Pediatric Simplified Acute Physiology Score II: Establishment of a New, Repeatable Pediatric Mortality Risk Assessment Score

Objectives: In critical care it is crucial to appropriately assess the risk of mortality for each patient. This is especially relevant in pediatrics, with its need for accurate and repeatable scoring. Aim of this study was to evaluate an age-adapted version of the expanded Simplified Acute Physiology Score II; (p-SAPS II), a repeatable, newly-designed scoring system compared to established scores (Pediatric Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score/pSOFA, Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction Score-2/PELOD-2 and Pediatric Index of Mortality 3/PIM3).Design: This retrospective cohort pilot study included data collected from patients admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at the Medical University of Vienna between July 2017 through December 2018.Patients: 231 admissions were included, comprising neonates (gestational age of ≥ 37 weeks) and patients up to 18 years of age with a PICU stay longer than 48 h.Main Outcomes: Mortality risk prediction and discrimination between survivors and non-survivors were the main outcomes of this study. The primary statistical methods for evaluating the performance of each score were the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and goodness-of-fit test.Results: Highest AUROC curve was calculated for p-SAPS II (AUC = 0.86; 95% CI: 0.77–0.96; p < 0.001). This was significantly higher than the AUROCs of PELOD-2/pSOFA but not of PIM3. However, in a logistic regression model including p-SAPS II and PIM3 as covariates, p-SAPS II had a significant effect on the accuracy of prediction (p = 0.003). Nevertheless, according to the goodness-of-fit test for p-SAPS II and PIM3, p-SAPS II overestimated the number of deaths, whereas PIM3 showed acceptable estimations. Repeatability testing showed increasing AUROC values for p-SAPS II throughout the clinical stay (0.96 at day 28) but still no significant difference to PIM 3. The prediction accuracy, although improved over the days and even exceeded PIM 3.Conclusions: The newly-created p-SAPS II performed better than the established PIM3 in terms of discriminating between survivors and non-survivors. Furthermore, p-SAPS II can be assessed repeatably throughout a patient's PICU stay what improves mortality prediction. However, there is still a need to optimize calibration of the score to accurately predict mortality sooner throughout the clinical stay.

The Utility of Bedside Assessment Tools and Associated Factors to Avoid Antibiotic Overuse in an Urban PICU of a Diarrheal Disease Hospital in Bangladesh

Background: Antibiotic exposure in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is very high, although 50% of all antibiotics may be unnecessary. We aimed to determine the utility of simple bedside screening tools and predicting factors to avoid antibiotic overuse in the ICU among children with diarrhea and critical illness. Methods: We conducted a retrospective, single-center, case-control study that included children aged 2–59 months who were admitted to PICU with diarrhea and critical illness between 2017 and 2020. Results: We compared young children who did not receive antibiotics (cases, n = 164) during ICU stay to those treated with antibiotics (controls, n = 346). For predicting the ‘no antibiotic approach’, the sensitivity of a negative quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) was similar to quick Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2 (qPELOD-2) and higher than Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS). A negative qSOFA or qPELOD-2 score calculated during PICU admission is superior to SIRS to avoid antibiotic overuse in under-five children. The logistic regression analysis revealed that cases were more often older and independently associated with hypernatremia. Cases less often had severe underweight, altered mentation, age-specific fast breathing, lower chest wall in-drawing, adventitious sound on lung auscultation, abdominal distension, developmental delay, hyponatremia, hypocalcemia, and microscopic evidence of invasive diarrhea (for all, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Antibiotic overuse could be evaded in PICU using simple bedside screening tools and clinical characteristics, particularly in poor resource settings among children with diarrhea.

Evaluation of Severity of Illness Scores in the Pediatric ECMO Population

Though commonly used for adjustment of risk, severity of illness and mortality risk prediction scores, based on the first 24 h of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, have not been validated in the pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) population. We aimed to determine the association of Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 (PIM2), Pediatric Risk of Mortality Score III (PRISM III) and Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction (PELOD) scores with mortality in pediatric patients on ECMO. This was a retrospective cohort study of children ≤18 years of age included in the Pediatric ECMO Outcomes Registry (PEDECOR) from 2014 to 2018. Logistic regression and Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves were used to calculate the area under the curve (AUC) to evaluate association of mortality with the scores. Of the 655 cases, 289 (44.1%) did not survive until hospital discharge. AUCs for PIM2, PRISM III, and PELOD predicting mortality were 0.52, 0.52, and 0.51 respectively. PIM2, PRISM III, and PELOD scores are not associated with odds of mortality for pediatric patients receiving ECMO. These scores for a general pediatric ICU population should not be used for prognostication or risk stratification of a select population such as ECMO patients.

Citrullinated Histone H3 Level as a Novel Biomarker in Pediatric Clinical Sepsis

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is still leading cause of death in critically ill children. Early recognition of sepsis and treatments are needed to reduce its mortality. The use of citrullinated Histone H3 (Cit-H3) as an early sepsis marker and outcome predictor has been validated in previous studies among adults. However, only one study in pediatric meningococcal sepsis was reported with contradictory results. This study aims to determine Cit-H3 levels in pediatric clinical sepsis and analyze its association with sepsis severity and survival rate.METHODS: A prospective observational cohort study involving 67 pediatric subjects clinically diagnosed with sepsis was conducted. Cit-H3 levels, Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2 (PELOD-2) score, and Pediatric Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (pSOFA) score were assessed at the time of diagnosis (0-hour) and 48 hours later. Pearson Correlation test was used to determine the correlation between Cit-H3 levels with PELOD-2 and pSOFA scores and receiver operating curve to find the cut-off of Cit-H3 levels on clinical sepsis patients.RESULTS: Among clinically sepsis patients, the median Cit-H3 level was 1,210 (800-32,160) ng/mL, with optimal cut-off point ≥1200 ng/mL (sensitivity 83.3% and specificity 75.7%) to discriminate sepsis. The median Cit-H3 levels at 0-hour were lower in survivor compared to non-survivor group (p=0.016). Cit-H3 level was able to predict mortality with optimal cut-off point ≥1,200 ng/mL, sensitivity 72.2% and specificity 57.1% (AUC of 69.2%; p=0.017). Using survival analysis, Cit-H3 was significantly associated with the mortality rate (p=0.023; hazard ratio of 3.45).CONCLUSION: Cit-H3 level could be potential to predict pediatric sepsis events and its outcome.KEYWORDS: citrullinated histone H3, neutrophil extracellular traps, pediatric sepsis, PELOD-2 score, pSOFA score, survival

The Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, PELOD-2 score, and mortality rate in pediatric sepsis

Background Sepsis is life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a regulated immune response to infection. Sepsis remains the most common cause of death in infants and children worldwide. The Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction (PELOD-2) score, one of the most widely used scoring systems in pediatric sepsis patients, has been shown to be accurate in predicting mortality. The platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) is a new clinical indicator of inflammation in a variety of diseases including sepsis. Objective To investigate the relationship between PLR, PELOD-2 score, and clinical outcomes in pediatric patients with sepsis. Methods This retrospective cohort study was conducted in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), Prof R.D. Kandou Hospital, Manado, North Sulawesi, from February to August 2020. Subjects’ PELOD-2 score and PLR were recorded once within the first 24 hours of PICU admission. We analyzed patients’ PELOD-2 score, PLR, and mortality rate, with 95% confidence interval (CI) for each value. Results Of 96 children with sepsis admitted to the PICU during the study period, 87 patients (46 boys; 52.9%) met the inclusion criteria. In total, 50 (57.47%) patients were non-survivors. Mean PLR values among survivors [77.54 (SD 50.08)] was significantly lower compared to the values among non-survivors [157.13 (SD 67.38)]; as well as the PELOD-2 score in the survivors group [12 (SD 1.32)] was significantly lower than its value in the non-survivors [14.65 (SD 2.09)]. Spearman’s analysis showed a moderately positive correlation between PLR and PELOD-2 score (r=0.444; 95%CI 0.44 to 1; P<0.01). Biserial point correlation analysis revealed a significant association between PLR and mortality rate (rpb=0.566; P<0.0001),with elevated PLR related to an increased risk of mortality. Conclusion There are positive correlations between PLR, PELOD-2 score, and mortality rate in pediatric patients with sepsis. Higher PLR and PELOD-2 score are associated with higher mortality.

Neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio correlation to procalcitonin and PELOD-2 score in pediatric sepsis

Background Sepsis is a leading cause of children’s mortality worldwide. Procalcitonin (PCT) is a widely used infection marker, but has limitations in terms of cost and availability. The neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio (NLCR) is easy to perform, low-cost, and widely used as a diagnostic and prognostic marker of various inflammatory processes. Objective To investigate possible correlations of NLCR to PCT and Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2 (PELOD-2) score among pediatric sepsis patients. Method A retrospective study was conducted by reviewing the Pediatric Sepsis Registry at Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, West Java, from January 2019–June 2020. We recorded patients’ characteristics, PELOD-2 score, NLCR, and PCT results. Correlation analysis was conducted using Spearman’s Rank test with significance value of P<0.05. Results Ninety patients were included in the study. Most patients were male (56.7%), under 2 years of age (57.8%), and had lower respiratory tract infection (67.8%) as the most common source of infection. The NLCR value had significant, positive correlations to PCT (r=0.642; P<0.001) and PELOD-2 score (r=0.233; P=0.027) in pediatric sepsis patients. Conclusion The NLCR is directly proportional to PCT in pediatric sepsis patients. This result suggents that NLCR may have a potential role as an alternative marker for sepsis in emergency setting.

Comparación de las escalas de mortalidad Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM) y Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction (PELOD) en pacientes pediátricos en una unidad de cuidados intensivos: Un estudio de centro único.

Introducción: El objetivo del presente estudio fue realizar un estudio de pruebas diagnósticas entre la escala PRISM III vs la escala PELOD para predecir mortalidad en pacientes que ingresan a la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos (UCIP) del Hospital Pediátrico Baca Ortiz en el periodo de junio-diciembre 2019. Métodos: En el presente estudio observacional, retrospectivo, se registró la mortalidad y las variables que conforman cada una de las escalas predictivas. Se aplicó estadística descriptiva e inferencial, cálculo del área bajo la curva de ROC. La calibración, se calculó usando el chi2 de Hosmer Lemeshow y la tasa de mortalidad estandarizada mediante le paquete estadístico STATA v16. Resultados: Ingresaron al estudio 150 pacientes. 99 pacientes (66%) fueron hombres, tuvieron una media de edad de 3 años (P25 a P75) de 1 mes a 14 años. La patología de ingreso más frecuente fue la enfermedad posquirúrgica en 43 pacientes (28.6%), y la insuficiencia respiratoria en 31 pacientes (21.6%). La mortalidad fue 12.7%, con una media de estancia hospitalaria de 5 días (1 a 60). La escala de PRIMS III con área bajo la curva de 0.80 (IC 95% de 0.70 a 0.90), sensibilidad 79 % y especificidad 63 % con un puntaje PRISM III de 13 puntos. La escala de PELOD con área bajo la curva de 0.7 (IC 95% de 0.5 a 0.80), sensibilidad de 79 % y especificidad de 60 % con un puntaje PELOD de 21 puntos. Conclusiones: la escala de PRISM III predice la mortalidad mejor que la escala PELOD en este grupo de pacientes pediátricos en las primeras 24 horas.

Hemoperfusion with CytoSorb to Manage Multiorgan Dysfunction in the Spectrum of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Syndrome in Critically Ill Children

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a life-threatening condition characterized by a state of hyperinflammation. Blood purification techniques can blunt the inflammatory process with a rapidly relevant nonselective effect on the cytokine storm, thus potentially translating into survival benefit for these patients. In this cohort, we evaluated the impact of hemoadsorption with CytoSorb combined with continuous kidney replacement therapy used as adjunctive therapy in 6 critically ill children with multiple organ dysfunction due to HLH. In our series, we found a reduction in inflammatory biomarkers in patients with HLH secondary to infection. Ferritin, one of the most important bedside biomarkers of HLH, showed a reduction in most of the treated patients. The same results were found measuring interleukin-6 and interleukin-10. The same patients showed hemodynamic stabilization measured by the Vasopressor-Inotropic-Score, and reduction in the organ disease score measured with the Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction score. In our cohort, mortality was less than expected based on the Pediatric Index of Mortality 3 score at pediatric intensive care unit admission. Our study shows that hemoperfusion could be a valuable therapeutic option in HLH: stronger scientific evidence is needed to confirm our preliminary experience.

Intensive Care Unit Scoring Systems

Background Illness severity scoring systems are commonly used in critical care. When applied to the populations for whom they were developed and validated, these tools can facilitate mortality prediction and risk stratification, optimize resource use, and improve patient outcomes. Objective To describe the characteristics and applications of the scoring systems most frequently applied to critically ill patients. Methods A literature search was performed using MEDLINE to identify original articles on intensive care unit scoring systems published in the English language from 1980 to 2020. Search terms associated with critical care scoring systems were used alone or in combination to find relevant publications. Results Two types of scoring systems are most frequently applied to critically ill patients: those that predict risk of in-hospital mortality at the time of intensive care unit admission (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation, Simplified Acute Physiology Score, and Mortality Probability Models) and those that assess and characterize current degree of organ dysfunction (Multiple Organ Dysfunction Score, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment, and Logistic Organ Dysfunction System). This article details these systems’ differing features and timing of use, score calculation, patient populations, and comparative performance data. Conclusion Critical care nurses must be aware of the strengths, limitations, and specific characteristics of severity scoring systems commonly used in intensive care unit patients to effectively employ these tools in clinical practice and critically appraise research findings based on their use.

Predictors of Failure of Noninvasive Ventilation in Critically Ill Children

Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is a common modality employed to treat acute respiratory failure. Most data guiding its use is extrapolated from adult studies. We sought to identify clinical predictors associated with failure of NIV, defined as requiring intubation. This single-center retrospective observational study included children admitted to pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) between July 2014 and June 2016 treated with NIV, excluding postextubation. A total of 148 patients was included. Twenty-seven (18%) failed NIV. There was no difference between the two groups with regard to age, gender, comorbidities, or etiology of acute respiratory failure. Those that failed had higher admission pediatric risk of mortality (p = 0.01) and pediatric logistic organ dysfunction (p = 0.002) scores and higher fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2; p = 0.009) at NIV initiation. Failure was associated with lack of improvement in tachypnea. At 6 hours of NIV, the failure group had worsening tachypnea with a median increase in respiratory rate of 8%, while the success group had a median reduction of 18% (p = 0.06). Multivariable Cox's proportional hazard models revealed FiO2 at initiation and worsening respiratory rate at 1- and 6-hour significant risks for failure of NIV. Failure was associated with a significantly longer PICU length of stay (success [2.8 days interquartile range (IQR): 1.7, 5.5] vs. failure [10.6 days IQR: 5.6, 13.2], p < 0.001). NIV can be successfully employed to treat acute respiratory failure in pediatric patients. There should be heightened concern for NIV failure in hypoxemic patients whose tachypnea is unresponsive to NIV. A trend toward improvement should be closely monitored.