Family Presence During Pediatric Tracheal Intubations

Family-centered care, which supports family presence (FP) during procedures, is now a widely accepted standard at health care facilities that care for children. However, there is a paucity of data regarding the practice of FP during tracheal intubation (TI) in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). Family presence during procedures in PICUs has been advocated. To describe the current practice of FP during TI and evaluate the association with procedural and clinician (including physician, respiratory therapist, and nurse practitioner) outcomes across multiple PICUs. Prospective cohort study in which all TIs from July 2010 to March 2014 in the multicenter TI database (National Emergency Airway Registry for Children [NEAR4KIDS]) were analyzed. Family presence was defined as a family member present during TI. This study included all TIs in patients younger than 18 years in 22 international PICUs. Family presence and no FP during TI in the PICU. The percentage of FP during TIs. First attempt success rate, adverse TI-associated events, multiple attempts (≥ 3), oxygen desaturation (oxygen saturation as measured by pulse oximetry <80%), and self-reported team stress level. A total of 4969 TI encounters were reported. Among those, 81% (n = 4030) of TIs had documented FP status (with/without). The median age of participants with FP was 2 years and 1 year for those without FP. The average percentage of TIs with FP was 19% and varied widely across sites (0%-43%; P < .001). Tracheal intubations with FP (vs without FP) were associated with older patients (median, 2 years vs 1 year; P = .04), lower Paediatric Index of Mortality 2 score, and pediatric resident as the first airway clinician (23%, n = 179 vs 18%, n = 584; odds ratio [OR], 1.4; 95% CI, 1.2-1.7). Tracheal intubations with FP and without FP were no different in the first attempt success rate (OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.85-1.18), adverse TI-associated events (any events: OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.85-1.30 and severe events: OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.75-1.43), multiple attempts (≥ 3) (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.82-1.28), oxygen desaturation (oxygen saturation <80%) (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.80-1.18), or self-reported team stress level (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.92-1.31). This result persisted after adjusting for patient and clinician confounders. Wide variability exists in FP during TIs across PICUs. Family presence was not associated with first attempt success, adverse TI-associated events, oxygen desaturation (<80%), or higher team stress level. Our data suggest that FP during TI can safely be implemented as part of a family-centered care model in the PICU

Cytokine Profiles of Severe Influenza Virus-Related Complications in Children

RationaleEffective immunomodulatory therapies for children with life-threatening “cytokine storm” triggered by acute influenza infection are lacking. Understanding the immune profiles of children progressing to severe lung injury and/or septic shock could provide insight into pathogenesis.ObjectivesTo compare the endotracheal and serum cytokine profiles of children with influenza-related critical illness and to identify their associations with severe influenza-associated complications.MethodsChildren with influenza-related critical illness were enrolled across 32 hospitals in development (N = 171) and validation (N = 73) cohorts (December 2008 through May 2016). Concentrations of 42 cytokines were measured in serum and endotracheal samples and clustered into modules of covarying cytokines. Relative concentrations of cytokines and cytokine modules were tested for associations with acute lung injury (ALI), shock requiring vasopressors, and death/ECMO.Measurements and main resultsModules of covarying cytokines were more significantly associated with disease severity than individual cytokines. In the development cohort, increased levels of a serum module containing IL6, IL8, IL10, IP10, GCSF, MCP1, and MIP1α [shock odds ratio (OR) = 3.37, family-wise error rate (FWER) p &lt; 10−4], and decreased levels of a module containing EGF, FGF2, SCD40L, and PAI-1 (shock OR = 0.43, FWER p = 0.002), were both associated with ALI, shock, and death-ECMO independent of age and bacterial coinfection. Both of these associations were confirmed in the validation cohort. Endotracheal and serum cytokine associations differed markedly and were differentially associated with clinical outcomes.ConclusionWe identified strong positive and negative associations of cytokine modules with the most severe influenza-related complications in children, providing new insights into the pathogenesis of influenza-related critical illness in children. Effective therapies may need to target mediators of both inflammation and repair