The role of passive leg raising to predict fluid responsiveness in pediatric intensive care unit patients

Comparative efficacy of finger versus forehead Plethysmographic Variability Index monitoring in pediatric surgical patients

INTRODUCTION

The Plethysmographic Variability Index can be measured by both finger and forehead probes. Vasoconstriction may jeopardize the reliability of finger PVI measurements in pediatric patients undergoing surgery. However, forehead vasculature exhibits more marked resistance to alterations in the vasomotor tonus.

OBJECTIVE

Our aim was to compare the Plethysmographic Variability Index measured via finger or forehead probes in mechanically ventilated pediatric surgery patients in terms of their ability to predict fluid responsiveness as well as to determine the best cut-off values for these two measurements.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 50 pediatric patients undergoing minor elective surgery were included after provision of parental consent and ethics committee approval. Perfusion index measured at the finger or forehead and Plethysmographic Variability Index monitoring comprised the primary assessments. Hemodynamic parameters monitored included perfusion index, Plethysmographic Variability Index, and cardiac output. A ≥ 15% increase in cardiac output following passive leg raise maneuver was considered to show fluid responsiveness. Two groups were defined based on fluid responsiveness: Group R (responsive) and Group NR (non-responsive). Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, DeLong test, and ROC were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

The area under curve for finger and forehead Plethysmographic Variability Index prior to passive leg raise maneuver were 0.699 (p = .011) and 0.847 (p < .001), respectively. The sensitivity for finger and forehead measurements at a cut-off value of ≤14% was 92.9% and 96.4%, and 45.4% and 72.7%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Although forehead and finger Plethysmographic Variability Index monitoring were similarly sensitive in predicting fluid responsiveness in pediatric surgical patients, the former method provided higher specificity. The best cut-off value for PVI measurements with forehead and finger probes was found to be 14%.

Preload Dependence Fails to Predict Hemodynamic Instability During a Fluid Removal Challenge in Children

OBJECTIVES

Fluid overload increases morbidity and mortality in PICU patients. Active fluid removal improves the prognosis but may worsen organ dysfunction. Preload dependence in adults does predict hemodynamic instability induced by a fluid removal challenge (FRC). We sought to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of dynamic and static markers of preload in predicting hemodynamic instability and reduction of stroke volume during an FRC in children. We followed the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy statement to design conduct and report this study.

DESIGN

Prospective noninterventional cohort study.

SETTINGS

From June 2017 to April 2019 in a pediatric cardiac ICU in a tertiary hospital.

PATIENTS

Patients 8 years old or younger, with symptoms of fluid overload after cardiac surgery, were studied.

INTERVENTIONS

We confirmed preload dependence by echocardiography before and during a calibrated abdominal compression test. We then performed a challenge to remove 10-mL/kg fluid in less than 120 minutes with an infusion of diuretics. Hemodynamic instability was defined as a decrease of 10% of mean arterial pressure.

MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULTS

We compared patients showing hemodynamic instability with patients remaining stable, and we built receiver operative characteristic (ROC) curves. Among 58 patients studied, 10 showed hemodynamic instability. The area under the ROC curve was 0.55 for the preload dependence test (95% CI, 0.34-0.75). Using a threshold of 10% increase in stroke volume index (SVi) during calibrated abdominal compression, the specificity was 0.30 (95% CI, 0.00-0.60) and the sensitivity was 0.77 (95% CI, 0.65-0.88). Mean arterial pressure variation and SVi variation were not correlated during fluid removal; r = 0.19; 95% CI -0.07 to 0.43; p = 0.139.

CONCLUSIONS

Preload dependence is not accurate to predict hemodynamic instability during an FRC. Our data do not support a reduction in intravascular volume being mainly responsible for the reduction in arterial pressure during an FRC in children.

Bioreactance-guided fluid therapy for excision of a giant brain tumor in an infant under general anesthesia: A case report and literature review

Pediatric patients are more likely to suffer from brain tumors. Surgical resection is often the optimal treatment. Perioperative management of pediatric brain tumor resection brings great challenges to anesthesiologists, especially for fluid therapy. In this case, the infant-patient was only 69-day-old, weighed 6 kg，but she was facing a gaint brain tumor (7.9 cm × 8.1 cm × 6.7 cm) excision. The infant was at great risks such as hemorrhagic shock, cerebral edema, pulmonary edema, congestive heart failure, coagulation dysfunction, etc. However, we tried to use the parameters obtained by bioreactance-based NICOM® device (Cheetah Medical) to guide the infant’s intraoperative fluid therapy, and successfully avoided these complications and achieved a good prognosis.

Hemodynamic monitoring and management of pediatric septic shock

Sepsis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality among children worldwide. Furthermore, refractory septic shock and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome are the most critical groups which account for a high mortality rate in pediatric sepsis, and their clinical course often deteriorates rapidly. Resuscitation based on hemodynamics can provide objective values for identifying the severity of sepsis and monitoring the treatment response. Hemodynamics in sepsis can be divided into two groups: basic and advanced hemodynamic parameters. Previous therapeutic guidance of early-goal directed therapy (EGDT), which resuscitated based on the basic hemodynamics (central venous pressure and central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2)) has lost its advantage compared with “usual care”. Optimization of advanced hemodynamics, such as cardiac output and systemic vascular resistance, has now been endorsed as better therapeutic guidance for sepsis. Despite this, there are still some important hemodynamics associated with prognosis. In this article, we summarize the common techniques for hemodynamic monitoring, list important hemodynamic parameters related to outcomes, and update evidence-based therapeutic recommendations for optimizing resuscitation in pediatric septic shock.

The Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2020 (J-SSCG 2020)

The Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2020 (J-SSCG 2020), a Japanese-specific set of clinical practice guidelines for sepsis and septic shock created as revised from J-SSCG 2016 jointly by the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine and the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine, was first released in September 2020 and published in February 2021. An English-language version of these guidelines was created based on the contents of the original Japanese-language version. The purpose of this guideline is to assist medical staff in making appropriate decisions to improve the prognosis of patients undergoing treatment for sepsis and septic shock. We aimed to provide high-quality guidelines that are easy to use and understand for specialists, general clinicians, and multidisciplinary medical professionals. J-SSCG 2016 took up new subjects that were not present in SSCG 2016 (e.g., ICU-acquired weakness [ICU-AW], post-intensive care syndrome [PICS], and body temperature management). The J-SSCG 2020 covered a total of 22 areas with four additional new areas (patient- and family-centered care, sepsis treatment system, neuro-intensive treatment, and stress ulcers). A total of 118 important clinical issues (clinical questions, CQs) were extracted regardless of the presence or absence of evidence. These CQs also include those that have been given particular focus within Japan. This is a large-scale guideline covering multiple fields; thus, in addition to the 25 committee members, we had the participation and support of a total of 226 members who are professionals (physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, clinical engineers, and pharmacists) and medical workers with a history of sepsis or critical illness. The GRADE method was adopted for making recommendations, and the modified Delphi method was used to determine recommendations by voting from all committee members.As a result, 79 GRADE-based recommendations, 5 Good Practice Statements (GPS), 18 expert consensuses, 27 answers to background questions (BQs), and summaries of definitions and diagnosis of sepsis were created as responses to 118 CQs. We also incorporated visual information for each CQ according to the time course of treatment, and we will also distribute this as an app. The J-SSCG 2020 is expected to be widely used as a useful bedside guideline in the field of sepsis treatment both in Japan and overseas involving multiple disciplines.

The Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2020 (J-SSCG 2020)

The Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2020 (J-SSCG 2020), a Japanese-specific set of clinical practice guidelines for sepsis and septic shock created as revised from J-SSCG 2016 jointly by the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine and the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine, was first released in September 2020 and published in February 2021. An English-language version of these guidelines was created based on the contents of the original Japanese-language version. The purpose of this guideline is to assist medical staff in making appropriate decisions to improve the prognosis of patients undergoing treatment for sepsis and septic shock. We aimed to provide high-quality guidelines that are easy to use and understand for specialists, general clinicians, and multidisciplinary medical professionals. J-SSCG 2016 took up new subjects that were not present in SSCG 2016 (e.g., ICU-acquired weakness [ICU-AW], post-intensive care syndrome [PICS], and body temperature management). The J-SSCG 2020 covered a total of 22 areas with four additional new areas (patient- and family-centered care, sepsis treatment system, neuro-intensive treatment, and stress ulcers). A total of 118 important clinical issues (clinical questions, CQs) were extracted regardless of the presence or absence of evidence. These CQs also include those that have been given particular focus within Japan. This is a large-scale guideline covering multiple fields; thus, in addition to the 25 committee members, we had the participation and support of a total of 226 members who are professionals (physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, clinical engineers, and pharmacists) and medical workers with a history of sepsis or critical illness. The GRADE method was adopted for making recommendations, and the modified Delphi method was used to determine recommendations by voting from all committee members. As a result, 79 GRADE-based recommendations, 5 Good Practice Statements (GPS), 18 expert consensuses, 27 answers to background questions (BQs), and summaries of definitions and diagnosis of sepsis were created as responses to 118 CQs. We also incorporated visual information for each CQ according to the time course of treatment, and we will also distribute this as an app. The J-SSCG 2020 is expected to be widely used as a useful bedside guideline in the field of sepsis treatment both in Japan and overseas involving multiple disciplines.

The predictive value of the Pleth Variability Index on fluid responsiveness in spontaneously breathing anaesthetized children-A prospective observational study

BACKGROUND

In children, the preoperative hydration status is an important part of the overall clinical assessment. The assumed preoperative fluid deficit is often routinely replaced during induction without knowing the child's actual fluid status.

AIM

We investigated the predictive value of the Pleth Variability Index as a measure of fluid responsiveness in spontaneously breathing anesthetized children.

METHODS

Pleth Variability Index, stroke volume and Cardiac Index, measured by electrovelocimetry, mean blood pressure, and heart rate were recorded during anesthesia induction in 50 pediatric patients <6 years. Baseline values were compared to values recorded after administration of 10 mL/kg of Ringer's lactate and during two passive leg raising tests (before and after fluid administration). Fluid responsiveness was defined as an increase of ≥10% in stroke volume.

RESULTS

Only in fluid responsive patients, Pleth Variability Index values were higher before fluid administration than thereafter (21.4 ± 5.9% vs 15.0 ± 9.4%, 95% CI of difference 1.1 to 11.8%, P = .02). Pleth Variability Index values at baseline were higher in fluid responders (21.4 ± 5.9%) than in fluid nonresponders (15.3 ± 7.7%), 95% CI of difference 1.6 to 10.6%, P = .009. The area under the receiver operating curve indicating fluid responsiveness was 0.781 (95% CI 0.623 to 0.896, P = .0002), with the highest sensitivity (82%) and specificity (70%) at a Pleth Variability Index of >15% (Positive predictive value 2.71 (95% CI: 1.4 to 5.2)). Only in fluid responders, the Pleth Variability Index decreased during passive leg raising, while stroke volume increased.

CONCLUSIONS

The Pleth Variability Index may be of additional value to predict fluid responsiveness in spontaneously breathing anesthetized children. A significant overlap in baseline Pleth Variability Index values between fluid responsive and nonfluid responsive patients does not allow a reliable recommendation as to a cut off value.

Propofol Infusion Is a Feasible Bridge to Extubation in General Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Objective: The current literature on propofol infusion as a bridge to extubation in critically ill children is limited to children with burns and congenital cardiac disease. We hypothesize that propofol infusion is a feasible bridge to extubation in mechanically ventilated, critically ill children. Design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: Pediatric intensive care unit of a tertiary care teaching hospital. Patients: Children < 21 years, admitted to our Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), requiring mechanical ventilation (MV) for at least 48 h and at least two sedative infusions and who received propofol infusion for 4 to 24 h during anticipated extubation from January 2014 to May 2017. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: We assessed extubation success as primary outcome. We defined extubation success as no re-intubation within 24 h after extubation. We also assessed for occurrence of adverse effects of propofol infusion (1) hemodynamic instability [more than 10% change from pre-propofol baseline heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) measured 4 h before and during propofol infusion, need for any inotrope and/or fluid bolus] and (2) occurrence of lactic acidosis in absence of any documented sepsis. We compared hemodynamic parameters before and during infusion using Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test (significant p-value ≤ 0.05). We evaluated 35 critically ill, mechanically ventilated children. The median age, weight and duration of MV were 3.8 (IQR: 1.25-10.5) years, 12 (IQR: 6-16.2) kilograms and 111 (IQR: 78-212) h, respectively. Of the 35 patients, 15 (43%) were post-surgical (10 general and 5 cardiac) and the remaining 20 (57%) were non-surgical respiratory failure cases. The median (IQR) propofol infusion dose and duration were 64.7 (53.2-81.1) mcg/kg/min and 7.8 h respectively. Only one patient got re-intubated within 24 h of extubation and was later diagnosed with vascular ring. During propofol infusion, 7/35 (20%) patients exhibited transient drop in MAP > 10% from baseline, but none had lactic acidosis or required an inotrope or fluid bolus. Conclusions: In critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients, propofol infusion used over a short duration (<12 h) was found to be a feasible bridge to extubation. No patient had significant hypotension or lactic acidosis during the infusion.

Passive Leg Raising for Fluid Responsiveness in Children: Is it Reliable?

How to cite this article: Ismail J, Bansal A. Passive Leg Raising for Fluid Responsiveness in Children: Is it Reliable? Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(5):291-292.

Accuracy of Passive Leg Raising Test in Prediction of Fluid Responsiveness in Children

Aim

To assess the accuracy of the passive leg raising (PLR) test to anticipate fluid responsiveness in critically ill children under age of 5 years.

Materials and methods

A prospective observational study was conducted, in a university hospital pediatric intensive care unit from June 1, 2017, to January 30, 2018. Hemodynamic parameters including stroke volume using bedside transthoracic echocardiography were assessed at baseline I (45° semi-recumbent position), after PLR, at baseline II, and following fluid challenge. Changes in the stroke volume (delta SV) and in the cardiac index (CI) were recorded after PLR and fluid challenge.

Findings

Delta SV of 10% after PLR was an excellent discriminator of the fluid responsiveness with an area under ROC (AUC) of 0.81 (95% CI 0.68-0.9) with a sensitivity of 65.38% and a specificity of 100%. The change in CI of 8.7% after PLR was a significant discriminator of fluid responsiveness with an AUC of 0.7 (95% CI 0.56-0.81) with 57.78% sensitivity and 91.67% specificity.

Conclusion

Passive leg raising can identify nonresponders among seriously ill children under the age of 5 years but it cannot identify all responders with certainty.

Clinical significance

Passive leg raising is reliable test in under 5 year-old-children if performed appropriately using bedside echocardiography for the measurement of its transient effect.

How to cite this article

El-Nawawy AA, Farghaly PM, Hassouna HM, Accuracy of Passive Leg Raising Test in Prediction of Fluid Responsiveness in Children. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2020;24(5):344-349.

Fluid responsiveness in the pediatric population

It is challenging to predict fluid responsiveness, that is, whether the cardiac index or stroke volume index would be increased by fluid administration, in the pediatric population. Previous studies on fluid responsiveness have assessed several variables derived from pressure wave measurements, plethysmography (pulse oximeter plethysmograph amplitude variation), ultrasonography, bioreactance data, and various combined methods. However, only the respiratory variation of aortic blood flow peak velocity has consistently shown a predictive ability in pediatric patients. For the prediction of fluid responsiveness in children, flow- or volume-dependent, noninvasive variables are more promising than pressure-dependent, invasive variables. This article reviews various potential variables for the prediction of fluid responsiveness in the pediatric population. Differences in anatomic and physiologic characteristics between the pediatric and adult populations are covered. In addition, some important considerations are discussed for future studies on fluid responsiveness in the pediatric population.

Fluid Overload in Critically Ill Children

Background: A common practice in the management of critically ill patients is fluid resuscitation. An excessive administration of fluids can lead to an imbalance in fluid homeostasis and cause fluid overload (FO). In pediatric critical care patients, FO can lead to a multitude of adverse effects and increased risk of morbidity. Objectives: To review the literature highlighting impact of FO on a multitude of outcomes in critically-ill children, causative vs. associative relationship of FO with critical illness and current pediatric fluid management guidelines. Data Sources: A literature search was conducted using PubMed/Medline and Embase databases from the earliest available date until June 2017. Data Extraction: Two authors independently reviewed the titles and abstracts of all articles which were assessed for inclusion. The manuscripts of studies deemed relevant to the objectives of this review were then retrieved and associated reference lists hand-searched. Data Synthesis: Articles were segregated into various categories namely pathophysiology and sequelae of fluid overload, assessment techniques, epidemiology and fluid management. Each author reviewed the selected articles in categories assigned to them. All authors participated in the final review process. Conclusions: Recent evidence has purported a relationship between mortality and FO, which can be validated by prospective RCTs (randomized controlled trials). The current literature demonstrates that "clinically significant" degree of FO could be below 10%. The lack of a standardized method to assess FB (fluid balance) and a universal definition of FO are issues that need to be addressed. To date, the impact of early goal directed therapy and utility of hemodynamic parameters in predicting fluid responsiveness remains underexplored in pediatric resuscitation.

Diagnostic accuracy of a calibrated abdominal compression to predict fluid responsiveness in children

BACKGROUND

Fluid administration to increase stroke volume index (SVi) is a cornerstone of haemodynamic resuscitation. We assessed the accuracy of SVi variation during a calibrated abdominal compression manoeuvre (ΔSVi-CAC) to predict fluid responsiveness in children.

METHODS

Patients younger than 8 yr with acute circulatory failure, regardless of their ventilation status, were selected. SVi, calculated as the average of five velocity-time integrals multiplied by the left ventricular outflow tract surface area, was recorded at four different steps: baseline, after an abdominal compression with a calibrated pressure of 25 mm Hg, after return to baseline, and then after a volume expansion (VE) of 10 ml kg^-1 lactated Ringer solution over 10 min. Patients were classified as responders if SVi variation after volume expansion (ΔSVi-VE) increased by at least 15%.

RESULTS

The 39 children included had a median [inter-quartile range (IQR)] age of 9 [5-31] months. Twenty patients were fluid responders and 19 were non-responders. ΔSVi-CAC correlated with ΔSVi-VE (r=0.829; P<0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC_AUC) was 0.94 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.85-0.99]. The best threshold for ΔSVi-CAC was 11% with a specificity of 95% [95% CI, 84-100] and a sensitivity of 75% [95% CI, 55-95]. ROC_AUC of respiratory variation of IVC diameter (ΔIVC) was 0.53 [95% CI, 0.32-0.72].

CONCLUSION

ΔSVi-CAC during abdominal compression was a reliable method to predict fluid responsiveness in children with acute circulatory failure regardless of their ventilation status.

CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION

CPP Lyon sud est II: n° ANSM 2015-A00388-41 Clinicaltrial.gov: NCT02505646.

Carotid Flow Time Test Performance for the Detection of Dehydration in Children With Diarrhea

OBJECTIVES

Unstructured clinical assessments of dehydration in children are inaccurate. Point-of-care ultrasound is a noninvasive diagnostic tool that can help evaluate the volume status; the corrected carotid artery flow time has been shown to predict volume depletion in adults. We sought to determine the ability of the corrected carotid artery flow time to identify dehydration in a population of children presenting with acute diarrhea in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

METHODS

Children presenting with acute diarrhea were recruited and rehydrated according to hospital protocols. The corrected carotid artery flow time was measured at the time of presentation. The percentage of weight change with rehydration was used to categorize each child's dehydration as severe (>9%), some (3%-9%), or none (<3%). A receiver operating characteristic curve was constructed to test the performance of the corrected carotid artery flow time for detecting severe dehydration. Linear regression was used to model the relationship between the corrected carotid artery flow time and percentage of dehydration.

RESULTS

A total of 350 children (0-60 months) were enrolled. The mean corrected carotid artery flow time was 326 milliseconds (interquartile range, 295-351 milliseconds). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the detection of severe dehydration was 0.51 (95% confidence interval, 0.42, 0.61). Linear regression modeling showed a weak association between the flow time and dehydration.

CONCLUSIONS

The corrected carotid artery flow time was a poor predictor of severe dehydration in this population of children with diarrhea.

The Assessment of Intravascular Volume with Inferior Vena Cava and Internal Jugular Vein Distensibility Indexes in Children Undergoing Urologic Surgery

PURPOSE

The purpose of this work is to assess the predictive value, for fluid responsiveness (FR), of the inferior vena cava distensibility index (IVC-DI) and internal jugular vein distensibility index (IJV-DI) in pediatric surgical patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Prior to being placed under general anesthesia, 24 surgical patients were enrolled. Baseline parameters were recorded with the patient in the semirecumbent position (Stage 1). Next, the passive leg raising (PLR) maneuver was carried out and a second measurement was recorded (Stage 2). Patients with an increase in the cardiac index (CI) of >10%, induced by PLR, were considered to be responders (R), otherwise they were classified as nonresponders (NR). At both stages, CI and DI of the IVC and IJV were measured.

RESULTS

Responders had higher IVC-DI and IVJ-DI than NR in stage 1 (both p <.001). In stage 2, IVC-DI and IJV-DI were not different in R and NR groups (p =.164, p =.201). Utilizing cut-off values of > 22.7% for IVC-DI and > 25% for IJV-DI, these parameters had positive correlation coefficients, both in R and NR of, respectively, 0.626 and 0.929.

CONCLUSIONS

The IVC-DI predicts FR in anesthetized pediatric patients and correlates well with the IJV-DI; both may be used as prediction markers of FR in children.

Update on pediatric sepsis: a review

BACKGROUND

Sepsis is one of the leading causes of mortality among children worldwide. Unfortunately, however, reliable evidence was insufficient in pediatric sepsis and many aspects in clinical practice actually depend on expert consensus and some evidence in adult sepsis. More recent findings have given us deep insights into pediatric sepsis since the publication of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines 2012.

MAIN TEXT

New knowledge was added regarding the hemodynamic management and the timely use of antimicrobials. Quality improvement initiatives of pediatric "sepsis bundles" were reported to be successful in clinical outcomes by several centers. Moreover, a recently published global epidemiologic study (the SPROUT study) did not only reveal the demographics, therapeutic interventions, and prognostic outcomes but also elucidated the inappropriateness of the current definition of pediatric sepsis.

CONCLUSIONS

With these updated knowledge, the management of pediatric sepsis would be expected to make further progress. In addition, it is meaningful that the fundamental data on which future research should be based were established through the SPROUT study.

Ventilator-induced pulse pressure variation in neonates

During positive pressure ventilation, arterial pressure variations, like the pulse pressure variation (PPV), are observed in neonates. However, the frequency of the PPV does not always correspond with the respiratory rate. It is hypothesized that PPV is caused by cardiopulmonary interaction, but that this mismatch is related to the low respiratory rate/heart rate ratio. Therefore, the goal of this study is to investigate the relation between PPV and ventilation in neonates. A prospective observational cross‐sectional study was carried out in a third‐level neonatal intensive care unit in a university hospital. Neonates on synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV) or high‐frequency ventilation (HFV) participated in the study. The arterial blood pressure was continuously monitored in 20 neonates on SIMV and 10 neonates on HFV. In neonates on SIMV the CO₂ waveform and neonates on HFV the thorax impedance waveform were continuously monitored and defined as the respiratory signal. Correlation and coherence between the respiratory signal and pulse pressure were determined. The correlation between the respiratory signal and pulse pressure was ‐0.64 ± 0.18 and 0.55 ± 0.16 and coherence at the respiratory frequency was 0.95 ± 0.11 and 0.76 ± 0.4 for SIMV and HFV, respectively. The arterial pressure variations observed in neonates on SIMV or HFV are related to cardiopulmonary interaction. Despite this relation, it is not likely that PPV will reliably predict fluid responsiveness in neonates due to physiological aliasing.

The Role of Focused Echocardiography in Pediatric Intensive Care: A Critical Appraisal

Echocardiography is a key tool for hemodynamic assessment in Intensive Care Units (ICU). Focused echocardiography performed by nonspecialist physicians has a limited scope, and the most relevant parameters assessed by focused echocardiography in Pediatric ICU are left ventricular systolic function, fluid responsiveness, cardiac tamponade and pulmonary hypertension. Proper ability building of pediatric emergency care physicians and intensivists to perform focused echocardiography is feasible and provides improved care of severely ill children and thus should be encouraged.

Nonpulmonary treatments for pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome: proceedings from the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference

OBJECTIVE

To describe the recommendations from the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference on nonpulmonary treatments in pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome.

DESIGN

Consensus conference of experts in pediatric acute lung injury.

METHODS

A panel of 27 experts met over the course of 2 years to develop a taxonomy to define pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome and to make recommendations regarding treatment and research priorities. The nonpulmonary subgroup comprised three experts. When published data were lacking, a modified Delphi approach emphasizing strong professional agreement was utilized.

RESULTS

The Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference experts developed and voted on a total of 151 recommendations addressing the topics related to pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome, 30 of which related to nonpulmonary treatment. All 30 recommendations had strong agreement. Patients with pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome should receive 1) minimal yet effective targeted sedation to facilitate mechanical ventilation; 2) neuromuscular blockade, if sedation alone is inadequate to achieve effective mechanical ventilation; 3) a nutrition plan to facilitate their recovery, maintain their growth, and meet their metabolic needs; 4) goal-directed fluid management to maintain adequate intravascular volume, end-organ perfusion, and optimal delivery of oxygen; and 5) goal-directed RBC transfusion to maintain adequate oxygen delivery. Future clinical trials in pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome should report sedation, neuromuscular blockade, nutrition, fluid management, and transfusion exposures to allow comparison across studies.

CONCLUSIONS

The Consensus Conference developed pediatric-specific definitions for pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome and recommendations regarding treatment and future research priorities. These recommendations for nonpulmonary treatment in pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome are intended to promote optimization and consistency of care for patients with pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome and identify areas of uncertainty requiring further investigation.

The passive leg raise test to predict fluid responsiveness in children--preliminary observations

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether the passive leg raising (PLR) test can predict fluid responsiveness in pediatric patients.

METHODS

This was a prospective observational study in a tertiary care pediatric center. Hemodynamic parameters including heart rate, stroke volume and cardiac output were assessed at baseline, after passive leg raising (PLR), at second baseline, and after volume loading (10 mL/kg normal saline in 10 min). Cutoff values of 7.5 and 10 % increase in cardiac index (CI) with passive leg raising were explored as predictors of volume loading response.

RESULTS

Overall, the changes in CI with passive leg raising varied widely and was a poor predictor of response to volume loading in children under 5 years of age. Of 40 patients, 23 had greater than 10 % increase in CI with PLR which predicted fluid responsiveness with a sensitivity of 94 % (95 % confidence interval 71,100) and specificity of 26 % (95 % confidence interval 10,48). Sensitivity was higher (100 % vs. 91 %) and specificity similar (27 % vs. 25 %) in predicting CI for those over 5 as compared to under 5 y, respectively. In patients over 5 y, simple linear regression revealed a positive correlation (R(2) = 21) while R(2) values were much lower (0-0.07) for those under 5 y.

CONCLUSIONS

Cardiac index changes after PLR varies widely in children and may be a poor predictor to volume loading in children under 5-y-old. However, in those over 5 y, PLR may be helpful in predicting fluid responsiveness in pediatric patients.

A 10-second fluid challenge guided by transthoracic echocardiography can predict fluid responsiveness

Introduction

The accurate assessment of intravascular volume status for the therapy of severe hypovolemia and shock is difficult and critical to critically ill patients. Non-invasive evaluation of fluid responsiveness by the rapid infusion of a very limited amount of volume is an important clinical goal. This study aimed to test whether echocardiographic parameters could predict fluid responsiveness in critically ill patients following a low-volume (50-ml crystalloid solution) infusion over 10 seconds.

Methods

We prospectively studied 55 mechanically ventilated patients. Echocardiography was performed during a 50-ml infusion of crystalloid solution over 10 seconds and a further 450 ml over 15 minutes. Cardiac output (CO), stroke volume (SV), aortic velocity time index (VTI), and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were recorded. Patients were classified as responders (Rs) if CO increased by at least 15% following the 500-ml volume expansion or were classified as non-responders (NRs) if CO increased by less than 15%. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) compared CO variations after 50 ml over 10 seconds (∆CO50) and 500 ml over 15 minutes (∆CO500) and the variation of VTI after infusion of 50 ml of fluid over 10 seconds (∆VTI50).

Results

In total, 50 patients were enrolled, and 27 (54%) of them were Rs. General characteristics, LVEF, heart rate, and central venous pressure were similar between Rs and NRs. In the Rs group, the AUC for ∆CO50 was 0.95 ± 0.03 (P <0.01; best cutoff value, 6%; sensitivity, 93%; specificity, 91%). Moreover, ∆CO50 and ∆CO500 were strongly correlated (r = 0.87; P <0.01). The AUC for ∆VTI50 was 0.91 ± 0.04 (P <0.01; best cutoff value, 9%; sensitivity, 74%; specificity, 95%). ∆VTI50 and ∆CO500 were positively correlated (r = 0.72; P <0.01).

Conclusion

In critically ill patients, the variation of CO and VTI after the administration of 50-ml crystalloid solution over 10 seconds (∆CO50 and ∆VTI50) can accurately predict fluid responsiveness.

Trial registration

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN10524328. Registered 12 December 2013.