Children's Hospital Association Research Articles

Successes and Lessons Learned in Responding to the Needs of Pediatricians, Children, and Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has presented tremendous challenges to the United States health care system, as well as to individual physicians, communities, and families. Throughout the pandemic, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has striven to elevate the needs of infants, children, and adolescents, as well as the pediatricians who care for this population. Historically, these communities have often been overlooked and deprioritized in health care systems, and these deficits persisted into the pandemic. To fill this gap, the AAP took on an essential role in leading the national response for pediatrics. This article details the AAP pandemic response and includes the perspectives of multiple AAP leaders involved in the response and details on Academy advocacy with high-level staff and officials at federal agencies and the executive branch. The AAP provided initial guidance to pediatricians that predated the World Health Organization's declaration of a public health emergency. The Academy then developed entirely new approaches to meet the unprecedented needs of its practicing members and families by providing timely, rigorous information endorsed by pediatric experts. When coronavirus disease 2019 vaccines were developed, the AAP strongly advised the inclusion of those younger than 18 years in vaccine trials and advocated for equitable distribution plans. The AAP provided its members with strategies for combating misinformation. The Academy was at the forefront of advocating for the safe return to in-person schooling, recognizing that social isolation was contributing to the growing mental health crisis among youth. In 2021, the AAP, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children's Hospital Association declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health. In addition, the AAP implemented educational and training opportunities for clinicians and developed resources for youth and their families. After the end of the public health emergency, AAP members continue to use innovations and efficiencies developed as part of their pandemic response. The successes of the AAP pandemic response, alongside lessons learned, help define an important model for responding to future pandemics and public health emergencies in ways that support children, families, and the pediatric workforce.

Outcomes for Pediatric Oncology and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Patients Who Undergo Tracheostomy Placement: A Pediatric Health Information System Database Cohort Study, 2009-2020.

To describe the epidemiology, surgical complications, and long-term outcomes after tracheostomy in pediatric oncology and/or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) patients in U.S. Children's Hospitals. Retrospective cohort from the Pediatric Health information System (PHIS) database, 2009-2020. The PHIS dataset incorporates data from 48 pediatric hospitals in the Children's Hospital Association. Patients 0-21 years old with an oncologic diagnosis and/or underwent HSCT, received a tracheostomy, and were discharged from hospital between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2020. None. There were 1061 patients included in the dataset, and 217 (20.5%) had undergone HSCT. The annual prevalence in tracheostomy usage did not change over the study period. The majority of patients (62.2%) underwent tracheostomy early (< 30 d) in the admission and those who underwent the procedure later (> 90 d) had a significant increase in mortality (52.6% vs. 17.6%; p < 0.001) and mechanical ventilation (MV) at discharge (51.9% vs. 24.5%; p < 0.001) compared with the early tracheostomy patients. Complications reported included tracheostomy site bleeding (< 1%) and infection (24%). The overall rate of MV at discharge was 32.6% and significantly associated with chronic lung (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.54; 95% CI, 1.03-2.32) and acute lung disease (OR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.19-3.98). The overall rate of mortality was 19.6% within the cohort and significantly associated with HSCT (OR, 5.45; 95% CI, 3.88-7.70), diagnosis of sepsis (OR, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.28-3.41), and requirement for renal replacement therapy (OR, 2.76; 95% CI, 1.58-4,83). This study demonstrated a static prevalence of tracheostomy placement in the cohort population relative to the increasing trends in other reported groups. Regardless of underlying diagnosis, the study patients incurred substantial morbidity and mortality. However, tracheostomy specific complication rates were comparable with that of the general pediatric population and were not associated with increased odds of mortality within this population.

Academic and Demographic Characteristics of Pediatric Orthopaedic Division Chiefs in the United States.

Division Chiefs (DCs) and department leadership play an integral role within the service. The goal of this study is to assess the demographics and scholarly work of the leadership in pediatric orthopaedics services across the United States and comment on the role of diversity within leadership positions. Academic medical centers and pediatric hospitals were identified using the Electronic Residency Application Service website, the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America website, and the Children's Hospital Association website. Leadership was identified using the hospitals' respective websites where data such as sex, race/ethnicity, fellowship institution, time since graduating fellowship, and academic rank were collected. Scopus database was used to determine h-indices and PubMed was used to determine the number of publications. Of 196 academic centers and 223 pediatric hospitals identified, 98 had a designated DC of the pediatric orthopaedics division. The majority of the DCs were male (85.7%), and leadership positions at hospitals with academic affiliations had a higher proportion of female DCs than nonacademic centers ( P =0.0317). DCs were mostly white (83.7%), followed by Asian (12.2%), and African American (2.0%). The average time since fellowship was 21.1 years and the average h-index was 15.7. The average age of the DCs was 56.8 years old. Of those in academic settings, 48.5% held the rank of professor. The fellowship programs that trained the most DCs were Boston Children's Hospital (16.3%) and Texas Scottish Rite for Children (14.3%). There is a paucity of available research on leadership characteristics in pediatric orthopaedic surgery. While progress has been made, there is still a lack of diversity that exists among leadership in pediatric orthopaedics, both within the academic setting as well as the private sector. The position of DC is held predominately by white males with a rank of either professor or no academic association. Intentional efforts are needed to continue to increase diversity in leadership positions within pediatric orthopaedic programs in the United States. IV.

Suicide and Suicide Risk in Adolescents.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for 10- to 24-year-olds in the United States and is a global public health issue, with a recent declaration of a National State of Emergency in Children's Mental Health by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Children's Hospital Association. This clinical report is an update to the previous American Academy of Pediatrics clinical report, "Suicide and Suicide Attempts in Adolescents." Because pediatricians and pediatric health care providers are at the front line of care for adolescents amid a child and adolescent mental health crisis, and because of the chronic and severe shortage of mental health specialists, it is important that pediatric health care providers become facile with recognizing risk factors associated with suicidality and at-risk populations, screening and further assessment of suicidality as indicated, and evidence-based interventions for patients with suicidal ideation and associated behaviors. Suicide risk can be mitigated by appropriate screening, bolstering of protective factors, indicated treatment, community resources, and referrals to mental health providers when available.

Establishing Costs for Commercial Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell (Tisagenlecleucel; Kymriah) in Children and Young Adult B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia; A Merged Analysis from the Prwcc and PHIS

Background: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has achieved remarkable efficacy in children and young adult (CAYA) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). Nonetheless, this therapy is highly personalized, technically complex, and costly to manufacture. The USA FDA approved the first CAR T cell therapy (Kymriah) in Aug 2017, for relapsed/refractory CAYA B-ALL. The list price of Kymriah is $475,000, not accounting for costs related to delivery of care, inpatient hospitalization, toxicity management or follow-up. A half-decade of clinical experience has amassed since commercialization, yet financial analyses remain sparse. Here, we conduct the first study to understand costs for commercial CAR in CAYA B-ALL. Methods: Ten centers participating in both the Pediatric Real-world CAR Consortium (PRWCC) and Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS; Children's Hospital Association, Lenexa, KS) were eligible for study (08/2017-03/2020). Clinical data from the PRWCC database was merged with PHIS using age, diagnosis, center and lymphodepletion dates. Utilizing center and year specific charge-to-cost ratio, PHIS provided data for inpatient admission associated costs, but not outpatient care. For patients that were infused outpatient and subsequently admitted, only inpatient cost was available and analyzed for the first 60 days post-infusion. For patients that were infused inpatient, cost was calculated from the first day of admission for lymphodepletion or Kymriah infusion to 60 days post-infusion. The 60-day follow up was chosen as most of the clinical activity and toxicities occur within the 60 days post-infusion. Each patient was assigned a cost of $475,000 for Kymriah (list price). For the subset of patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) following Kymriah, the median inpatient cost was assessed for 1-year post-alloHCT. Cost data was analyzed as medians and ranges. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with the higher median cost associated with inpatient admissions. Results: 109 Kymriah-recipients were included. Patient characteristics are listed in Table 1. The incidence of grade 1-2 and ≥3 CRS was 42% and 23%, respectively, and grade 1-2 and ≥3 ICANS was 17% and 6%, respectively. Relapse/refractory disease at day 30 and 60 post-Kymriah infusion was 11% and 16%, respectively. AlloHCT was performed in 17 (16%) patients. Median time to alloHCT from Kymriah infusion was 148 days (36-354). The median number of admissions was 1 (0-5) and median length of all hospitalization was 18 days (0-69), 99% patients required inpatient admission. Thirty-six patients (33%) required intensive care unit (ICU) admission with a median ICU stay of 5 days (1-24). The median total cost (Kymriah + inpatient cost) per patient was $615,845 ($475,000-1,578,321). Breakdown of median total cost (excluding Kymriah) was: room/board $33,676 ($0-454,256), pharmacy $65,854 ($0-515,132), laboratory/pathology cost $10,496 ($0-201,900) and other cost $8,204 ($0-573,163). One-year median cost associated with inpatient admissions for alloHCT was $556,712 ($105,670-1,919,275), combined median cost associated with Kymriah + alloHCT was $1,263,316 ($696,768-2,404,447). Factors associated with higher inpatient cost were public insurance ($96,287, p=0.002); inpatient Kymriah infusion ($395,182, p&amp;lt;0.001); CRS grade≥3 ($342,176, p&amp;lt;0.001); ICANS grade ≥3 ($354,013, p=0.010); ICU stay ($346,737 p&amp;lt;0.001). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that only inpatient infusion of Kymriah significantly associated with higher cost (Table 2). Conclusion: In this cost analysis across CAYA receiving Kymriah, we describe the total inpatient treatment-associated cost, with inpatient infusion emerging as a main driver of cost. With increased clinical experience, outpatient infusions and early interventions to avoid high-grade toxicity and ICU-level care have become more common and potentially more cost-effective. Our data justifies efforts to deliver Kymriah in the outpatient setting, when safe and feasible, and to provide support systems to facilitate this. Additionally, Kymriah drug cost accounts for the bulk (73%) of the overall median cost, highlighting that efforts to lower drug costs may permit enhanced access globally.

Venous Thrombo-Embolism Is Rare in Transgender and Gender Non-Binary Adolescents and Youth: A Multicenter Observational Study

Introduction An increasing number of adolescents and youth identify as transgender or gender non-binary (TNB). Gender-affirming hormone treatment (GAHT), including estrogen or testosterone therapy increase appearance congruence and psychological functioning, and decrease depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. In adult TNB patients, estrogen therapy is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), while the thromboembolic risk of testosterone is less clear. A recent cross-sectional study conducted at Boston Children's Hospital (BCH) suggested that VTE is rare in TNB adolescents and youth and typically occurs in the setting of additional risk factors. Additionally, GAHT was not identified as a significant risk factor for thrombosis in this cohort. Herein, we sought to confirm our preliminary findings across 49 free-standing children's hospitals using an administrative database. Methods The study was deemed exempt by the Institutional Review Board at BCH. Administrative approval was obtained through the Children's Hospital Association. Data for this study were obtained from Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS), an administrative database that contains clinical and resource utilization data from inpatient, ambulatory surgery, emergency department, and observation encounters across 49 tertiary-care children's hospitals in the United States. Data quality and reliability are assured through a joint effort between CHA and participating institutions. International Classification of Disease, 9 th and 10 th Editions (ICD9/ICD10) codes were used to identify eligible subjects, defined as children (from birth to 21 years of age) hospitalized with VTE between 1/1/2012-12/31/2021 at one of 49-participating hospitals. ICD9/ICD10 codes for gender dysphoria were used to identify TNB adolescents and youth. Mean (SD) or median (range) were calculated for continuous data, and frequency with 95% confidence interval for categorical data. Results During the study period, 39,503 unique patients (birth-assigned females: 18,395 [47%]) were diagnosed with VTE. Mean age (SD) at VTE diagnosis was 7.7 (7.3) years. Only 23 (0.06%) patients had an ICD9/ICD10 diagnosis code for gender dysphoria. Of these 23 patients, six (26%) were birth-assigned males and 17 (74%) were birth-assigned females. Among these 23 patients, the median (range) age at VTE diagnosis was 16.2 (11.6, 20.5) years. VTE location for patients identified as TNB included: lower extremities (n=8), upper extremities (n=5), pulmonary embolism (n=5), cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (CSVT) (n=1), and other (n=4). Demographic data for the overall cohort and the subset of TNB patients are summarized in Table 1. 2,790 patients with a VTE diagnosis died prior to hospital discharge, while none of the 23 VTE patients identified as TNB died prior to hospital discharge. Only 2/23 (8.7%) TNB patients with VTE had a diagnosis code for hormone replacement therapy (HRT). One patient was a birth-assigned male, and one was a birth-assigned female. Among the 23 TNB patients with VTE, none had congenital heart disease, ten (43%) were obese, three (13%) had chronic renal disease, two (9%) had cancer and one (4%) had inflammatory bowel disease (Table 1). Discussion These data support our initial observation that VTE is extremely rare in TNB adolescents and youth and typically occurs in the setting of additional risk factors for VTE including cancer, renal disease, obesity, and inflammatory bowel disease. Only 2/23 TNB patients had a simultaneous code for HRT, suggesting that HRT may not be a significant risk factor for VTE in this cohort. A limitation of this investigation is the inability to estimate how many TNB patients received care at the participating centers during the study period.

Association between positive blood culture and clinical outcomes among children treated for sepsis in the emergency department

ObjectiveAmong children treated for sepsis in a pediatric emergency department (ED), compare clinical features and outcomes between those with blood cultures positive versus negative for a bacterial pathogen. DesignSingle-center retrospective cohort study. SettingPediatric emergency department (ED) at a quaternary pediatric care center. PatientsChildren aged 0–18 years treated for sepsis defined by the Children's Hospital Association's Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes (IPSO) definition. InterventionsNone. Measurements and main resultsWe analyzed 1307 patients treated for sepsis during the study period, of which 117 (9.0%) had blood cultures positive for a bacterial pathogen. Of children with blood culture positive sepsis, 62 (53.0%) had organ dysfunction compared to 514 (43.2%) with culture negative sepsis (adjusted odds ratio 1.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04–2.34, adjusting for age, high risk medical conditions, and time to antibiotics). Children with blood culture positive sepsis had a larger base deficit, −4 vs −1 (p < 0.01), and higher procalcitonin, 3.84 vs 0.56 ng/mL (p < 0.01). ConclusionsChildren meeting the IPSO Sepsis definition with blood culture positive for a bacterial pathogen have higher rates of organ dysfunction than those who are culture negative, although our 9% rate of blood culture positivity is lower than previously cited literature from the pediatric intensive care unit.

Hepatic artery thrombosis and use of anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents in pediatric liver transplantation.

Hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) is a reported complication of 5%-10% of pediatric liver transplantations, rates 3-4 times that seen in adults. Early HAT (seen within 14 days after transplant) can lead to severe allograft damage and possible urgent re-transplantation. In this report, we present our analysis of HAT in pediatric liver transplant from a national clinical database and examine the association of HAT with anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication administered in the post-operative period. Data were obtained from the Pediatric Health Information System database maintained by the Children's Hospital Association. For each liver transplant recipient identified in a 10-year period, diagnosis, demographic, and medication data were collected and analyzed. Our findings showed an average rate of HAT of 6.3% across 31 centers. Anticoagulant and antiplatelet medication strategies varied distinctly among and even within centers, likely due to the fact there are no consensus guidelines. Notably, in centers with similar medication usage, HAT rates continue to vary. At the patient level, use of aspirin within the first 72 h of transplantation was associated with a decreased risk of HAT, consistent with other reports in the literature. We suggest that concerted efforts to standardize anticoagulation approaches in pediatric liver transplant may be of benefit in the prevention of HAT. A prospective multi-institutional study of regimen-possibly including aspirin-following transplantation could have significant value.

Bundled Care to Reduce Sepsis Mortality: The Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes (IPSO) Collaborative.

We sought to improve utilization of a sepsis care bundle and decrease 3- and 30- day sepsis-attributable mortality, as well as determine which care elements of a sepsis bundle are associated with improved outcomes. Children's Hospital Association formed a QI collaborative to Improve Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes (IPSO) (January 2017-March 2020 analyzed here). IPSO Suspected Sepsis (ISS) patients were those without organ dysfunction where the provider "intended to treat" sepsis. IPSO Critical Sepsis (ICS) patients approximated those with septic shock. Process (bundle adherence), outcome (mortality), and balancing measures were quantified over time using statistical process control. An original bundle (recognition method, fluid bolus < 20 min, antibiotics < 60 min) was retrospectively compared with varying bundle time-points, including a modified evidence-based care bundle, (recognition method, fluid bolus < 60 min, antibiotics < 180 min). We compared outcomes using Pearson χ-square and Kruskal Wallis tests and adjusted analysis. Reported are 24 518 ISS and 12 821 ICS cases from 40 children's hospitals (January 2017-March 2020). Modified bundle compliance demonstrated special cause variation (40.1% to 45.8% in ISS; 52.3% to 57.4% in ICS). The ISS cohort's 30-day, sepsis-attributable mortality dropped from 1.4% to 0.9%, a 35.7% relative reduction over time (P < .001). In the ICS cohort, compliance with the original bundle was not associated with a decrease in 30-day sepsis-attributable mortality, whereas compliance with the modified bundle decreased mortality from 4.75% to 2.4% (P < .01). Timely treatment of pediatric sepsis is associated with reduced mortality. A time-liberalized care bundle was associated with greater mortality reductions.

Pediatric Respiratory Illnesses: An Update on Achievable Benchmarks of Care.

Pediatric respiratory illnesses (PRI): asthma, bronchiolitis, pneumonia, croup, and influenza are leading causes of pediatric hospitalizations, and emergency department (ED) visits in the United States. There is a lack of standardized measures to assess the quality of hospital care delivered for these conditions. We aimed to develop a measure set for automated data extraction from administrative data sets and evaluate its performance including updated achievable benchmarks of care (ABC). A multidisciplinary subject-matter experts team selected quality measures from multiple sources. The measure set was applied to the Public Health Information System database (Children's Hospital Association, Lenexa, KS) to cohorts of ED visits and hospitalizations from 2017 to 2019. ABC for pertinent measures and performance gaps of mean values from the ABC were estimated. ABC were compared with previous reports. The measure set: PRI report includes a total of 94 quality measures. The study cohort included 984 337 episodes of care, and 82.3% were discharged from the ED. Measures with low performance included bronchodilators (19.7%) and chest x-rays (14.4%) for bronchiolitis in the ED. These indicators were (34.6%) and (29.5%) in the hospitalized cohort. In pneumonia, there was a 57.3% use of narrow spectrum antibiotics. In general, compared with previous reports, there was improvement toward optimal performance for the ABCs. The PRI report provides performance data including ABC and identifies performance gaps in the quality of care for common respiratory illnesses. Future directions include examining health inequities, and understanding and addressing the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on care quality.

Opioid and Methadone Use for Infants With Surgically Treated Necrotizing Enterocolitis

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) requiring surgical intervention is the most common reason for surgical procedures in preterm neonates. Opioids are used to manage postoperative pain, with some infants requiring methadone to treat physiologic opioid dependence or wean from nonmethadone opioid treatment during recovery. To describe postoperative opioid use and methadone treatment for infants with surgically treated NEC and evaluate postoperative outcomes. A cohort study of infants with surgically treated NEC admitted from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2022, to 48 Children's Hospital Association hospitals contributing data to the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) was performed. Infants who received methadone preoperatively, were aged 14 days or less at the time of the operation, had a congenital heart disease-related operation, or died within 90 days of the operation were excluded. Mixed-effects multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate thresholds for duration of opioid use after the operation associated with methadone treatment and clinical outcomes associated with methadone use were enumerated. Postoperative administration of nonmethadone opioids. Methadone use and postoperative length of stay, ventilator days, and total parenteral nutrition (TPN) days. Of the 2037 infants with surgically treated NEC identified, the median birth weight was 920 (IQR, 700.0-1479.5) g; 1204 were male (59.1%), 911 were White (44.7%), and 343 were Hispanic (16.8%). Infants received nonmethadone opioids for a median of 15 (IQR, 6-30) days after the operation and 231 received methadone (11.3%). The median first day of methadone use was postoperative day 18 (IQR, days 9-64) and continued for 28 days (IQR, 14-73). Compared with infants who received nonmethadone opioids for 1 to 5 days, infants receiving 16 to 21 days of opioids were most likely to receive methadone treatment (odds ratio, 11.45; 95% CI, 6.31-20.77). Methadone use was associated with 21.41 (95% CI, 10.81-32.02) more days of postoperative length of stay, 10.80 (95% CI, 3.63-17.98) more ventilator days, and 16.21 (95% CI, 6.34-26.10) more TPN days. In this cohort study of infants with surgically treated NEC, prolonged use of nonmethadone opioids after the operation was associated with an increased likelihood of methadone treatment and increased postoperative length of stay, ventilation, and TPN use. Optimizing postoperative pain management for infants requiring an operation may decrease the need for methadone treatment and improve health care use.

Child physical abuse screening in a pediatric ED; Does TRAIN(ing) Help?

BackgroundChild maltreatment is distressingly prevalent yet remains under-recognized by healthcare providers. In 2015 the Ohio Children's Hospital Association developed the Timely Recognition of Abusive INjuries (TRAIN) collaborative in an effort to promote child physical abuse (CPA) screening. Our institution implemented the TRAIN initiative in 2019. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of the TRAIN initiative at this institution.MethodsIn this retrospective chart review we recorded the incidence of sentinel injuries (SIS) in children presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) of an independent level 2 pediatric trauma center. SIS were defined and identified by a diagnosis of ecchymosis, contusion, fracture, head injury, intracranial hemorrhage, abdominal trauma, open wound, laceration, abrasion, oropharyngeal injury, genital injury, intoxication, or burn in a child < 6.01 months of age. Patients were stratified into pre-TRAIN (PRE), 1/2017–9/2018, or post-TRAIN (POST), 10/2019–7/2020, periods. Repeat injury was defined as a subsequent visit for any of the previously mentioned diagnoses within 12 months of the initial visit. Demographics/visit characteristics were analyzed using Chi square analysis, Fischer’s exact test, and student’s paired t-test.ResultsIn the PRE period, 12,812 ED visits were made by children < 6.01 months old; 2.8% of these visits were made by patients with SIS. In the POST period there were 5,372 ED visits, 2.6% involved SIS (p = .4). The rate of skeletal surveys performed on patients with SIS increased from 17.1% in the PRE period to 27.2% in the POST period (p = .01). The positivity rate of skeletal surveys in the PRE versus POST period was 18.9% and 26.3% respectively (p = .45). Repeat injury rates did not differ significantly in patients with SIS pre- versus post-TRAIN (p = .44).ConclusionImplementation of TRAIN at this institution appears to be associated with increased skeletal survey rates.

Child health organizations call for federal national emergency in the mental health of children

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), and Children's Hospital Association (CHA) late last year sent a follow‐up letter to the White House: do more to help children with mental health problems. The organizations first asked the Biden administration for this mental health emergency more than a year ago. Nothing happened. They marked the anniversary by sending a letter, signed by 130 children's mental health organizations, asking that more be done.

Changes in Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI) Rates Following Implementation of Levofloxacin Prophylaxis for Children and Adolescents With High-Risk Leukemia.

Background: Despite initiatives to reduce central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), children and adolescents with hematologic malignancies, as well as those with relapsed disease, remain at the greatest risk for infection. This single-institution project evaluated changes in CLABSI rates following implementation of antibacterial prophylaxis with levofloxacin for patients with high-risk hematologic malignancies. Methods: Positive blood culture events meeting National Health Safety Network surveillance criteria to be classified as CLABSIs from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2019, were included. Data were organized into four time periods for comparison based on implementation of CLABSI-reduction interventions. Conditional Poisson regression models were used to evaluate the effect of time (intervention period) on CLABSI rates with post hoc Tukey pairwise comparisons between each of the four time periods. Results: From 2006 and 2019, 227 patients experienced 310 CLABSIs. Clinically important decreases in CLABSI rates from baseline (4.84 per 1,000 line days) occurred with implementation of Children's Hospital Association (CHA) bundles (3.29 per 1,000 line days); however, this difference was not significant (p = .16). CLABSI rates decreased from baseline with the addition of formalized supportive cares (2.66 per 1,000 line days; incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 0.60; p < .01), and with the use of antibacterial prophylaxis (1.66 per 1,000 line days; IRR = 0.35; p < .01). Post hoc comparisons indicated decreased CLABSI rates with the use of antibacterial prophylaxis compared with CHA bundles alone (IRR = 0.49; p = .011) and CHA bundles plus formalized supportive cares (IRR = 0.58; p = .046). Discussion: Results demonstrate sustained success using a practice-based evidence approach to guide CLABSI-reduction interventions. Follow-up research, applying machine learning algorithms, may identify additional risk factors and inform future interventions.

Pediatric Brain Abscesses, Epidural Empyemas, and Subdural Empyemas Associated with Streptococcus Species - United States, January 2016-August 2022.

In May 2022, CDC learned of three children in California hospitalized concurrently for brain abscess, epidural empyema, or subdural empyema caused by Streptococcus intermedius. Discussions with clinicians in multiple states raised concerns about a possible increase in pediatric intracranial infections, particularly those caused by Streptococcus bacteria, during the past year and the possible contributing role of SARS-CoV-2 infection (1). Pediatric bacterial brain abscesses, epidural empyemas, and subdural empyemas, rare complications of respiratory infections and sinusitis, are often caused by Streptococcus species but might also be polymicrobial or caused by other genera, such as Staphylococcus. On June 9, CDC asked clinicians and health departments to report possible cases of these conditions and to submit clinical specimens for laboratory testing. Through collaboration with the Children's Hospital Association (CHA), CDC analyzed nationally representative pediatric hospitalizations for brain abscess and empyema. Hospitalizations declined after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, increased during summer 2021 to a peak in March 2022, and then declined to baseline levels. After the increase in summer 2021, no evidence of higher levels of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, mortality, genetic relatedness of isolates from different patients, or increased antimicrobial resistance of isolates was observed. The peak in cases in March 2022 was consistent with historical seasonal fluctuations observed since 2016. Based on these findings, initial reports from clinicians (1) are consistent with seasonal fluctuations and a redistribution of cases over time during the COVID-19 pandemic. CDC will continue to work with investigation partners to monitor ongoing trends in pediatric brain abscesses and empyemas.

Pediatric Injury Transfer Patterns During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Interrupted time Series Analysis

IntroductionWith the expected surge of adult patients with COVID-19, the Children's Hospital Association recommended a tiered approach to divert children to pediatric centers. Our objective was understanding changes in interfacility transfer to Pediatric Trauma Centers (PTCs) during the first 6 mo of the pandemic. MethodsChildren aged < 18 y injured between January 1, 2016 and September 30, 2020, who met National Trauma Databank inclusion criteria from 9 PTCs were included. An interrupted time-series analysis was used to estimate an expected number of transferred patients compared to observed volume. The “COVID” cohort was compared to a historical cohort (historical average [HA]), using an average across 2016-2019. Site-based differences in transfer volume, demographics, injury characteristics, and hospital-based outcomes were compared between cohorts. ResultsTwenty seven thousand thirty one/47,382 injured patients (57.05%) were transferred to a participating PTC during the study period. Of the COVID cohort, 65.4% (4620/7067) were transferred, compared to 55.7% (3281/5888) of the HA (P < 0.001). There was a decrease in 15-y-old to 17-y-old patients (10.43% COVID versus 12.64% HA, P = 0.003). More patients in the COVID cohort had injury severity scores ≤ 15 (93.25% COVID versus 87.63% HA, P < 0.001). More patients were discharged home after transfer (31.80% COVID versus 21.83% HA, P < 0.001). ConclusionsTransferred trauma patients to Level I PTC increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The proportion of transferred patients discharged from emergency departments increased. Pediatric trauma transfers may be a surrogate for referring emergency department capacity and resources and a measure of pediatric trauma triage capability.

The Accessibility of Inpatient Pediatric Ethics Consultation Services to Patient Caregivers.

Ethics consultation services (ECS) support clinical decision-making when there are values conflicts. Accessibility to ECS by patients and families is required to benefit from the service. Multiple national guidelines encourage ready availability of ECS to all stakeholders including patients and families. All facilities registered with the Children's Hospital Association (n = 190) were contacted using a protocol modeled after an adult ethics consultation practice study. After an online search to identify an ethics contact, calls were made to hospital operators, and each transfer was documented as well as time to ECS contact. If no contact was identified on progression through the call protocol or on completion of the call pathway on 3 occasions each spaced by 1 week, the ECS was labeled "unreached." Only 36 (19%) ECS contacts were identified via online search with the remainder 154 (81%) requiring phone calls. Fewer than one-quarter of operators (n = 34/154, 22%) could identify a contact name or number for ECS. Thirty ECS (16%) remained unreachable after completion of the call pathway or 3 separate attempts. Successful ECS contact required an average of 2.9 attempts. Maximum call hold duration was 25 minutes. Callback times averaged 5.8 business days after voicemail. This study revealed limited reachability of ECS. ECS should make their contact information available online and improve information available to operators.

The role of advocacy in improving access to care for children with mental illness

Across the country, most professionals caring for children have likely seen an increase in mental illness. Even prior to the COVID‐19 pandemic, there was already a trend of increasing rates of depression and suicidal ideation in American youth (Mojtabai et al., 2016). Since then, the problem has only worsened, as the collective mental health needs of children have been rising rapidly. A combination of factors, from isolation related to school closure and social distancing, to the traumatic effects of losing a parent, have contributed to this dramatic rise in distress (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2021). The CDC reported that the proportion of mental health‐related ED visits increased abruptly after the beginning of the pandemic, with increases of 24% among children aged 5–11 years and 31% among adolescents aged 12–17 years, compared with the same period in 2019 (Leeb et al., 2020). These changes have been widely publicized, and in response to this national crisis, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), and the Children's Hospital Association (CHA) jointly declared a national state of emergency in October 2021 and created a 10‐point outline for meaningful change in the recognition, prevention, and treatment of childhood mental illness (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2021). In addition, the United States Surgeon General issued an advisory on protecting youth mental health in December 2021 (Department of Health and Human Services, 2021).

A novel Health Disparities Index and acute asthma management

A novel Health Disparities Index and acute asthma management

Closure of Licensed Pediatric Beds in Health Care Markets Within Illinois.

Our objective was to understand the market characteristics related to closures of licensed pediatric hospital beds that may be related to increasing regionalization of pediatric hospital care. We performed a retrospective descriptive analysis of 110 hospitals with licensed pediatric hospital beds from a statewide survey of health care facilities (2012-2017) and administrative data of hospital admissions (2013-2018) in Illinois. We quantified closures of licensed pediatric hospital beds and categorized hospital bed closures by hospital and market characteristics. From 2012 through 2017, the number of licensed pediatric beds declined from 1706 to 1254 (-26.5%). Over the same time period, annual pediatric inpatient days minimally changed (+1.1%), while annual pediatric inpatient days at hospitals affiliated with the Children's Hospital Association increased (+30.5%). After accounting for re-openings, the 33 hospitals that closed all licensed pediatric beds fit 4 distinct typologies: 1) Hospitals with minimal pediatric volume throughout the study (n=19); 2) Hospitals that sustained at least 50% of their pediatric volume after closure of licensed pediatric beds (n=8); 3) Hospitals with low market share in metropolitan areas (n=5); and 4) Hospital with a decline in pediatric market share, while a nearby hospital saw a corresponding rise in pediatric market share (n=1). In Illinois, licensed pediatric hospital beds declined while pediatrics inpatient days stayed the same over a recent 6-year period. Typologies of closures describe the nuanced dynamics leading to decline of pediatric hospital beds. Understanding these patterns is critical to ensure that children receive quality pediatric-tailored care.