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Journal Audio Summaries

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Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (PCCM) is pleased to offer monthly audio summaries that feature readings of the issue's most recent research abstracts. Audio summaries ensure accessibility of the information harbored in the journal and provide a convenient way to keep up with the latest in the field.

New summaries will be added in conjunction with each issue of PCCM released, so be sure to sign up for new issue alerts and bookmark this page. Please email journals@sccm.org with any feedback or suggestions.

PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary – March 2024

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The March 2024 issue features articles on the use of prognostication models for critically ill children in locations with limited resources, the use of noninvasive neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NIV-NAVA) in infants with bronchiolitis, and the development and validation of a model to predict endotracheal intubation in pediatric intensive care unit patients. Clinical investigation articles explore the use of ultrasound preextubation in patients intubated with cuffed endotracheal tubes; a comparative analysis of the severity of illness scores of organ dysfunction in children with blood culture-proven sepsis; and cognitive, functional, and quality of life outcomes in patients six months after being hospitalized for bronchiolitis. Neurocritical care articles explore neurologic and functional outcomes after traumatic brain injury and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, as well as death by neurologic criteria and withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The cardiac intensive care article analyzes the association of chylothorax with fluid overload after cardiac surgery in neonates with congenital heart disease.


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary – February 2024

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The February 2024 issue highlights three late-breaker articles on various subjects—effects of early rehabilitation in critically ill children, early use of adrenaline infusions in septic shock, and the use of stress ulcer prophylaxis versus placebo in critically ill children with heart disease. Feature articles explore family challenges of PICU patients as well as topics in tracheal intubation. The Pediatric Critical Care Medicine trial and brief report investigate the levels and use of vitamin C and thiamin in children with suspected sepsis. Online clinical investigations cover topics including hospital failure to rescue in postoperative mortality, suicide and self-harm in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the association of hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism with mechanical ventilation. The issue concludes with a study on dying and death in a PICU. 


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary – January 2024

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The January 2024 Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (PCCM) issue covers a wide variety of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) topics to ring in the new year. 

This month’s issue features an article examining outcomes after in-hospital cardiac arrest from the ICU-RESUScitation dataset, a second article analyzing the use of the prostacyclin analogue epoprostenol as an anticoagulant in continuous renal replacement therapy in children with liver disease, and a third reviewing tools for predicting fluid responsiveness in pediatric shock. There are many clinical investigations in this issue covering topics such as variability in asthma treatment, perfusion index variations in septic shock, delays in vital signs appearing in the electronic health record, comparing viral DNA detection by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in upper respiratory tract infections with metagenomic RNA sequencing in lower respiratory tract infections, a review of pediatric death after withdrawal of life-sustaining measures, and a survey of PICU clinician perspectives about respiratory cultures in ventilator-associated infections. A systematic review and meta-analysis discusses dexmedetomidine withdrawal in children—an important topic with increasing dexmedetomidine use. Additionally, there is an online laboratory investigation and a few online brief reports.


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary – December 2023

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The December 2023 Pediatric Critical Care Medicine issue is a robust one with audio summaries encompassing a wide variety of articles from many different disciplines. Feature articles examine neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), viral respiratory illness severity and management in the PICU, nutrition support for critically ill patients, and patient and family stressors and experiences in the PICU. There are neurocritical care and cardiac intensive care articles, as well as many articles highlighting clinical investigations. This month's review article highlights vascular reconstruction after ECMO, and the brief report examines parental perceptions and functional status in PICU survivors, both of which are engaging reads. 


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary - November 2023

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The November 2023 issue of PCCM is focused entirely on cardiac critical care topics. The feature article describes prevalence and risk factors of children exposed to toxic levels of cardiovascular medications, while clinical investigations cover a breadth of topics from using a psychosocial care model, extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in heart disease, minimizing blood draws, and more. A couple of articles highlight airway management and complications in patients with heart disease. Special articles and a clinical physiology review make this issue quite an interesting read.


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary - October 2023

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The October 2023 audio summary features articles examining pediatric sepsis phenotypes, implementation of an abbreviated neuropsychological evaluation for patients with acquired brain injury, and use of therapeutic plasma exchange and continuous renal replacement therapy in children with dengue-associated acute liver failure and shock syndrome. Clinical investigations evaluated measured body weight and fluid balance as well as association of fluid balance with mortality and health-related quality of life, disorders of consciousness in pediatric severe sepsis and organ failure, measuring energy requirements in traumatic brain injury, parent experience in interhospital transfer of children to pediatric intensive care units (PICUs), visitation and parental policies related to PICU admission, and trends in oncology admissions to PICUs. This issue also included a special article with consensus statements regarding continuity strategies for long-stay PICU patients.


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary - September 2023

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The September 2023 issue features articles on pediatric acute respiratory failure, including support modalities and analysis of cytokine measures in children. Other respiratory articles included in this month’s issue examine the role of plateau and driving pressures in pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome, pre-extubation cuffed tube leaks and association with post-extubation laryngeal edema, and hyperoxia exposure and mortality. Other clinical investigations include examining the lactate/albumin ratio in critically ill children, hyperferritinemia in severe dengue infection, rewarming children after drowning-associated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and using clinical instability as a sign of severity of illness, among others.


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary – August 2023

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The August 2023 issue features articles examining physician experience when families refuse determination of death by neurologic criteria and another examining the outcomes after implementation of an ICU Liberation Bundle (A-F). Clinical investigations compared outcomes associated with centrifugal versus roller pumps for neonatal venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) with somewhat unexpected results, assessed the inspiratory efforts in sedated children, implemented an algorithm to work up new fever or instability, and explored the utility of repeat tracheal aspirate cultures in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). The PCCM trial assessed the use of bundled consent for PICU patients, and the remainder of articles covered a variety of topics, from the relationship of admission PaO2 and mortality, long-term functional outcomes for neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, enteral nutrition on ECMO, the use of shock in in-hospital cardiac arrest, and the use of inhaled anesthetics versus ECMO for status asthmaticus.


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary - July 2023

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The July 2023 issue of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (PCCM) features articles on clinical variables in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) that may affect neurologic outcomes, unplanned extubations in cardiac intensive care units, and the role of biomarkers in sepsis risk stratification in low- to middle-income countries. The clinical investigations focus on pulmonary physiology, especially pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS) and adverse events related to intubation in patients who have received hematopoietic cell transplants. The PCCM trial this month highlights a promising novel hemodialysis device for infants, and the clinical investigations cover the effect of mechanical power on mortality in patients with PARDS, clinician-assigned functional outcome scores in critically ill children, and the use of empirical acyclovir in children with acute encephalitis. The cardiac intensive care articles are both interesting quality improvement initiatives, one focusing on implementation of a sedation-weaning protocol and the other focusing on limiting blood draws for patients. Lastly, a meta-analysis assesses the use of aortic peak flow velocity in predicting fluid responsiveness in mechanically ventilated patients.


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary - June 2023

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The June 2023 issue of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine features articles on implementing primary care physicians for long-stay pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patients, diaphragm tonic activity in PICU patients, and an analysis of pulse oximetry and arterial saturation differences by race in pediatric COVID-19 patients. Clinical investigations cover analgesia and sedation at terminal extubation, demographics associated with the first Malawian PICU, implementing a multidisciplinary PICU follow-up clinic, and analyzing anticoagulation-free periods for pediatric patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The online articles examine sepsis definitions in children worldwide, high-frequency oscillatory ventilation in critically ill children, improving efficiency and productivity in multidisciplinary surgical rounds in the pediatric cardiac ICU, and evidence for escalation of antimicrobial regimens in febrile oncology and hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients in the PICU.


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary - May 2023

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The May 2023 issue features a study examining characteristics and outcomes in pediatric patients with COVID-19 or multisystem inflammatory syndrome who received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in U.S. intensive care units. The feature review article is a meta-analysis identifying factors contributing to the common problem of delirium in critically ill children. This PCCM issue is diverse, with studies exploring how to improve daily patient goal setting, long-term quality of life in patients with congenital heart disease, the impact of patient acuity levels on team rounding, prehospital tranexamic acid administration in pediatric trauma patients, the association of prehospital physician presence during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with neurologic outcomes, and more.


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary - April 2023

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This month’s issue features four diverse articles. One explores the interpretation of Von Willebrand factor multimers, concentration, and function in patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO); another investigates the prevalence of mental health and emotional disorders among pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is an article assessing neurocognitive, psychosocial, and quality-of-life outcomes in pediatric patients with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children who were admitted to the PICU, and another reviewing social determinants of health in children with sepsis. Clinical investigations explore the epidemiology of unplanned extubations, a machine model to track clinical deterioration in hospitalized patients, and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in children with acute myeloid leukemia. Trials and brief reports investigate obtaining assent for PICU research studies, the Cardiohelp ECMO system, and continuous venovenous hemofiltration in neonates with fluid overload.


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary – March 2023

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 This month’s issue features diverse articles, including:

  • An investigation of the association between corticosteroids and PERSEVERE-II risk stratification with mortality in pediatric septic shock  
  • An exploration of the relationship between postoperative complications and children’s quality of life
  • A comparison of invasive venous oximetry with near-infrared spectroscopy in pediatric cardiac patients
The clinical investigation articles discuss assessments of endothelial and glycocalyx biomarkers in children with sepsis after receiving balanced versus unbalanced crystalloids, risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder in children who have had acute respiratory failure, and a quality improvement initiative to improve outcomes in patients with bronchiolitis on high-flow nasal cannula.
 
Other articles explore the use of sustained low-efficiency dialysis in a resource-limited setting, adolescent drug ingestions requiring an intensive care unit (ICU) stay, oxidation-reduction responses in children randomized to a conservative versus liberal oxygen target, delirium screening in infants in the cardiovascular ICU, and level of dysfunction in organs used for donation versus those not used for donation.


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary—February 2023

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This month’s issue debuts two late-breaker articles—one that describes the use of restrictive transfusion practices in hemodynamically stable critically ill children and one that describes long-term pediatric critical care-associated parental traumatic stress. The feature article describes a multicenter collaborative assessing mechanical ventilation practices with liver transplantation in children. Other articles evaluate the use of a protocol, modalities of support, and the amount of oxygen used in bronchiolitis, which are especially pertinent this time of year. This month’s issue also releases the executive summary of the updated Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference (PALICC-2) international guidelines for diagnosis and management of pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome. Online review articles evaluate the use of diaries as aids in pediatric and neonatal ICUs and establish a definition for pediatric chronic illness, while the neurocritical care article measures outcomes in children after severe brain injury.
 


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary – January 2023

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This month’s issue features articles evaluating adverse events in the pediatric ICU (PICU) over a 10-year period, in-hospital cardiac arrests in adults admitted to PICUs, and disease severity trends of SARS-CoV-2 in U.S. PICUs. Two articles discuss prevalence and readmission rates of discharge directly home from the PICU. Other articles focus on goals of care and end of life, including different types of communication and prognostic statements, identification of medical complexity, and end-of-life issues in patients with ventricular assist devices. Additional clinical investigations and brief reports explore in situ simulation of a new critical care unit, pharmacokinetic modeling of midazolam and pentobarbital use in refractory status epilepticus, and the use of steroids in the general PICU population. Online review articles explore antimicrobial stewardship programs and strategies to reduce iatrogenic blood loss in critically ill patients.
 


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary – December 2022

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This month’s issue features articles on a variety of sepsis and shock topics as well as challenges with mechanical ventilation in pediatric patients. The neurocritical intensive care articles evaluate phenotypes in acute brainstem dysfunction and the use of a pediatric neurocritical care team for patients with status epilepticus. Several online clinical investigations and brief reports explore mitigation of nephrotoxic pain medications, application of new acute kidney injury criteria, use of esmolol after tetralogy of Fallot repair, risk of infection development with proton pump inhibitor use, outcomes of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and cytokine release syndrome after chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy, and an article discussing bereaved caregiver perspectives on end-of-life care in pediatric patients with ventricular assist devices.


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary – November 2022

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This month’s issue features articles on evaluating the use of calcium during cardiopulmonary resuscitation in children with heart disease, assessing moral distress in the pediatric ICU, examining the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in children with neurologic disorders or neurofunctional disability, and creating core outcome measurement sets for pediatric critical care patients. Additional articles describe clinical investigations about cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality and outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic and centralizing pediatric critical care in Australia and New Zealand. The neurocritical care article examines the utility of high-dose midazolam in pediatric refractory status epilepticus, and there are a couple of articles evaluating the use of antifibrinolytics in pediatric trauma and cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. We wrap up with this month's narrative, which focuses on stress and burnout in pediatric critical care.


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary – October 2022

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This month’s issue features articles on delirium in the pediatric ICU and its impact on pediatric ICU readmission within one year, the use of prophylactic enoxaparin against catheter-associated thrombosis in postoperative cardiac patients, and outcomes associated with sodium bicarbonate use during pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest. Other articles in this month’s issue investigate children with cardiac disease; one focuses on outcomes with early peritoneal dialysis cardiac surgery, another evaluates a treatment algorithm to mitigate bleeding in children with acquired von Willebrand syndrome type 2A, and another assesses a method to predict use of critical resources after cardiac catheterization. There are several other interesting articles on topics such as respiratory failure, functional status outcomes, optimal epinephrine dose during cardiac arrest, and anticoagulation with ventricular assist devices.  


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary – September 2022

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This month’s issue features articles on utilization of neurocritical resources in critically ill children, examination of early administration of corticosteroids in septic shock and association with clinically meaningful outcomes, and evaluation of increased monocyte distribution width in children with systemic inflammatory response syndrome and sepsis. There are also interesting articles on transport medicine, tracheostomy placement in children with pulmonary hypertension, prevention of clots in patients with modified Blalock-Taussig shunts, parental experience in the pediatric ICU, and semiautomated regional citrate anticoagulation in chronic kidney replacement therapy. Finally, there is a compelling narrative on the complex decision of extracorporeal membrane oxygen candidacy in critically ill children and the need for a systematic approach.


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary - August 2022

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This month’s issue features articles on assessing physical, emotional/behavioral, and neurocognitive developmental outcomes in children after pediatric ICU admission, neurologic dysfunction relative to timing of recognition of pediatric sepsis, and using social determinants of health to identify neighborhoods where children are at risk for acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation. Additionally, there are interesting articles assessing peripheral vasoactive infusions in children with shock, an article investigating pathogen type and outcomes of septic shock, and a comparison of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children with original/alpha versus delta variants of COVID-19.


PCCM Audio

PCCM Audio Summary – July 2022

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This month’s Pediatric Critical Care Medicine features articles on assessing the epidemiology of pediatric intensive care unit admissions over a five-year period, the prevalence of cardiac dysfunction in Malawian children with severe febrile illness, and outcomes with conservative fluid management strategies in septic shock in African children. Additionally, there are a few articles on acute kidney injury, perioperative intensive care for patients with congenital heart disease, and acute respiratory distress syndrome.   


Erin Bennett, MD, MPH
Audio Summary Narrator
Erin Bennett, MD, MPH
Dr. Bennett is an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the Division of Critical Care at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. She completed her residency and fellowship in pediatric critical care at Primary Children’s Hospital and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Dr. Bennett created this audio summary to make the content of PCCM more accessible to the readership and to disseminate current research in pediatric critical care.