An assesment of pediatric tracheostomy in a pediatric intensive care unit

Safety of pediatric bedside tracheostomy in the intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND Elective bedside pediatric tracheostomies in the intensive care unit have not been widely reported. Unlike in the adult population, this is not yet considered a safe or routine procedure in the pediatric population. We performed a preliminary study suggesting that bedside pediatric tracheostomies can be done safely and at reduced cost. DESIGN Retrospective medical chart review. S...

Safety of pediatric bedside tracheostomy in the intensive care unit

Tracheostomy in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: When and Where?

BACKGROUND Tracheostomy was first observed in Egyptian drawings in 3600 BC and performed frequently during the 1800's diphtheria epidemic. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to elucidate the indications, complications, mortality rate, and the effect of pediatric tracheostomy on length of PICU or hospital stay. MATERIALS AND METHODS Demographic characteristics, diagnosis at admission, dura...

Hypokalemia in a pediatric intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVE To examine the frequency, severity, risk factors and mortality of hypokalemia, and efficacy of therapy used for its correction. DESIGN Descriptive, retrospective analysis. SAMPLE 290 patient records admitted consecutively to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) over a period of one year. RESULTS Forty three (14.8%) patients had 54 episodes of hypokalemia. Predisposing factors ...

Determining pediatric intensive care unit quality indicators for measuring pediatric intensive care unit safety.

INTRODUCTION The measurement of quality and patient safety continues to gain increasing importance, as these measures are used for both healthcare improvement and accountability. Pediatric care, particularly that provided in pediatric intensive care units, is sufficiently different from adult care that specific metrics are required. BODY: Pediatric critical care requires specific measures for b...