standardized neurological assessments significantly increased and had excellent sustainability. Further work is needed to determine the sensitivity of standardized nurses' neurological assessment tools for clinically meaningful neurological decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: There is limited evidence that the use of severity of illness scores in pediatric patients can facilitate timely admission to the intensive care unit or improve patient outcomes.Objective: To determine the effect of the Bedside Paediatric Early Warning System (BedsidePEWS) on all-cause hospital mortality and late admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), cardiac arrest, and ICU resource use.Design, Setting, and Participants: A multicenter cluster randomized trial of 21 hospitals located in 7 countries (Belgium, Canada, England, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, and the Netherlands) that provided inpatient pediatric care for infants (gestational age ≥37 weeks) to teenagers (aged ≤18 years). Participating hospitals had continuous physician staffing and subspecialized pediatric services. Patient enrollment began on February 28, 2011, and ended on June 21, 2015. Follow-up ended on July 19, 2015.Interventions: The BedsidePEWS intervention (10 hospitals) was compared with usual care (no severity of illness score; 11 hospitals).Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was all-cause hospital mortality. The secondary outcome was a significant clinical deterioration event, which was defined as a composite outcome reflecting late ICU admission. Regression analyses accounted for hospital-level clustering and baseline rates.Results: Among 144 539 patient discharges at 21 randomized hospitals, there were 559 443 patient-days and 144 539 patients (100%) completed the trial. All-cause hospital mortality was 1.93 per 1000 patient discharges at hospitals with BedsidePEWS and 1.56 per 1000 patient discharges at hospitals with usual care (adjusted between-group rate difference, 0.01 [95% CI, -0.80 to 0.81 per 1000 patient discharges]; adjusted odds ratio, 1.01 [95% CI, 0.61 to 1.69]; P = .96). Significant clinical deterioration events occurred during 0.50 per 1000 patient-days at hospitals with BedsidePEWS vs 0.84 per 1000 patient-days at hospitals with usual care (adjusted between-group rate difference, -0.34 [95% CI, -0.73 to 0.05 per 1000 patient-days]; adjusted rate ratio, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.61 to 0.97]; P = .03).Conclusions and Relevance: Implementation of the Bedside Paediatric Early Warning System compared with usual care did not significantly decrease all-cause mortality among hospitalized pediatric patients. These findings do not support the use of this system to reduce mortality.Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01260831. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood pressure directed booster trainings improve intensive care unit provider retention of excellent cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills. Point-of-Care Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training and Survival With Favorable Neurologic Outcome in Cardiac Arrest in Pediatric ICUs - Reply Comment & Response B In Reply b We agree that clinicians and educators should interpret our study[1] findings carefully and not conclude that these types of physiologic point-of-care CPR trainings and debriefings are ineffective based on a trial that was negative for the primary outcome. [Extracted from the article]

Aim: To describe the 1-year neurobehavioral outcome of survivors of cardiac arrest secondary to drowning, compared with other respiratory etiologies, in children enrolled in the Therapeutic Hypothermia after Pediatric Cardiac Arrest Out-of-Hospital (THAPCA-OH) trial.Methods: Exploratory analysis of survivors (ages 1-18 years) who received chest compressions for ≥2min, were comatose, and required mechanical ventilation after return of circulation (ROC). Participants recruited from 27 pediatric intensive care units in North America received targeted temperature management [therapeutic hypothermia (33°C) or therapeutic normothermia (36.8°C)] within 6h of ROC. Neurobehavioral outcomes included 1-year Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Second Edition (VABS-II) total and domain scores and age-appropriate cognitive performance measures (Mullen Scales of Early Learning or Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence).Results: Sixty-six children with a respiratory etiology of cardiac arrest survived for 1-year; 60/66 had broadly normal premorbid functioning (VABS-II≥70). Follow up was obtained on 59/60 (30 with drowning etiology). VABS-II composite and domain scores declined significantly from premorbid scores in drowning and non-drowning groups (p<0.001), although declines were less pronounced for the drowning group. Seventy-two percent of children had well below average cognitive functioning at 1-year. Younger age, fewer doses of epinephrine, and drowning etiology were associated with better VABS-II composite scores. Demographic variables and treatment with hypothermia did not influence neurobehavioral outcomes.Conclusions: Risks for poor neurobehavioral outcomes were high for children who were comatose after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to respiratory etiologies; survivors of drowning had better outcomes than those with other respiratory etiologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine the incidence of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in PICUs and subsequent outcomes.Design, Setting, and Patients: Multicenter prospective observational study of children younger than 18 years old randomly selected and intensively followed from PICU admission to hospital discharge in the Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network December 2011 to April 2013.Results: Among 10,078 children enrolled, 139 (1.4%) received cardiopulmonary resuscitation for more than or equal to 1 minute and/or defibrillation. Of these children, 78% attained return of circulation, 45% survived to hospital discharge, and 89% of survivors had favorable neurologic outcomes. The relative incidence of cardiopulmonary resuscitation events was higher for cardiac patients compared with non-cardiac patients (3.4% vs 0.8%, p <0.001), but survival rate to hospital discharge with favorable neurologic outcome was not statistically different (41% vs 39%, respectively). Shorter duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation was associated with higher survival rates: 66% (29/44) survived to hospital discharge after 1-3 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation versus 28% (9/32) after more than 30 minutes (p < 0.001). Among survivors, 90% (26/29) had a favorable neurologic outcome after 1-3 minutes versus 89% (8/9) after more than 30 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.Conclusions: These data establish that contemporary PICU cardiopulmonary resuscitation, including long durations of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, results in high rates of survival-to-hospital discharge (45%) and favorable neurologic outcomes among survivors (89%). Rates of survival with favorable neurologic outcomes were similar among cardiac and noncardiac patients. The rigorous prospective, observational study design avoided the limitations of missing data and potential selection biases inherent in registry and administrative data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the incidence and associated risk factors of difficult tracheal intubations (TI) in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). Methods: Using the National Emergency Airway Registry for Children (NEAR4KIDS), TI quality improvement data were prospectively collected for initial TIs in 15 PICUs from July 2010 to December 2011. Difficult pediatric TI was defined as TIs by direct laryngoscopy which failed or required more than two laryngoscopy attempts by fellow/attending-level physician providers. Results: A total of 1,516 oral TIs were reported with a median age of 2 years. A total of 97 % of patients were intubated with direct laryngoscopy. The incidence of difficult TI was 9 %. In univariate analysis, patients with difficult TI were younger [median 1 year (0-4) vs. 2 (0-8) years, p = 0.046], and had a reported history of difficult TI (22 vs. 8 %, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that history of difficult airway and signs of upper airway obstruction are significantly associated with difficult TI. The advanced airway provider was more involved as a first provider in difficult TI (81 vs. 58 %, p < 0.001). The presence of difficult TI was associated with higher incidence of oxygen desaturation below 80 % (48 vs. 15 %, p < 0.001), adverse TI associated events (53 vs. 20 %, p < 0.001), and severe TI associated events (13 vs. 6 %, p = 0.003). Conclusions: Difficult TI was reported in 9 % of all TIs and was associated with increased adverse TI events. History of difficult airway and sign of upper airway obstruction were associated with difficult TIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Quantify hypotension burden using high-resolution continuous arterial blood pressure (ABP) data and determine its association with outcome after pediatric cardiac arrest. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: Academic PICU. PATIENTS: Children 18 years old or younger admitted with in-of-hospital or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest who had invasive ABP monitoring during postcardiac arrest care. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: High-resolution continuous ABP was analyzed up to 24 hours after the return of circulation (ROC). Hypotension burden was the time-normalized integral area between mean arterial pressure (MAP) and fifth percentile MAP for age. The primary outcome was unfavorable neurologic status (pediatric cerebral performance category = 3 with change from baseline) at hospital discharge. Mann-Whitney U tests compared hypotension burden, duration, and magnitude between favorable and unfavorable patients. Multivariable logistic regression determined the association of unfavorable outcomes with hypotension burden, duration, and magnitude at various percentile thresholds from the 5th through 50th percentile for age. Of 140 patients (median age 53 [interquartile range 11-146] mo, 61% male); 63% had unfavorable outcomes. Monitoring duration was 21 (7-24) hours. Using a MAP threshold at the fifth percentile for age, the median hypotension burden was 0.01 (0-0.11) mm Hg-hours per hour, greater for patients with unfavorable compared with favorable outcomes (0 [0-0.02] vs. 0.02 [0-0.27] mm Hg-hr per hour, p < 0.001). Hypotension duration and magnitude were greater for unfavorable compared with favorable patients (0.03 [0-0.77] vs. 0.71 [0-5.01]%, p = 0.003; and 0.16 [0-1.99] vs. 2 [0-4.02] mm Hg, p = 0.001). On logistic regression, a 1-point increase in hypotension burden below the fifth percentile for age (equivalent to 1 mm Hg-hr of burden per hour of recording) was associated with increased odds of unfavorable outcome (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 14.8; 95% CI, 1.1-200; p = 0.040). At MAP thresholds of 10th-50th percentiles for age, MAP burden below the threshold was greater in unfavorable compared with favorable patients in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: High-resolution continuous ABP data can be used to quantify hypotension burden after pediatric cardiac arrest. The burden, duration, and magnitude of hypotension are associated with unfavorable neurologic outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the association between chest compression rates and 1) arterial blood pressure and 2) survival outcomes during pediatric in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).Methods: Prospective observational study of children ≥37 weeks gestation and <19 years old who received CPR in an intensive care unit (ICU) as part of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Quality of CPR Study (PICqCPR) of the Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network (CPCCRN). Arterial blood pressure and compression rate were determined from manually extracted arterial line waveform data during the first 10 min of CPR. The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. Modified Poisson regression models assessed the association between rate categories (80-<100, 100-120 [Guidelines], >120-140, >140) and outcomes.Results: Compression rate data were available for 164 patients. More than half (98/164; 60%) were <1 year old. Return of circulation was achieved in 148/164 (90%); survival to hospital discharge in 77/164 (47%). Percentage of events with average rate within Guidelines was 32.9%. Compared to Guidelines, higher rate categories were associated with lower systolic blood pressures (>120-140, p = 0.010; >140, p = 0.077), but not survival. A rate between 80-<100 per minute was associated with a higher rate of survival to hospital discharge (aRR 1.92, CI95 1.13, 3.29, p = 0.017) and survival with favorable neurological outcome (aRR 2.12, CI95 1.09, 4.13, p = 0.027) compared to Guidelines.Conclusion: Non-compliance with compression rate Guidelines was common in this multicenter cohort. Among ICU patients, slightly lower rates were associated with improved outcomes compared to Guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Of Study: Recurrent in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) is associated with morbidity and mortality in adults. We aimed to describe the risk factors and outcomes for paediatric recurrent IHCA.Methods: Retrospective cohort study of patients ≤18 years old with single or recurrent IHCA. Recurrent IHCA was defined as ≥2 IHCA within the same hospitalization. Categorical variables expressed as percentages and compared via Chi square test. Continuous variables expressed as medians with interquartile ranges and compared via rank sum test. Outcomes assessed in a propensity match cohort.Results: From July 1, 2015 to January 26, 2021, 139/894 (15.5%) patients experienced recurrent IHCA. Compared to patients with a single IHCA, recurrent IHCA patients were more likely to be trauma and less likely to be surgical cardiac patients. Median duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was shorter in the recurrent IHCA (5 vs. 11 min; p < 0.001) with no difference in IHCA location or immediate cause of CPR. Patients with recurrent IHCA had worse survival to intensive care unit (ICU) discharge (31% vs. 52%; p < 0.001), and worse survival to hospital discharge (30% vs. 48%; p < 0.001) in unadjusted analyses and after propensity matching, patients with recurrent IHCA still had worse survival to ICU (34% vs. 67%; p < 0.001) and hospital (31% vs. 64%; p < 0.001) discharge.Conclusion: When examining those with a single vs. a recurrent IHCA, event and patient factors including more pre-existing conditions and shorter duration of CPR were associated with risk for recurrent IHCA. Recurrent IHCA is associated with worse survival outcomes following propensity matching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: bundle; critical care; guideline; implementation; intensive care unit; quality; toolkit EN bundle critical care guideline implementation intensive care unit quality toolkit 1851 1854 4 10/14/21 20211101 NES 211101 Documents that systematically aid clinicians to guide diagnostic undertakings or therapeutic interventions are identified by the Institute of Medicine as clinical practice guidelines ([1]). The American College of Critical Care Medicine (ACCM), as part of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), has developed and published 31 evidence-based guidelines over the past decade ([2]). Bundle, critical care, guideline, implementation, intensive care unit, quality, toolkit. [Extracted from the article]

Aims: To determine the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension (PH) among children with in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) and its association with survival.Methods: Children (<18 years) admitted to ICUs participating in the Virtual Pediatric Systems multicenter registry between January 2011 and December 2017 who had an IHCA during their hospitalization were included. Patients were classified by whether they had a documented diagnosis of PH at the time of IHCA. Clinical characteristics were compared between patients with and without PH. After propensity score matching, conditional logistic regression within the matched cohort determined the association between PH and survival to hospital discharge.Results: Of 18,575 children with IHCA during the study period, 1,590 (8.6%) had a pre-arrest diagnosis of PH. Patients with PH were more likely to be 29 days to 2 years of age, female, Black/African American, and American Indian/Alaskan Native, and to be treated in a cardiac ICU or mixed PICU/cardiac ICU. At ICU admission, PH patients had a lower probability of death as determined by the Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 (PIM-2) score. Patients with PH were more likely to be receiving inhaled nitric oxide (13.0% vs. 2.1%; p < 0.001). Propensity score matching successfully matched 1,302 PH patients with 3,604 non-PH patients. Patients with PH were less likely to survive to hospital discharge (aOR 0.83; 95% CI: 0.72-0.95; p = 0.01) than non-PH patients.Conclusions: In this large multicenter study, 8.6% of children with IHCA had pre-existing documented PH. These children were less likely to survive to hospital discharge than those without PH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Capillary refill time is a noninvasive method to assess tissue perfusion to determine shock status. Capillary refill time is defined as the time required to regain skin color after blanching pressure is applied. Although common methods to measure capillary refill time depend on clinicians' visual assessment, a new approach using a pulse oximeter waveform analysis exists, referred to as full finger reperfusion time. We aim to evaluate reproducibility and validity of the novel full finger reperfusion time measurement using clinicians' visual capillary refill time assessment as a reference standard.Design: Prospective observational study.Setting: PICUs and operating suites at a large academic children's hospital.Patients: Ninety-nine children 1-12 years old with various skin color tones.Interventions: Each child had 10 measurements, including five full finger reperfusion time and five clinician capillary refill time, alternating second and third digits.Measurements and Main Results: Eighteen children had prolonged capillary refill time (> 2 s) and four children with capillary refill time greater than 3 seconds. Four-hundred eighty-five data pairs were analyzed. Intraclass correlation coefficient of full finger reperfusion time within each patient was 0.76 (95% CI, 0.68-0.83), demonstrating good reproducibility. Correlation coefficient between full finger reperfusion time and clinician capillary refill time was moderate: r = 0.37 (p < 0.0001; 95% CI, 0.29-0.44) for the pairs and r = 0.52 (p < 0.0001; 95% CI, 0.36-0.65) for patient average. Bland-Altman plot showed a consistent difference between full finger reperfusion time and clinician capillary refill time (full finger reperfusion time 1.14 s longer). Weak association was found between force and full finger reperfusion time (β = -0.033 ± 0.016; 95% CI, -0.065 to -0.0016; p = 0.04), finger thickness (β = -0.20 ± 0.089; 95% CI, -0.37 to -0.19; p = 0.03), except for color tone (p = 0.31). Finger temperature was associated with full finger reperfusion time (β = -0.18 ± 0.041; 95% CI, -0.26 to -0.0999; p < 0.0001).Conclusions: Full finger reperfusion time demonstrated good reproducibility. Full finger reperfusion time showed moderate correlation with clinician capillary refill time. Full finger reperfusion time was 1.14 seconds longer than capillary refill time. Future studies should focus on the clinical value of full finger reperfusion time as a monitoring device for hemodynamics in critically ill children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Bag-mask ventilation is commonly used prior to tracheal intubation; however, the epidemiology, risk factors, and clinical implications of difficult bag-mask ventilation among critically ill children are not well studied. This study aims to describe prevalence and risk factors for pediatric difficult bag-mask ventilation as well as its association with adverse tracheal intubation-associated events and oxygen desaturation in PICU patients.Design: A retrospective review of prospectively collected observational data from a multicenter tracheal intubation database (National Emergency Airway Registry for Children) from January 2013 to December 2018.Setting: Forty-six international PICUs.Patients: Children receiving bag-mask ventilation as a part of tracheal intubation in a PICU.Interventions: None.Measurements and Main Results: The primary outcome is the occurrence of either specific tracheal intubation-associated events (hemodynamic tracheal intubation-associated events, emesis with/without aspiration) and/or oxygen desaturation (< 80%). Factors associated with perceived difficult bag-mask ventilation were found using univariate analyses, and multivariable logistic regression identified an independent association between bag-mask ventilation difficulty and the primary outcome. Difficult bag-mask ventilation is reported in 9.5% (n = 1,501) of 15,810 patients undergoing tracheal intubation with bag-mask ventilation during the study period. Difficult bag-mask ventilation is more commonly reported with increasing age, those with a primary respiratory diagnosis/indication for tracheal intubation, presence of difficult airway features, more experienced provider level, and tracheal intubations without use of neuromuscular blockade (p < 0.001). Specific tracheal intubation-associated events or oxygen desaturation events occurred in 40.2% of patients with reported difficult bag-mask ventilation versus 19.8% in patients without perceived difficult bag-mask ventilation (p < 0.001). The presence of difficult bag-mask ventilation is independently associated with an increased risk of the primary outcome: odds ratio, 2.28 (95% CI, 2.03-2.57; p < 0.001).Conclusions: Difficult bag-mask ventilation is reported in approximately one in 10 PICU patients undergoing tracheal intubation. Given its association with adverse procedure-related events and oxygen desaturation, future study is warranted to improve preprocedural planning and real-time management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The objective of this study was to compare survival outcomes and intra-arrest arterial blood pressures between children receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation for bradycardia and poor perfusion and those with pulseless cardiac arrests.Design: Prospective, multicenter observational study.Setting: PICUs and cardiac ICUs of the Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network.Patients: Children (< 19 yr old) who received greater than or equal to 1 minute of cardiopulmonary resuscitation with invasive arterial blood pressure monitoring in place.Interventions: None.Measurements and Main Results: Of 164 patients, 96 (59%) had bradycardia and poor perfusion as the initial cardiopulmonary resuscitation rhythm. Compared to those with initial pulseless rhythms, these children were younger (0.4 vs 1.4 yr; p = 0.005) and more likely to have a respiratory etiology of arrest (p < 0.001). Children with bradycardia and poor perfusion were more likely to survive to hospital discharge (adjusted odds ratio, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.10-4.83; p = 0.025) and survive with favorable neurologic outcome (adjusted odds ratio, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.04-4.67; p = 0.036). There were no differences in diastolic or systolic blood pressures or event survival (return of spontaneous circulation or return of circulation via extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Among patients with bradycardia and poor perfusion, 49 of 96 (51%) had subsequent pulselessness during the cardiopulmonary resuscitation event. During cardiopulmonary resuscitation, these patients had lower diastolic blood pressure (point estimate, -6.68 mm Hg [-10.92 to -2.44 mm Hg]; p = 0.003) and systolic blood pressure (point estimate, -12.36 mm Hg [-23.52 to -1.21 mm Hg]; p = 0.032) and lower rates of return of spontaneous circulation (26/49 vs 42/47; p < 0.001) than those who were never pulseless.Conclusions: Most children receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation in ICUs had an initial rhythm of bradycardia and poor perfusion. They were more likely to survive to hospital discharge and survive with favorable neurologic outcomes than patients with pulseless arrests, although there were no differences in immediate event outcomes or intra-arrest hemodynamics. Patients who progressed to pulselessness after cardiopulmonary resuscitation initiation had lower intra-arrest hemodynamics and worse event outcomes than those who were never pulseless. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality after surgery. Most studies regarding sepsis do not differentiate between patients who have had recent surgery and those without. Few data exist regarding the risk factors for poor outcomes in pediatric postsurgical sepsis. Our hypothesis is pediatric postsurgical, and medical patients with severe sepsis have unique risk factors for mortality. Data were extracted from a secondary analysis of an international point prevalence study of pediatric severe sepsis. Sites included 128 pediatric intensive care units from 26 countries. Pediatric patients with severe sepsis were categorized into those who had recent surgery (postsurgical sepsis) versus those that did not (medical sepsis) before sepsis onset. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine risk factors for mortality. A total of 556 patients were included: 138 with postsurgical and 418 with medical sepsis. In postsurgical sepsis, older age, admission from the hospital ward, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome at sepsis recognition, and cardiovascular and respiratory comorbidities were independent risk factors for death. In medical sepsis, resource-limited region, hospital-acquired infection, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome at sepsis recognition, higher Pediatric Index of Mortality-3 score, and malignancy were independent risk factors for death. Pediatric patients with postsurgical sepsis had different risk factors for mortality compared with medical sepsis. This included a higher mortality risk in postsurgical patients presenting to the intensive care unit from the hospital ward. These data suggest an opportunity to develop and test early warning systems specific to pediatric sepsis in the postsurgical population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Based on laboratory cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) investigations and limited adult data, the American Heart Association Consensus Statement on CPR Quality recommends titrating CPR performance to achieve end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) >20 mmHg.Aims: We prospectively evaluated whether ETCO2 > 20 mmHg during CPR was associated with survival to hospital discharge.Methods: Children ≥37 weeks gestation in Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network intensive care units with chest compressions for ≥1 min and ETCO2 monitoring prior to and during CPR between July 1, 2013 and June 31, 2016 were included. ETCO2 and Utstein-style cardiac arrest data were collected. Multivariable Poisson regression models with robust error estimates were used to estimate relative risk of outcomes.Results: Blinded investigators analyzed ETCO2 waveforms from 43 children. During CPR, the median ETCO2 was 23 mmHg [quartiles, 16 and 28 mmHg], median ventilation rate was 29 breaths/min [quartiles, 24 and 35 breaths/min], and median duration of CPR was 5 min [quartiles, 2 and 16 min]. Return of spontaneous circulation occurred after 71% of CPR events and 37% of patients survived to hospital discharge. For children with mean ETCO2 during CPR > 20 mmHg, the adjusted relative risk for survival was 0.92 (0.41, 2.08), p = 0.84. The median mean ETCO2 among children who survived to hospital discharge was 20 mmHg [quartiles; 15, 28 mmHg] versus 23 mmHg [16, 28 mmHg] among non-survivors.Conclusion: Mean ETCO2 > 20 mmHg during pediatric in-hospital CPR was not associated with survival to hospital discharge, and ETCO2 was not different in survivors versus non-survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The impact of nutrition status on outcomes in pediatric severe sepsis is unclear. We studied the association of nutrition status (expressed as body mass index z score) with outcomes in pediatric severe sepsis.Design: Secondary analysis of the Sepsis Prevalence, Outcomes, and Therapies study. Patient characteristics, ICU interventions, and outcomes were compared across nutrition status categories (expressed as age- and sex-adjusted body mass index z scores using World Health Organization standards). Multivariable regression models were developed to determine adjusted differences in all-cause ICU mortality and ICU length of stay by nutrition status.Setting: One-hundred twenty-eight PICUs across 26 countries.Patients: Children less than 18 years with severe sepsis enrolled in the Sepsis Prevalence, Outcomes, and Therapies study (n = 567).Interventions: None.Measurements and Main Results: Nutrition status data were available for 417 patients. Severe undernutrition was seen in Europe (25%), Asia (20%), South Africa (17%), and South America (10%), with severe overnutrition seen in Australia/New Zealand (17%) and North America (14%). Severe undernutrition was independently associated with all-cause ICU mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.2-7.7; p = 0.02), whereas severe overnutrition in survivors was independently associated with longer ICU length of stay (1.6 d; p = 0.01).Conclusions: There is considerable variation in nutrition status for children with severe sepsis treated across this selected network of PICUs from different geographic regions. Severe undernutrition was independently associated with higher all-cause ICU mortality in children with severe sepsis. Severe overnutrition was independently associated with greater ICU length of stay in childhood survivors of severe sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The contemporary characteristics and outcomes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are poorly described. The objectives of this study were to determine the incidence, interventions, and outcomes of CPR in a quaternary referral NICU.Methods: Retrospective observational study of infants who received chest compressions for resuscitation in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia NICU between April 1, 2011 and June 30, 2015. Patient, event, and survival characteristics were abstracted from the medical record and the hospital-wide resuscitation database. The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to identify patient and event factors associated with survival to discharge.Results: There were 1.2 CPR events per 1000 patient days. CPR was performed in 113 of 5046 (2.2%) infants admitted to the NICU during the study period. The median duration of chest compressions was 2min (interquartile range 1, 6min). Adrenaline was administered in 34 (30%) CPR events. Of 113 infants with at least one CPR event, 69 (61%) survived to hospital discharge. Factors independently associated with decreased survival to hospital discharge were inotrope treatment prior to CPR (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] 0.14, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 0.04, 0.54), and adrenaline administration during CPR (aOR 0.14, 95% CI 0.04, 0.50).Conclusions: Although it was not uncommon, the incidence of CPR was low (<3%) among infants hospitalized in a quaternary referral NICU. Infants receiving inotropic therapy prior to CPR and adrenaline administration during CPR were less likely to survive to hospital discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We hypothesize that patients receiving primary nasal TI have higher risk of severe peri-intubation hypoxia (SpO2 < 80%) and/or severe tracheal intubation-associated events (TIAEs) (e.g. cardiac arrest, hypotension, emesis with aspiration), compared to those receiving oral TI. B Introduction: b Nasotracheal intubation represents the minority of tracheal intubation (TI) in the PICU. B Conclusions: b Children receiving primary nasal TI do not have higher risk of severe peri-intubation hypoxia and/or severe TIAEs compared to those receiving oral TI, with substantial differences in patient, provider, and practice differences. [Extracted from the article]

B Introduction: b Children with Trisomy 21 (T21) are known to have anatomic and physiologic abnormalities that may complicate tracheal intubation. We hypothesize the Adverse Airway Outcomes: AAOs (adverse TI associated events: TIAEs and/or peri-intubation hypoxemia: >20% decrease in SpO2) are higher in children with T21 as compared to those without T21. AAOs occurred similarly between those with T21 vs without (26% vs. 24%, p=0.669); adverse TIAEs occurred less in T21 (9% vs 14%, p=0.02), but hypoxemia occurred more frequently (23% vs 18%, p=0.046). [Extracted from the article]

Objectives: To determine the incidence and epidemiologic characteristics of cardiac arrests among tracheal intubations in PICUs.Design: Retrospective cohort study of prospectively collected data.Setting: Twenty-five diverse PICUs.Patients: Critically ill children requiring tracheal intubation in PICUs.Interventions: Tracheal intubation quality improvement data were prospectively collected for all initial tracheal intubations in 25 PICUs from July 2010 to March 2014 using National Emergency Airway Registry for Children registry.Measurements and Main Results: Tracheal intubation-associated cardiac arrest was defined as chest compressions more than 1 minute occurring during tracheal intubation or within 20 minutes after tracheal intubation. A total of 5,232 pediatric tracheal intubations were evaluated. Tracheal intubation-associated cardiac arrest was reported in 87 (1.7%). Patient factors (demographics and indications for tracheal intubation), provider factors (discipline and training level), and practice factors (tracheal intubation method and use of neuromuscular blockade) were recorded. Hemodynamic instability and oxygenation failure as tracheal intubation indications were associated with cardiac arrests (adjusted odds ratio, 6.3; 95% CI, 3.9-10.3; and adjusted odds ratio, 4.3; 95% CI, 2.6-6.9, respectively). History of difficult airway and cardiac disease were also associated with cardiac arrests (adjusted odds ratio, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.2-3.5; and adjusted odds ratio, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.2-3.9, respectively). Provider and practice factors were not associated with cardiac arrests, and provider factors did not modify the effect of patient factors on cardiac arrests.Conclusions: Tracheal intubation-associated cardiac arrests occurred during 1.7% of PICU tracheal intubations. Tracheal intubation-associated cardiac arrests were much more common with tracheal intubations when the child had acute hemodynamic instability or oxygen failure and when the child had a history of difficult airway or cardiac disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In-hospital cardiac arrest is a rare event associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The ability to identify the ICU patients at risk for cardiac arrest could allow the clinical team to prepare staff and equipment in anticipation.Methods: This pilot study was completed at a large tertiary care pediatric intensive care unit to determine the feasibility of a simple checklist of clinical variables to predict deterioration. The daily checklist assessed patient risk for critical deterioration defined as cardiac arrest or code bell activation within 24h of the checklist screen. The Phase I checklist was developed by expert consensus and evaluated to determine standard diagnostic test performance. A modified Phase II checklist was developed to prospectively test the feasibility and bedside provider "number needed to train".Results: For identifying patients requiring code bell activation, both checklists demonstrated a sensitivity of 100% with specificity of 76.0% during Phase I and 97.7% during Phase II. The positive likelihood ratio improved from 4.2 to 43.7. For identifying patients that had a cardiac arrest within 24h, the Phase I and II checklists demonstrated a sensitivity of 100% with specificity again improving from 75.7% to 97.6%. There was an improved positive likelihood ratio from 4.1 in Phase I to 41.9 in Phase II, with improvement of "number needed to train" from 149 to 7.4 providers.Conclusions: A novel high-risk clinical indicators checklist is feasible and provides timely and accurate identification of the ICU patients at risk for cardiac arrest or code bell activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (E-CPR) can result in survival after failed conventional CPR (C-CPR), no large, systematic comparison of pediatric E-CPR and continued C-CPR has been reported.Methods and Results: Consecutive patients <18 years old with CPR events ≥10 minutes in duration reported to the Get With the Guidelines-Resuscitation registry between January 2000 and December 2011 were identified. Hospitals were grouped by teaching status and location. Primary outcome was survival to discharge. Regression modeling was performed, conditioning on hospital groups. A secondary analysis was performed with the use of propensity score matching. Of 3756 evaluable patients, 591 (16%) received E-CPR and 3165 (84%) received C-CPR only. Survival to hospital discharge and survival with favorable neurological outcome (Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category score of 1-3 or unchanged from admission) were greater for E-CPR (40% [237 of 591] and 27% [133 of 496]) versus C-CPR patients (27% [862 of 3165] and 18% [512 of 2840]). Odds ratios (ORs) for survival to hospital discharge and survival with favorable neurological outcome were greater for E-CPR versus C-CPR. After adjustment for covariates, patients receiving E-CPR had higher odds of survival to discharge (OR, 2.80; 95% confidence interval, 2.13-3.69; P<0.001) and survival with favorable neurological outcome (OR, 2.64; 95% confidence interval, 1.91-3.64; P<0.001) than patients who received C-CPR. This association persisted when analyzed by propensity score-matched cohorts (OR, 1.70; 95% confidence interval, 1.33-2.18; P<0.001; and OR, 1.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.31-2.41; P<0.001, respectively].Conclusion: For children with in-hospital CPR of ≥10 minutes duration, E-CPR was associated with improved survival to hospital discharge and survival with favorable neurological outcome compared with C-CPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Adverse tracheal intubation-associated events are common in PICUs. Prior studies suggest provider and practice factors are important contributors to tracheal intubation-associated events. Little is known about how the incidence of tracheal intubation-associated events is affected by the time of day, day of the week, or presence of in-hospital attending-level intensivists. We hypothesize that tracheal intubations occurring during nights and weekends are associated with a higher frequency of tracheal intubation-associated events.Design: Retrospective observational cohort study.Setting: Twenty international PICUs.Subjects: Critically ill children requiring tracheal intubation.Interventions: None.Measurements and Main Results: We analyzed 5,096 tracheal intubation courses from July 2010 to March 2014 from the prospective multicenter National Emergency Airway Registry for Children. Frequency of a priori-defined tracheal intubation-associated events was the primary outcome. Occurrence of any tracheal intubation-associated events and severe tracheal intubation-associated events were more common during nights (19:00 to 06:59) and weekends compared with weekdays (19% vs 16%, p = 0.01; 7% vs 6%, p = 0.05, respectively). This difference was significant in emergent intubations after adjusting for site-level clustering and patient factors: for any tracheal intubation-associated events: adjusted odds ratio, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.02-1.41; p = 0.03; but not significant in nonemergent intubations: adjusted odds ratio, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.63-1.40; p = 0.75. For emergent intubations, PICUs with home-call attending coverage had a significantly higher frequency of tracheal intubation-associated events during nights and weekends (adjusted odds ratio, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.01-1.66; p = 0.04), and this difference was attenuated in PICUs with in-hospital attending coverage (adjusted odds ratio, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.91-1.39; p = 0.28).Conclusions: Higher occurrence of tracheal intubation-associated events was observed during nights and weekends. This difference was primarily attributed to emergent intubations. In- hospital attending physician coverage attenuated this discrepancy between weekdays versus nights and weekends but was not fully protective for tracheal intubation-associated events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: Medical emergency teams (METs) can reduce adverse events in hospitalized children. We aimed to model the financial costs and benefits of operating an MET and determine the annual reduction in critical deterioration (CD) events required to offset MET costs. METHODS: We performed a single-center cohort study between July 1, 2007 and March 31, 2012 to determine the cost of CD events (unplanned transfers to the ICU with mechanical ventilation or vasopressors in the 12 hours after transfer) as compared with transfers to the ICU without CD. We then performed a cost-benefit analysis evaluating varying MET compositions and staffing models (freestanding or concurrent responsibilities) on the annual reduction in CD events needed to offset MET costs. RESULTS: Patients who had CD cost $99 773 (95% confidence interval, $69 431 to $130 116; P < .001) more during their post-event hospital stay than transfers to the ICU that did not meet CD criteria. Annual MET operating costs ranged from $287 145 for a nurse and respiratory therapist team with concurrent responsibilities to $2 358 112 for a nurse, respiratory therapist, and ICU attending physician freestanding team. In base-case analysis, a nurse, respiratory therapist, and ICU fellow team with concurrent responsibilities cost $350 698 per year, equivalent to a reduction of 3.5 CD events. CONCLUSIONS: CD is expensive. The costs of operating a MET can plausibly be recouped with a modest reduction in CD events. Hospitals reimbursed with bundled payments could achieve real financial savings by reducing CD with an MET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative frequency of pediatric in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation events occurring in ICUs compared to general wards. We hypothesized that the proportion of pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation provided in ICUs versus general wards has increased over the past decade, and this shift is associated with improved resuscitation outcomes. Design: Prospective and observational study. Setting: Total of 315 hospitals in the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation database. Patients: Total of 5,870 pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation events between January 1, 2000 and September 14, 2010. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation events were defined as external chest compressions longer than 1 minute. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: The primary outcome was proportion of total ICU versus general ward cardiopulmonary resuscitation events over time evaluated by chi-square test for trend. Secondary outcome included return of spontaneous circulation following the cardiopulmonary resuscitation event. Among 5,870 pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation events, 5,477 (93.3%) occurred in ICUs compared to 393 (6.7%) in inpatient wards. Over time, significantly more of these cardiopulmonary resuscitation events occurred in the ICU compared to the wards (test for trend: p < 0.01), with a prominent shift noted between 2003 and 2004 (2000–2003: 87–91% vs 2004–2010: 94–96%). In a multivariable model controlling for within center variability and other potential confounders, return of spontaneous circulation increased in 2004–2010 compared with 2000–2003 (relative risk, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.03–1.13). Conclusions: In-hospital pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation is much more commonly provided in ICUs than in wards, and the proportion has increased significantly over the past decade, with concomitant increases in return of spontaneous circulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B Conclusions: b Using a novel method of ADC calculated from the ABP waveform, DC during pediatric ICU CPR is rarely compliant with AHA recommendations. B Introduction/Hypothesis: b Chest compression duty cycle (DC) remains understudied in pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and can be calculated by dividing the area under the force curve by the total area of one compression-decompression (area duty cycle [ADC]). [Extracted from the article]

Abstract: Aim: Adequate coronary perfusion pressure (CPP) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is essential for establishing return of spontaneous circulation. The objective of this study was to compare short-term survival using a hemodynamic directed resuscitation strategy versus an absolute depth-guided approach in a porcine model of asphyxia-associated cardiac arrest. We hypothesized that a hemodynamic directed approach would improve short-term survival compared to depth-guided care. Methods: After 7min of asphyxia, followed by induction of ventricular fibrillation, 19 female 3-month old swine (31±0.4kg) were randomized to receive one of three resuscitation strategies: (1) hemodynamic directed care (CPP-20): chest compressions (CCs) with depth titrated to a target systolic blood pressure of 100mmHg and titration of vasopressors to maintain CPP>20mmHg; (2) depth 33mm (D33): target CC depth of 33mm with standard American Heart Association (AHA) epinephrine dosing; or (3) depth 51mm (D51): target CC depth of 51mm with standard AHA epinephrine dosing. All animals received manual CPR guided by audiovisual feedback for 10min before first shock. Results: 45-Min survival was higher in the CPP-20 group (6/6) compared to D33 (1/7) or D51 (1/6) groups; p =0.002. Coronary perfusion pressures were higher in the CPP-20 group compared to D33 (p =0.011) and D51 (p =0.04), and in survivors compared to non-survivors (p <0.01). Total number of vasopressor doses administered and defibrillation attempts were not different. Conclusions: Hemodynamic directed care targeting CPPs>20mmHg improves short-term survival in an intensive care unit porcine model of asphyxia-associated cardiac arrest. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents a study which aims to characterize the landscape of care process and safety outcomes in tracheal intubation across the pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). The study has collected data concerning the quality improvement of tracheal intubation in PICUs with the help of the National Emergency Airway Registry for Children tool. Study shows the association of severe tracheal intubation and pre-existing and diagnostic category unstable hemodynamics.