PCCM Audio Summary - March 2026
The March 2026 issue of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (PCCM) highlights extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO): one feature article on development of a population pharmacokinetic model using anti-Xa activity for dosing unfractionated heparin in patients undergoing venoarterial ECMO and one comparing infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) who underwent an arterial switch operation while on ECMO versus post-ECMO. A clinical investigation article seeks to identify factors associated with death by neurologic criteria in patients on ECMO. Other original research articles investigate neuropathologies associated with sepsis and highlight the need for follow-up programs for patients and caregivers after PICU discharge. Other clinical investigation articles investigate defining associations among fluid overload (including from fluid creep), the Renal Angina Index, and mortality in critically ill children; implementing a QI nurse-led care bundle to reduce unplanned extubations in the PICU; and developing an open-source discrete event simulation model to optimize patient flow through a hospital system. The research review article explores the prognostic value of perioperative near-infrared spectroscopy monitoring of regional oxygen saturation on brain injury, brain development, neurodevelopment, acute kidney injury, and necrotizing enterocolitis in pediatric patients with CHD.
