OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical effectiveness of veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) in rescuing children with severe pulmonary contusion. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of four children with severe pulmonary contusion who were treated with VV-ECMO in the pediatric intensive care unit of Xi'an Children's Hospital from April 2021 to December 2024. The general data, laboratory indicators within 24 hours after admission, imaging features, bronchoscopic findings, diagnostic and treatment processes, as well as therapeutic outcomes of the children were analyzed. RESULTS: All four pediatric cases were male, aged 4 years and 9 months, 6 years and 5 months, 8 years and 10 months, and 9 years and 7 months, respectively. One case resulted from a high-altitude fall and three from traffic accidents, all presenting with multiple fractures. All four cases progressed to dyspnea within 1-4 hours post-injury and received endotracheal intubation with invasive ventilator support within 2-5 hours. Three cases exhibited tachycardia upon admission and were treated with norepinephrine, all four cases presented with fine moist rales in the lungs. Imaging studies revealed diffuse exudative changes in all four cases. Bronchoscopy identified diffuse pulmonary hemorrhage, with one case additionally showing rupture of the right intermediate bronchus. Conventional mechanical ventilation failed to correct oxygenation in all cases, prompting initiation of VV-ECMO therapy within 8-22 hours post-injury. One case underwent right thoracic exploration under ECMO support. Following treatment, all four cases demonstrated gradual reduction in bloody airway secretions, resolution of pulmonary exudative changes on imaging, and absence of hemorrhage on bronchoscopy. They were successfully weaned off ECMO and ultimately discharged as cured. CONCLUSIONS Severe pulmonary contusion rapidly leads to respiratory distress, requiring ventilator-assisted ventilation within hours of injury. When conventional ventilator support is ineffective, ECMO can be life-saving, with timely intervention yielding favorable prognosis.
Humans ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation/methods* ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Contusions/therapy* ; Lung Injury/therapy* ; Treatment Outcome

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of neutrophil elastase inhibitor in children with acute respiratory distress syndrome（ARDS）.Methods:A total of 168 children with moderate to severe ARDS who were hospitalized in the Department of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit，the Affiliated Children′s Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University and Children's Emergency Center of Gansu Provincial Central Hospital from January 2022 to December 2023 were selected. Eighty-seven children receiving neutrophil elastase inhibitors were treated as the treatment group and 81 children receiving conventional treatment as the control group. The dynamic changes of general data，clinical indicators and ventilator parameters at 24 h，48 h and 72 h were compared between the two groups. Mortality at 28 days was the primary endpoint. Kaplan-Meier curve and Log-Rank test were used to evaluate cumulative survival.Results:There was no significant difference in general information and clinical characteristics between the two groups.Compared with the control group，arterial partial pressure of oxygen（PaO 2）/fraction of inspired oxygen（FiO 2）in the treatment group increased significantly at 48 h［（160.28±5.90）mmHg（1 mmHg=0.133 kPa）vs（141.04±4.01）mmHg， P<0.05］and 72 h［（227.58±6.85）mmHg vs（180.86±4.08）mmHg， P<0.05］，and the differences were statistically significant.The platform pressure in the treatment group were lower than that of the control group at 24 h［（28.18±3.95）cmH 2O（1cmH 2O=0.098 kPa）vs（30.15±7.75）cmH 2O， P<0.05］，48 h［（25.56±4.06）cmH 2O vs（29.07±5.01）cmH 2O， P<0.05］，72 h［（24.95±2.82）cmH 2O vs（27.12±6.51）cmH 2O， P<0.05］，and the differences were statistically significant. IL-8 in the treatment group were lower than that of the control group at 48 h［（78.26±14.05）ng/L vs（86.02±15.01）ng/L， P<0.05］and 72 h［（58.38±15.56）ng/L vs（68.68±18.05）ng/L， P<0.05］，and the differences were statistically significant.The survival curve showed that the cumulative survival rate of the treatment group was higher than that of the control group，the difference between the two groups was statistically significant（ χ2=4.549， P=0.033）. Conclusion:Neutrophil elastase inhibitors can reduce the lung injury of ARDS patients by inhibiting the inflammatory response induced by neutrophils，and ultimately improve the prognosis of the disease.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial resistance profiles of bacterial strains isolated from pediatric intensive care units(PICU)in China for better antimicrobial therapy.Methods Clinical isolates were collected from 17 institutions,including tertiary care children's hospitals and pediatric department of tertiary general hospitals in China from January 1,2020 to December 31,2022.Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out according to a unified protocol using Kirby-Bauer method or automated systems.Results were interpreted according to the breakpoints released by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)in 2020.Results A total of 10 688 isolates were collected,including gram-positive organisms(39.2％)and gram-negative organisms(60.8％).The top three organisms were S.aureus(13.6％,1 453/10 688),A.baumannii(10.0％,1 067/10 688),and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus(9.9％,1 058/10 688).Multi-drug resistant organisms(MDROs)were very common in children.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA),carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales(CRE),carbapenem-resistant E.coli,carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae(CRKP),carbapenem-resistant A.baumannii(CRAB),and carbapenem-resistant P.aeruginosa(CRPA)was 41.1％,19.4％,8.8％,30.9％,67.4％,and 28.8％,respectively.Overall,more than 50％of Enterobacteriales isolates were resistant to cephalosporins,while nearly 25％of Enterobacteriales isolates were resistant to carbapenems.MDROs were highly resistant to commonly used antibiotics.More than 80％of CRE and CRAB strains were resistant to all beta-lactam antibiotics.CRE and CRAB showed low resistance rates to tigecycline and polymyxin.CRPA showed lower resistance rates to piperacillin,beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations than the resistance rates to third and fourth generation cephalosporins.All of the Staphylococcus and Enterococcus isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and tigecycline.None of PRSP strains isolated from meningitis and nonmeningitis samples were resistant to rifampicin,vancomycin,or linezolid.The prevalence of β-lactamase-negative ampicillin-resistant(BLNAR)strains was 43.3％in Haemophilus influenzae.Conclusions MDROs were prevalent in PICU.It is necessary to establish an effective multidisciplinary team(MDT)to control the antimicrobial resistance.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of immunoadsorption with protein A column(PA-IA) in refractory anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis in children.Methods:The clinical data of 8 children with anti-NMDAR encephalitis who failed to receive first-line treatment from January 2022 to June 2023 in PICU of Xi'an Children's Hospital were retrospectively collected.Clinical features,modified Rankin score (mRS),anti-NMDAR antibody titers in serum and cerebrospinal fluid(CSF),cells count in CSF,protein level in CSF,serum IgG,complement C3,C4 level were analyzed before and after immunoadsorption therapy. All adverse events that occurred during treatment were recorded in detail.Result:Among the 8 children,there were 5 males and 3 females,aged 5 to 12 years old,and each patient was immunized 6 to 10 times,and 75 times of PA-IA treatment were performed. The mRS score decreased in 8 children after PA-IA treatment. Blood IgG level,CSF cell number,protein level in CSF,blood complement C3 and C4 levels,and antibody titers related in blood and CSF were all lower than those before PA-IA treatment. The differences were all statistically significant ( P<0.001).During 75 times of treatment,only 1 case of membrane rupture occurred during treatment,the treatment was stopped and continued after the plasma separator was replaced,with no other adverse reactions. Conclusion:PA-IA could effectively improve the clinical symptoms and neurological function of children with refractory anti-NMDAR encephalitis with good safety,but its exact efficacy in children with anti-NMDAR encephalitis needs to be verified by prospective studies with larger samples.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of immunoadsorption with protein A column(PA-IA) in refractory anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis in children.Methods:The clinical data of 8 children with anti-NMDAR encephalitis who failed to receive first-line treatment from January 2022 to June 2023 in PICU of Xi'an Children's Hospital were retrospectively collected.Clinical features,modified Rankin score (mRS),anti-NMDAR antibody titers in serum and cerebrospinal fluid(CSF),cells count in CSF,protein level in CSF,serum IgG,complement C3,C4 level were analyzed before and after immunoadsorption therapy. All adverse events that occurred during treatment were recorded in detail.Result:Among the 8 children,there were 5 males and 3 females,aged 5 to 12 years old,and each patient was immunized 6 to 10 times,and 75 times of PA-IA treatment were performed. The mRS score decreased in 8 children after PA-IA treatment. Blood IgG level,CSF cell number,protein level in CSF,blood complement C3 and C4 levels,and antibody titers related in blood and CSF were all lower than those before PA-IA treatment. The differences were all statistically significant ( P<0.001).During 75 times of treatment,only 1 case of membrane rupture occurred during treatment,the treatment was stopped and continued after the plasma separator was replaced,with no other adverse reactions. Conclusion:PA-IA could effectively improve the clinical symptoms and neurological function of children with refractory anti-NMDAR encephalitis with good safety,but its exact efficacy in children with anti-NMDAR encephalitis needs to be verified by prospective studies with larger samples.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial resistance profiles of bacterial strains isolated from pediatric intensive care units(PICU)in China for better antimicrobial therapy.Methods Clinical isolates were collected from 17 institutions,including tertiary care children's hospitals and pediatric department of tertiary general hospitals in China from January 1,2020 to December 31,2022.Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out according to a unified protocol using Kirby-Bauer method or automated systems.Results were interpreted according to the breakpoints released by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)in 2020.Results A total of 10 688 isolates were collected,including gram-positive organisms(39.2％)and gram-negative organisms(60.8％).The top three organisms were S.aureus(13.6％,1 453/10 688),A.baumannii(10.0％,1 067/10 688),and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus(9.9％,1 058/10 688).Multi-drug resistant organisms(MDROs)were very common in children.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA),carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales(CRE),carbapenem-resistant E.coli,carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae(CRKP),carbapenem-resistant A.baumannii(CRAB),and carbapenem-resistant P.aeruginosa(CRPA)was 41.1％,19.4％,8.8％,30.9％,67.4％,and 28.8％,respectively.Overall,more than 50％of Enterobacteriales isolates were resistant to cephalosporins,while nearly 25％of Enterobacteriales isolates were resistant to carbapenems.MDROs were highly resistant to commonly used antibiotics.More than 80％of CRE and CRAB strains were resistant to all beta-lactam antibiotics.CRE and CRAB showed low resistance rates to tigecycline and polymyxin.CRPA showed lower resistance rates to piperacillin,beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations than the resistance rates to third and fourth generation cephalosporins.All of the Staphylococcus and Enterococcus isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and tigecycline.None of PRSP strains isolated from meningitis and nonmeningitis samples were resistant to rifampicin,vancomycin,or linezolid.The prevalence of β-lactamase-negative ampicillin-resistant(BLNAR)strains was 43.3％in Haemophilus influenzae.Conclusions MDROs were prevalent in PICU.It is necessary to establish an effective multidisciplinary team(MDT)to control the antimicrobial resistance.

Objective:To investigate the related risk factors affecting the prognosis of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome(HFRS) in children.Methods:A retrospective study was carried out.We selected 182 pediatric patients who met the diagnostic criteria for pediatric HFRS while hospitalized in the Intensive Care Department of the Affiliated Children′s Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University between July 2014 and December 2021 as the research objects.The severe and critical patients were taken as the observation group(24 cases), and the mild and moderate pediatric patients were taken as the control group(158 cases). The demographic, epidemiological data and clinically relevant indicators within 8 hours of pediatric patients after admission were collected.The 28-day death was the primary endpoint.Renal failure and pulmonary edema were secondary endpoint.The differences of clinically relevant indicators between the two groups were observed.Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors and receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve was used to determine the predictive efficacy of different outcome prediction models.Results:There were no statistically significant differences in age, gender, and BMI between the two groups (all P>0.05). Compared the control group with the observation group, coagulation function indicators such as activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT)[(134±21)s vs.(164±34)s], D-dimer [(6.31±3.20)mg/L vs.(12.43±5.67)mg/L], von Willebrand factor (vWF)[(352±45)μg/L vs.(465±103)μg/L], and platelet(PLT)[(87±35)×10 9/L vs.(45±24)×10 9/L], Lactate(Lac)[(2.6±1.1)mmol/L vs.(6.0±2.0)mmol/L]were different significantly(all P<0.05). Additionally, the lymphocyte characteristic analysis indicator lymphocytes [(2 749±686)×10 6/L vs.(2 374±851)×10 6/L], CD3 + [(1 821± 487)×10 6/L vs.(1 065±539)×10 6/L], CD4 + /CD8 + (1.65±0.73)vs.(1.00±0.25), CD19 + [(559±105)×10 6/L vs.(487± 133)×10 6/L]were different significantly(all P<0.05). The inflammatory index procalcitonin(PCT) [(22±15)ng/L vs.(56±21)ng/L, P<0.05]was different significantly in two groups.The rate of continuous renaly replacement therapy, ventilator-assisted ventilation, vasoactive drugs and other treatment measures increased significantly in observation group than those in control group(all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed on the included indicators.With death as the primary endpoint, Lac, CD8 + , D-dimer, vWF and PCT were significantly associated with mortality, which were risk factors for death, while PLT and CD4 + /CD8 + were protective factors.With renal failure and pulmonary edema as secondary endpoint, CD8 + , D-dimer, Lac and PCT were risk factors for secondary endpoint.ROC curve analysis showed that the sensitivity, specificity and AUC of the risk factor prediction model related to the primary endpoint variables were 77.91%, 81.22% and 0.769, and which related to secondary endpoint variables were 87.61%, 77.59% and 0.891, respectively. Conclusion:The combinations of CD8 + , D-dimer, Lac, PCT and vWF have good predictive value for poor prognosis in children with HFRS.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and treatment strategies of toxic epidermal necrolysis(TEN) in children.Methods:The clinical data, laboratory examination, diagnosis and treatment process and treatment outcomes of 11 children with TEN treated in PICU at Children′s Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University from January 2018 to June 2022 were collected and analyzed retrospectively.Results:There were five males and six females, aged from one year to 11 years old.Nine cases were caused by drugs, among which six cases were caused by antiepileptic drugs, two cases were caused by Chinese patent medicine, one case was caused by antibiotics, and the remaining two cases were caused by infection.In addition to large area of skin exfoliation, one case was complicated with corneal perforation, one case was complicated with finger (toe) nail fall off, and two cases were complicated with upper airway obstruction.All children were complicated with various degrees of heart, liver, kidney and other organ damage.Eight cases who were admitted to the department of immunology were treated with methylprednisolone and intravenous immune globulin.Three cases had no change in rash, and five cases had an enlarged range of skin lesions compared with admission, and finally all of them were transferred to PICU.Three cases were first diagnosed in PICU and were not treated with methylprednisolone and intravenous immune globulin after admission.All 11 children were given therapeutic plasma exchange in PICU.For children whose first department was PICU, the average hospitalization time of PICU was (8.00±3.00) days, the total average hospitalization time was (33.66±20.10) days, and the average hospitalization cost was (73.9±30.5) thousand yuan.For children whose first department was the immunology department, the average hospitalization time of PICU was (21.62±16.18) days, the total average hospitalization time was (41.87±16.97) days, and the average hospitalization cost was (130.8±52.2) thousand yuan.One case, because of corneal perforation, the family members asked to leave the hospital for economic reasons after the rash improved, and the rest of the children were cured and discharged.Conclusion:TEN is rare, often complicated with multiple organ dysfunction, and has a high mortality.Early administration of therapeutic plasma exchange may alleviate multiple system damage and shorten the duration of disease.

Objective:To investigate the prognostic value of the ratio of veno-arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure difference to arterio-venous oxygen content difference (Pv-aCO 2/Ca-vO 2) in children with primary peritonitis-related septic shock. Methods:A retrospective study was conducted. Sixty-three children with primary peritonitis-related septic shock admitted to department of intensive care unit of the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Xi'an Jiaotong University from December 2016 to December 2021 were enrolled. The 28-day all-cause mortality was the primary endpoint event. The children were divided into survival group and death group according to the prognosis. The baseline data, blood gas analysis, blood routine, coagulation, inflammatory status, critical score and other related clinical data of the two groups were statistics. The factors affecting the prognosis were analyzed by binary Logistic regression, and the predictability of risk factors were tested by the receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve). The risk factors were stratified according to the cut-off, Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis compared the prognostic differences between the groups.Results:A total of 63 children were enrolled, including 30 males and 33 females, the average age (5.6±4.0) years old, 16 cases died in 28 days, with mortality was 25.4%. There were no significant differences in gender, age, body weight and pathogen distribution between the two groups. The proportion of mechanical ventilation, surgical intervention, vasoactive drug application, and procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, activated partial thromboplastin time, serum lactate (Lac), Pv-aCO 2/Ca-vO 2, pediatric sequential organ failure assessment, pediatric risk of mortality Ⅲ in the death group were higher than those in the survival group. Platelet count, fibrinogen, mean arterial pressure were lower than those in the survival group, and the differences were statistically significant. Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that Lac and Pv-aCO 2/Ca-vO 2 were independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of children [odds ratio ( OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were 2.01 (1.15-3.21), 2.37 (1.41-3.22), respectively, both P < 0.01]. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under curve (AUC) of Lac, Pv-aCO 2/Ca-vO 2 and their combination were 0.745, 0.876 and 0.923, the sensitivity were 75%, 85% and 88%, and the specificity were 71%, 87% and 91%, respectively. Risk factors were stratified according to cut-off, and Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that the 28-day cumulative probability of survival of Lac ≥ 4 mmol/L group was lower than that in Lac < 4 mmol/L group [64.29% (18/28) vs. 82.86% (29/35), P < 0.05]. Pv-aCO 2/Ca-vO 2 ≥ 1.6 group 28-day cumulative probability of survival was less than Pv-aCO 2/Ca-vO 2 < 1.6 group [62.07% (18/29) vs. 85.29% (29/34), P < 0.01]. After a hierarchical combination of the two sets of indicator variables, the 28-day cumulative probability of survival of Pv-aCO 2/Ca-vO 2 ≥ 1.6 and Lac ≥ 4 mmol/L group significantly lower than that of the other three groups (Log-rank test, χ2 = 7.910, P = 0.017). Conclusion:Pv-aCO 2/Ca-vO 2 combined with Lac has a good predictive value for the prognosis of children with peritonitis-related septic shock.

Pulmonary artery sling (PAS) with bronchial bridge malformation is a very rare developmental malformation of vascular and trachea. In the past 2 years, we treated 3 children with pulmonary artery sling complicated with bronchial bridge, all of whom were clinically characterized by recurrent cough, asthma and dyspnea, which were confirmed by cardiac color ultrasound and chest CT three-dimensional reconstruction. All of the 3 children underwent surgical treatment, and no recurrent wheezing or respiratory tract infection occurred after surgery.