Stable Pediatric Patients Research Articles

Failure of nonoperative management of abdominal solid organ injuries

Nonoperative management of the spleen has been the conventional approach for dealing with blunt splenic injury in children for 25 years. Following acceptance in the field of pediatric surgery, nonoperative management of blunt injury to the liver and spleen became the template in adult trauma surgery. It has proven to be of unequivocal benefit to the majority of hemodynamically stable pediatric and adult patients who have suffered blunt liver or splenic trauma. Offsetting these gains, has been the presence of failures. The recent literature has focused on factors which may impact the nonoperative management success or failure rate. These factors include initiation of guidelines, risk of overwhelming postsplenectomy infection, character of clinical judgment, role of computed tomography in detecting associated intraabdominal injuries, the presence of more than one solid organ injury, risk of associated hollow viscus injury, and the drawbacks of angioembolization. Despite the failures of nonoperative management outlined in this review, the approach has been generally successful. Efforts at improving organ salvage rates and diminishing failures with this approach continue. Notwithstanding our enthusiasm to advance this method of patient care, we must avoid imperiling a subpopulation of patients in our attempt to improve nonoperative management success rates.

No Significant Differences in Peritoneal Fluid Handling in Children Using pH-Neutral or Acidic Solutions

Differences in peritoneal fluid handling in the acute setting can be expected if children are converted to pH-neutral dialysis solutions because conventional acidic solutions exert toxic effects on peritoneal mesothelial cells and microcirculation. Peritoneal fluid kinetics was therefore investigated with both types of solutions in a group of children. Peritoneal equilibration tests (PETs) were performed in 12 patients [mean age 70 months, mean time on peritoneal dialysis (PD) 18 months] using a pH-neutral PD fluid (Physioneal 3.86%; Baxter Ltd, Castlebar, Ireland) and dextran 70 as a volume marker. The results of these PETs were compared to those of a historic group of 12 children (mean age 75 months, mean time on PD 17 months). Pediatric dialysis unit in a tertiary institute. Stable pediatric PD patients. Transcapillary ultrafiltration (TCUF) and marker clearance, dialysate-to-plasma (D/P) ratios for urea and creatinine, and D(t)/D(0) ratio for glucose. TCUF and lymphatic absorption were not different between the two groups. There was also no significant difference in small solute clearance measured by D/P ratio for urea and creatinine and D(t)/D(0) ratio for glucose. Peritoneal fluid kinetics is not significantly altered if pH-neutral dialysis solutions are applied compared to acidic solutions. An altered TCUF, as is hypothetically possible using an acidic solution, was not established.

Complications of Nonoperative Management of Pediatric Blunt Hepatic Injury: Diagnosis, Management, and Outcomes

Nonoperative management (NOM) of blunt hepatic injury is the standard of care in the hemodynamically stable pediatric patient, but it is not without pitfalls. The purpose of this study is to assess the incidence and types of complications associated with NOM in terms of diagnosis, management, and outcomes. A retrospective study of pediatric patients with blunt hepatic injuries admitted from 1991 through 1997 to a Level I pediatric trauma center was conducted. All stable patients were initially managed nonoperatively according to the Isolated Liver Laceration Critical Pathway. Surveillance was performed by physical examination and tracking of hematocrit and liver function test (LFT) results. Follow-up ultrasound (US) or computed tomography (CT) were performed as clinically indicated. In all, 185 patients with nonoperatively managed blunt hepatic injuries were identified during a 7-year period. Over 90% (168/185) were successfully managed nonoperatively without adverse sequelae. Ten patients (5.4%) died: seven as a result of head injury; three as a result of multisystem organ failure; none directly attributable to their hepatic injuries. Complications occurred in seven patients (3.8%) with Grades III or IV right lobe liver lacerations and included biloma (5), hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm with hemobilia (1), and necrotic gallbladder (1). All seven patients (100%) had fever, persistent or worsening right upper quadrant pain, feeding intolerance, and persistently elevated LFTs. Complications were diagnosed by CT or US. Nonoperative treatment of complications was successful in four of the seven patients (57.1%) and consisted of percutaneous drain placement only (1), percutaneous drain placement and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)-guided stent placement (2) and angioembolization (1). Three patients (42.9%) required laparotomy, one for management of a concomitant pancreatic pseudocyst. Complications of NOM of pediatric blunt hepatic injury are rare, but may include biloma, hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm, and necrotic gallbladder. Complications occur only with Grade III or greater injuries and are accompanied by fever, right upper quadrant pain, feeding intolerance, and persistently elevated LFTs. The clinician must maintain a high index of suspicion for the development of complications and have a low threshold for obtaining a CT or US for diagnosis. Interventional radiology techniques, angiography, and ERCP are useful adjuncts to nonoperative management, but some patients may still require laparotomy for management of complications.

Nonsurgical Management of Pediatric Tracheal Perforation

Tracheal perforation is a rare complication of intubation. In the pediatric population, the rates of morbidity and mortality are high if diagnosis and management are delayed. Recommendations for treatment in these patients are based on the several reports of this injury in the adult and neonate populations. Surgical repair is generally favored over conservative care in the majority of cases. We describe the case of a 10-year-old girl who presented with subcutaneous emphysema after intubation in the emergency department. The patient had a 3-cm injury to the distal trachea. Nonsurgical management resulted in a normal-appearing trachea and a healed perforation site as confirmed by repeat tracheobronchoscopy 4 months after the initial injury. In clinically stable pediatric patients, nonsurgical management of tracheal perforations should be considered.

Validation of estimates of total body water in pediatric dialysis patients by deuterium dilution

Current K-DOQI recommendations call for an assessment of dialysis adequacy that depends critically on an estimate of total body water (TBW). Such estimates are problematic in children since the range of patient size is large, and often formulas derived in normals are not validated in end-stage renal disease. Gold standard methods of TBW measurement, such as deuterium dilution ((2)H(2)O), are not appropriate in the clinical setting, yet noninvasive methods such as bioimpedance analysis (BIA) and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) have not been independently validated. We studied 14 stable pediatric dialysis patients on 1 to 3 occasions using (2)H(2)O dilution, BIA, DEXA, and anthropometry to measure TBW. We compared our data set to previously published formulae for TBW to determine root mean square error (RMSE) and skew of the estimate. TBW prediction based upon the anthropometric formula proposed by the Pediatric Peritoneal Dialysis Consortium provided the best fit to our independent data set with RMSE = 2.15 L, and no skew by Bland-Altman analysis. Other formulas produced large, clinically relevant errors; obese subjects confounded many estimates. TBW calculated from hydrated lean body mass from DEXA scan was reliable with RMSE = 1.03 L and no skew. BIA-derived estimates can be useful, although the magnitude of RMSE ranged from 1.45 to 6.24 L, and one formula produced skewed results. Techniques for estimating TBW in pediatric dialysis patients must be validated by independent data sets before being incorporated into clinical and research practice.

Peritoneal Transport Kinetics of Proteins in Children on Chronic Peritoneal Dialysis

This study describes a modified 4-hour peritoneal equilibration test (PET) for analyzing peritoneal transport characteristics of proteins with different molecular weights and predicting daily peritoneal protein losses in children on chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD). Cross-sectional study. A single regional pediatric dialysis unit in a teaching hospital. 9 stable pediatric dialysis patients; 4 were on continuous ambulatory PD, 5 were on continuous cycling PD. Serum and dialysate concentrations of IgG, albumin, beta2-microglobulin, and transferrin were determined during a PET. Changes in dialysate-to-plasma (D/P) ratios were determined hourly. Agreement between PET-derived and measured daily peritoneal protein losses was examined. The D/P ratio decreased with increased molecular radius (p < 0.0001). Many children had low plasma levels of IgG, albumin, and transferrin, but elevated levels of beta2-microglobulin. The D/P ratio increased linearly during the PET for all measured proteins, regardless of molecular weight. There was close correlation between 4-hour PET protein losses and 24-hour losses during routine PD. Proteins are lost through the peritoneum according to their size, demonstrating linear transport kinetics during a 4-hour PET. The PET-derived data predicted daily protein losses in children on chronic PD. This approach might help to eliminate inaccuracies due to incomplete dialysate collection.

Universal approach to pharmacokinetic monitoring of immunosuppressive agents in children.

Current data indicate that pharmacokinetic (PK) monitoring of cyclosporin microemulsion (CsA) should be performed using the 2-h concentration (C2), that tacrolimus (Tac) is commonly monitored using the trough level, and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) should be monitored using the 1-h (C1), 2-h (C2) and 6-h (C6) concentrations. The three differing time-point requirements are cumbersome, and we aimed to develop universal guidelines for all three drugs using a large number of full PK profiles in children. One-hundred and twenty two stable pediatric patients, receiving either CsA (165 PK profiles, 69 patients, 24 with concomitant MMF) or Tac (122 PK profiles, 53 patients, 18 with MMF) were analyzed retrospectively. Pearson r for the CsA C2 was 0.90 [95% confidence interval(CI): 0.86-0.92], for Tac C2 r was 0.86 (95% CI: 0.80-0.90), and for MPA C2 r was 0.77 (95% CI: 0.68-0.83), respectively. For MPA, at least three time-points are required to accurately estimate the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC), and C1, C2 and C6 serve as best markers. Excellent AUC estimations could be obtained from a limited sampling strategy from C1, C2 and C6 or C0, C1, C2 and C4 with clinically acceptable errors for all three drugs. The AUC can be estimated with great precision by using an identical approach for all three drugs. Target AUCs for a given time-point after transplantation remain to be established.

Liver Enzymes as Predictors of Liver Damage Due to Blunt Abdominal Trauma in Children

Blunt abdominal trauma in children can result in injury to the liver. In hemodynamically stable patients, initial evaluation of liver transaminase levels may be useful in determining the need for computed tomography (CT).We reviewed the medical records of 44 hemodynamically stable children who had abdominal CT and who also had liver enzyme determinations as the initial workup.Liver enzymes were found to be elevated in all but one patient with CT confirmed hepatic injury. The sensitivity and specificity of elevated liver enzyme levels were 92.9% and 100%, respectively, for predicting liver injury.When hemodynamically stable pediatric patients with blunt abdominal trauma have AST levels >400 and/or ALT levels >250 IU/L, abdominal CT is indicated. Children in this study with serum transaminase levels below these values were at decreased risk of liver injury.

Liver Enzymes as Predictors of Liver Damage Due to Blunt Abdominal Trauma in Children

Blunt abdominal trauma in children can result in injury to the liver. In hemodynamically stable patients, initial evaluation of liver transaminase levels may be useful in determining the need for computed tomography (CT). We reviewed the medical records of 44 hemodynamically stable children who had abdominal CT and who also had liver enzyme determinations as the initial workup. Liver enzymes were found to be elevated in all but one patient with CT confirmed hepatic injury. The sensitivity and specificity of elevated liver enzyme levels were 92.9% and 100%, respectively, for predicting liver injury. When hemodynamically stable pediatric patients with blunt abdominal trauma have AST levels >400 and/or ALT levels >250 IU/L, abdominal CT is indicated. Children in this study with serum transaminase levels below these values were at decreased risk of liver injury.

Energy Requirements and Body Composition in Stable Pediatric Intensive Care Patients Receiving Ventilatory Support

Energy requirements of pediatric intensive-care patients are unknown due to the difficulty of measuring total energy expenditure in free-living conditions. We investigated energy expenditure and body composition in stable pediatric intensive-care patients receiving long-term ventilatory support. Total energy expenditure and total body water were measured in 10 such patients using the doubly-labeled water method. The patients had significantly lower energy expenditure than healthy children of the same age. Relative to length, fat-free mass deposition was significantly lower, and fat deposition was significantly greater, than in healthy subjects. In general, total energy requirements of these patients are significantly reduced as compared to healthy children, which can be attributed to their lower activity levels and their reduced muscle mass. Although they gain weight similar to healthy children, their weight gain is disproportionately higher in fat. However, one patient with myofibromatosis contradicted this general pattern.

Invasive radiology for pediatric trauma.

Interventional radiology has assumed an expanded role in the management of the pediatric trauma patient. Transcatheter endovascular embolization for the polytraumatized and bleeding patient has proven to be effective and potentially life saving. Nonvascular interventional techniques can be applied to the pediatric trauma patient with curative or temporizing effects. The minimally invasive nature and rapidity of these procedures allows their emergent use in both the unstable and stable pediatric trauma patient.

Predicting hollow visceral injury in the pediatric blunt trauma patient with solid visceral injury

Background: Nonoperative management of a solid organ injury (SVI) is accepted in the stable pediatric trauma patient. A concern with nonoperative management is missing a hollow visceral injury (HVI). Factors that may help predict HVI have not been well documented. Methods: The National Pediatric Trauma Registry was reviewed for the period October 1988 through September 1998 for all blunt injured, hemodynamically stable pediatric patients (age ≤12 years) with an SVI (kidney, liver, pancreas, spleen) of Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) score ≥2. HVIs included AIS ≥2 gastrointestinal tract injuries. Results: For the decade of review, 2,977 pediatric patients sustained an SVI, including 96 with an HVI (3.2%). The mean age was 6.6 years, with a mean Injury Severity Score of 12.4. An occupant in a motor vehicle accident was the most common injury mechanism (30.4%), but assault was the most likely to result in an HVI (11.5%). The liver was the most common SVI (n = 1,400), the spleen the least likely to have an associated HVI (2.5%). Pancreatic injuries had a higher rate of HVI (P <.001). The majority of patients had a single SVI (n = 2,507) with 71 associated HVIs (2.8%). The risk of associated HVI increased as the number of solid organs injured increased: 4.7% with 2 organs, 13.5% if 3 organs were injured (P <.001). In patients with a single SVI, the rate of HVI did not differ as AIS increased (range, 2.7% to 6.5%, P value not significant). Conclusions: The overall rate of HVI was low (3.2%). Higher rates of HVI were found in assaulted patients and patients with multiple SVIs or pancreatic injuries. The risk of associated HVI was dependent more on number of SVIs than severity of the individual organ injury. This data suggest that nonoperative management is justified in the patient with a single SVI but should be used cautiously in the patient with multiple SVI or a pancreatic injury. J Pediatr Surg 35:1300-1303. Copyright © 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company.

Pediatric blunt abdominal trauma: Role of computed tomography vascular blush

Nonoperative management of blunt abdominal trauma is widely accepted in pediatric patients. There are few factors prospectively available to predict reliably which children will not respond to nonoperative treatment. Computed tomography scans demonstrating a vascular contrast blush are associated with arterial bleeding and the failure of nonoperative management of splenic injuries in adults. The authors describe five hemondynamically stable pediatric patients who have intraabdominal injury and a characteristic vascular contrast blush who acutely did not respond to nonoperative treatment. Vascular blush may be an indication for early laparotomy in pediatric trauma patients.

Gastrointestinal perforations in children: a continuing challenge to nonoperative treatment of blunt abdominal trauma.

The present trend towards conservative management of hemodynamically stable pediatric trauma patients may be increasing the risk of delay in the diagnosis of traumatic hollow viscus perforations (HVP). The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is a delay in the diagnosis of HVP because of expectant management. A survey of factors leading to diagnostic delay was also made and the value of current diagnostic tools were reevaluated. In 1,283 trauma admissions between 1980-1994, 34 patients were operated for HVP caused by blunt abdominal trauma. Sites of perforation were; stomach (four), duodenum (five), jejunum (12), ileum (nine), and jejunum/ileum (four). Signs of peritoneal irritation were positive in 32 of 34 patients. There was free air in only six of 24 abdominal roentgenograms. Free peritoneal fluid without solid organ injury was detected in only four out of 13 patients with ultrasound. Peritoneal lavage was diagnostic in eight of nine patients. Time from admission to operating room averaged 24 +/- 4.1 (mean +/- standard deviation) hours. Eleven patients died after the operation mostly because of accompanying head injury. Only two of the deaths were the result of sepsis originating from the perforated bowel. There is an apparent delay in the diagnosis of traumatic HVP in this series. Signs of peritoneal irritation are the most consistent findings of HVP after blunt abdominal trauma in children. Persistence of abdominal signs indicates peritoneal lavage, which has a high diagnostic sensitivity for HVP compared to other diagnostic modalities.

Correlations between Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 and Peritoneal Transport in Pediatric CCPD Patients

Objective Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is an important regulator of plasminogen activators and has been shown to be involved in the accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) in various tissues. Since peritoneal ECM is a resistance site for peritoneal transport, the production and release of PAI-1 in the peritoneum may affect the peritoneal transport of water and small solutes. Design The linear correlations between the dialysate PAI-1 levels and the variables of peritoneal transport during peritoneal equilibration tests (PET) were examined. Setting: A tertiary university hospital. Patients Six stable pediatric patients (age 10.8%4 years) undergoing continuous cycler-assisted peritoneal dialysis were included. Interventions None. Results All data are mean±, D. There was a positive correlation between the infused volume and the net ultrafiltration (UF, 198±127 mL, r = 0.82, p &lt; 0.05). The dialysate PAI-1 levels increased during the dwell time (2.44±2.23 ng/mL or 2.46±1.72 μg at 4 hours vs 0.04±0.1 ng/mL or 0.04±0.09 μg at 0 hour, p &lt; 0.05). The saturation indices (dialysate/plasma ratio) of PAI-1 and albumin at 4 hours were 1.05±1.21 and 0.028±0.004, respectively. The changes from O-hour dwell to 4-hour dwell in the dialysate PAI-1 concentration (PAI4-o, 2.4±2.2 ng/mL) or amount corrected to body surface area (APAI4-0/BSA, 2.61 ±2.11μg/m2) negatively correlated with UF or UF/body surface area and positively correlated with the number of episodes of peritonitis. There was no correlation between PAI4-o, APAI4-0/BSA, or plasma PAI-1 concentration and the mass transfer coefficient and clearance of either urea or creatinine. Conclusions The elevated PAI-1 level during the PET was likely from the local production and release of PAI-1. It had an inverse relationship with the amount of ultrafiltration. Repeated inflammation of the peritoneum was associated with an increased production and release of PAI-1 into the peritoneum.

Correlations between Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 and Peritoneal Transport in Pediatric Ccpd Patients

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is an important regulator of plasminogen activators and has been shown to be involved in the accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) in various tissues. Since peritoneal ECM is a resistance site for peritoneal transport, the production and release of PAI-1 in the peritoneum may affect the peritoneal transport of water and small solutes. The linear correlations between the dialysate PAI-1 levels and the variables of peritoneal transport during peritoneal equilibration tests (PET) were examined. A tertiary university hospital. Six stable pediatric patients (age 10.8 +/- 4 years) undergoing continuous cycler-assisted peritoneal dialysis were included. None. All data are mean +/- SD. There was a positive correlation between the infused volume and the net ultrafiltration (UF, 198 +/- 127 mL, r = 0.82, p < 0.05). The dialysate PAI-1 levels increased during the dwell time (2.44 +/- 2.23 ng/mL or 2.46 +/- 1.72 micrograms at 4 hours vs 0.04 +/- 0.1 ng/mL or 0.04 +/- 0.09 micrograms at 0 hour, p < 0.05). The saturation indices (dialysate/plasma ratio) of PAI-1 and albumin at 4 hours were 1.05 +/- 1.21 and 0.028 +/- 0.004, respectively. The changes from 0 hour dwell to 4 hour dwell in the dialysate PAI-1 concentration (PAI4-0, 2.4 +/- 2.2 ng/mL) or amount corrected to body surface area (APAI4-0/BSA, 2.61 +/- 2.11 micrograms/m2) negatively correlated with UF or UF/body surface area and positively correlated with the number of episodes of peritonitis. There was no correlation between PAI4-0,APAI4-0/BSA, or plasma PAI-1 concentration and the mass transfer coefficient and clearance of either urea or creatinine. The elevated PAI-1 level during the PET was likely from the local production and release of PAI-1. It had an inverse relationship with the amount of ultrafiltration. Repeated inflammation of the peritoneum was associated with an increased production and release of PAI-1 into the peritoneum.

Elevated Liver Transaminase Levels in Children With Blunt Abdominal Trauma: A Predictor of Liver Injury

The medical records of 43 hemodynamically stable children with elevated serum transaminase levels (aspartate aminotransferase [AST] and alanine aminotransferase [ALT]) who underwent abdominal computed tomographic (CT) scan for blunt abdominal trauma were reviewed. Nineteen patients (44.2%) had AST levels greater than 450 IU/L and ALT levels greater than 250 IU/L, and 17 of these 19 patients had hepatic injury identified on abdominal CT scan. Of the 43 patients, 25 (58.1%) had AST and ALT levels of less than 450 IU/L and 250 IU/L, respectively, and none of these patients had evidence of hepatic injury on CT scan. Elevated serum transaminase levels (AST greater than 450 IU/L and ALT greater than 250 IU/L) identified all of the patients with hepatic injury visible on abdominal CT scan. The sensitivity and specificity of elevated serum transaminase levels were 100% and 92.3%, respectively, for predicting hepatic injury. It is recommended that hemodynamically stable pediatric patients with blunt abdominal trauma and AST levels greater than 450 IU/L and/or ALT levels greater than 250 IU/L undergo abdominal CT scan to determine the presence and extent of hepatic injury. Children with serum transaminase levels below these values are at decreased risk of liver injury.

Examination of the enzyme assay for NADPH oxidoreductase; application to polymorphonuclear leukocyte superoxide anion generation.

Superoxide anion production in intact polymorphonuclear leukocytes isolated from medically stable pediatric ICU patients was investigated by examining the initial velocity enzyme kinetics of NADPH oxidoreductase, under a variety of experimental conditions. Present findings confirm that enzyme activity requires stimulation of the respiratory burst, and that catalysis followed longitudinally reflects activation, activity, and termination phases. There was no superoxide anion production in unstimulated neutrophils, and only short-lived superoxide generation in neutrophils stimulated by phorbol myristate acetate. Moreover, the ability to activate resting neutrophils was a labile phenomenon, as reflected by an inducible enzyme half-life of 1.2 days. There were no apparent differences in enzyme activity from granulocytes isolated from venous vs. arterial blood. Enzyme activity in intact granulocytes peaked at pH 7 and 30 degrees C, where the ratio of enzyme activity to cell number was constant over the range 0.25 to 2.5 X 10(5) cells per assay. Utilizing the above strictly defined assay conditions, pediatric-derived polymorphonuclear leukocytes induced with phorbol myristate acetate were found to generate superoxide anion at rates equivalent to those in healthy adults.

Continuous transcutaneous oxygen and carbon dioxide monitoring in the pediatric ICU.

The transcutaneous partial pressures of carbon dioxide (PtcCO2) and oxygen (PtcO2) were measured with heated electrodes in 18 hemodynamically stable pediatric ICU patients and these data were compared to simultaneously measured arterial oxygen and carbon dioxide tensions. There was a significant degree of correlation (p less than 0.001) between the skin surface CO2 and O2 and their corresponding arterial tensions. These data defined values for PtcCO2 and PtcO2 indices in the pediatric patient without cardiovascular complications as PtcCO2 index = 1.6 +/- 0.2 and the PtcO2 index = 0.84 +/- 0.18 (PtcCO2 index = PtcCO2/PaCO2 and PtcO2 index = PtcO2/PaO2). The authors found the monitoring of skin surface gases a reliable technique to monitor arterial gas tension in hemodynamically stable patients.