• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.251-258
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• 2002

We report the experiences of pump-driven continuous venovenous hemofiltration therapy in three children with acute renal failure. The all three patients required mechanical ventilation and needed the support of vasopressors. Renal replacement therapy was needed to meet the metabolic and fluid balance, but intermittent hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis were not feasible because of hemodynamic instability and concurrent infection. We instituted pump-driven continuous venovenous hemofiltratlon (CVVH), and immediate improvement of pulmonary edema and successful removal of retained fluid were observed. Urea clearance also was satisfactory. During the filter running time, significant thromboembolic event or rapid drop of systemic blood pressure were absent. We concluded that the CVVH is an effective and safe method of renal support for critically ill pediatric patient.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.58 no.4
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• pp.136-141
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• 2015

Purpose: Continuous intravenous access is imperative in emergency situations. Ultrasound-guided internal jugular vein (IJV) catheterization was investigated in critically ill pediatric patients to assess the feasibility of the procedure. Methods: Patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit between February 2011 and September 2012 were enrolled in this study. All patients received a central venous catheter from attending house staff under ultrasound guidance. Outcome measures included successful insertion of the catheter, cannulation time, number of cannulation attempts, and number and type of resulting complications. Results: Forty-one central venous catheters (93.2%) were successfully inserted into 44 patients (21 males and 23 females; mean age, $6.54{\pm}1.06$ years). Thirty-three patients (75.0%) had neurological disorders. The right IJV was used for catheter insertion in 34 cases (82.9%). The mean number of cannulation attempts and the mean cannulation time was $1.57{\pm}0.34$ and $14.07{\pm}1.91$ minutes, respectively, the mean catheter dwell time was $14.73{\pm}2.5$ days. Accidental catheter removal was observed in 9 patients (22.0%). Six patients (13.6%) reported complications, the most serious being catheter-related sepsis, which affected 1 patient (2.3%). Other complications included 2 reported cases of catheter malposition (4.6%), and 1 case each of arterial puncture (2.3%), pneumothorax (2.3%), and skin infection (2.3%). Conclusion: The results suggest that ultrasound-guided IJV catheterization can be performed easily and without any serious complications in pediatric patients, even when performed by visiting house staff. Therefore, ultrasound-guided IJV catheterization is strongly recommended for critically ill pediatric patients.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.63 no.5
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• pp.184-188
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• 2020

Background: Many critically ill patients require transfer to a higher-level hospital for complex medical care. Despite the publication of the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for pediatric interhospital transportation services and the establishment of many pediatric transport programs, adverse events during pediatric transport still occur. Purpose: To determine the incidence of adverse events occurring during pediatric transport and explore their complications and risk factors. Methods: This prospective observational study explored the adverse events that occurred during the interhospital transport of all pediatric patients referred to the pediatric intensive care unit of Ramathibodi Hospital between March 2016 and June 2017. Results: There were 122 pediatric transports to the unit. Adverse events occurred in 25 cases (22%). Physiologic deterioration occurred in 15 patients (60%). Most issues (11 events) involved circulatory problems causing patient hypotension and poor tissue perfusion requiring fluid resuscitation or inotropic administration on arrival at the unit. Respiratory complications were the second most common cause (4 events). Equipment-related adverse events occurred in 5 patients (20%). The common causes were accidental extubation and endotracheal tube displacement. Five patients had both physiologic deterioration and equipment-related adverse events. Regarding transport personnel, the group without complications more often had a physician escort than the group with complications (92% vs. 76%; relative risk, 2.4; P=0.028). Conclusion: The incidence of adverse events occurring during the transport of critically ill pediatric patients was 22%. Most events involved physiological deterioration. Escort personnel maybe the key to preventing and appropriately monitoring complications occurring during transport.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.243-253
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the impact of practical communication strategies (PCS) on the reduction of AEs (Adverse Events) in pediatric cardiac ICU (PCICU). Methods: Intra-operative findings and care plans were documented and shared between staff members on a daily basis from the day of operation to the day of general ward transfer. Incidence of AEs was investigated in all patients who were admitted to the PCICU and was compared with incidence of AEs one year after establishment of PCS. Results: The study population consisted of 216 patients in pre-PCS group and 156 patients in post-PCS group. Incidence of readmission decreased from 6.0% (13/216) in pre-PCS group to 0.6% (1/156) in post-PCS group (${\chi}^2=7.23$, p=.010). Incidence of other major complications decreased from 4.2% (9/216) to 0.6% (${\chi}^2=6.66$, p=.012). Minor AEs such as intervention omission, order error, and protocol misunderstanding were reduced from 23.3 cases per 100 patient-days to 7.5 cases per 100 patient-days (${\chi}^2=20.31$, p<.001). Conclusion: Handover protocol is an effective strategy to reduce AEs for critically ill patients after pediatric cardiac surgery. Efforts to develop effective communication strategies should be continued and outcome research about communication strategies for patient safety should be further studied.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.107-115
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• 2011

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with mortality and may lead to increased medical expense. A modified criteria (pediatric RIFLE [pRIFLE]: Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, and End-stage renal disease) has been proposed to standardize the definition of AKI. The common causes of AKI are renal ischemia, nephrotoxic medications, and sepsis. A majority of critically ill children develop AKI by the pRIFLE criteria and need to receive intensive care early in the course of AKI. Factors influencing patient survival (pediatric intensive care unit discharge) are known to be low blood pressure at the onset of renal replacement therapy (RRT), the use of vasoactive pressors during RRT, and the degrees of fluid overload at the initiation of RRT. Early intervention of continuous RRT (CRRT) has been introduced to reduce mortality and fluid overload that affects poor prognosis in patients with AKI. Here, we briefly review the practical prescription of pediatric CRRT and literatures on the outcomes of patients with AKI receiving CRRT and associations among AKI, fluid overload, and CRRT. In conclusion, we suggest that an increased emphasis should be placed on the early initiation of CRRT and fluid overload in the management of pediatric AKI.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.16-37
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• 1990

A cost analysis for hospitalized patients was carried out based upon Patient Classification System(PCS) in order to determine an appropriate nursing fee. The data were collected from 21 nursing units of three teaching hospitals from April 1 to June 30, 1989. first, all of the 22,056 inpatients were classified into mildly ill(Class Ⅰ), moderately ill(Class Ⅱ), acutely ill(Class Ⅲ), and critically ill(Class Ⅳ) by the PCS which had been carefully developed to be suitable for the Korean nursing units. Second. PCS cost accounting was applied to the above data. The distribution of inpatients, nursing costs, and nursing productivity were as follows : 1) Patient distribution ranged from 45% to class Ⅰ, 36% to class Ⅱ, 15% to class Ⅲ, and 4% to class Ⅳ, the proportion of class Ⅳ in ‘H’ Hospital was greater than that of the other two hospitals. 2) The proportion of Class Ⅲ and Ⅳ in the medical nursing units was greater than that of surgical nursing units. 3) The number of inpatients was greatest on Tuesdays, and least on Sundays. 4) The average nursing cost per hour was W 3,164 for ‘S’ hospital, W 3,511 for ‘H’ hospital and W 4,824 for ‘K’ hospital. The average nursing cost per patient per day was W 14,126 for ‘S’ Hospital, W 15,842 for ‘H’ hospital and W 21,525 for ‘K’ hospital. 5) The average nursing cost calculated by the PCS was W 13,232 for class Ⅰ, W 18,478 for class Ⅱ, W 23,000 for class Ⅲ, and W 25,469 for class Ⅳ. 6) The average nursing cost for the medical and surgical nursing units was W 13,180 and W 13,303 respetively for class Ⅰ, W 18,248 and W 18,707 for class Ⅱ, W 22,303 and W 23,696 for class Ⅲ, and W 24,331 and W 26,606 for class Ⅳ. 7) The nursing costs were composed of 85% for wages and fringe benefits, 3% for material supplies and 12% for overhead. The proportion of wages and fringe benefits among the three Hospitals ranged from 75%, 92% and 98% for the ‘S’, ‘H’, ‘K’ hospitals respectively These findings explain why the average nursing cost of ‘K’ hospital was higher than the others. 8) According to a multi- regression analysis, wages and fringe benefits, material supplies, and overhead had an equal influence on determining the nursing cost while the nursing hours had less influence. 9) The productivity of the medical nursing units were higher than the surgical nursing units, productivity of the D(TS) - nursing units was the lowest while the K(Med) - nursing unit was the highest in 'S' hospital. In ‘H’ hospital, productivity was related to the number of inpatients rather than to the characteristics of the nursing units. The ‘K’ hospital showed the same trend as ‘S’ hospital, that the productivity of the medical nursing unit was higher than the surgical nursing unit. The productivity of ‘S’ hospital was evaluated the highest followed by ‘H’ hospital and ‘K’ hospital. Future research on nursing costs should be extended to the other special nursing areas such as pediatric and psychiatric nursing units, and to ICU or operating rooms. Further, the PCS tool should be carefully evaluated for its appropriateness to all levels of institutions(primary, secondary, tertiary). This study took account only of the quantity of nursing services when developing the PCS tool for evaluating the productivity of nursing units. Future research should also consider the quality of nursing services including the appropriateness of nursing activities.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.121-127
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• 2024

Vancomycin is a frequently used antibiotic in intensive care units, and the patient's renal clearance affects the pharmacokinetic characteristics of vancomycin. Several advantages have been reported for vancomycin continuous intravenous infusion, but studies on continuous dosing regimens based on patients' renal clearance are insufficient. The aim of this study was to develop a vancomycin serum concentration prediction model by factoring in a patient's renal clearance. Children admitted to our institution between July 1, 2021, and July 31, 2022 with records of continuous infusion of vancomycin were included in the study. Sex, age, height, weight, vancomycin dose by weight, interval from the start of vancomycin administration to the time of therapeutic drug monitoring sampling, and vancomycin serum concentrations were analyzed with the linear regression analysis of the mixed effect model. Univariable regression analysis was performed using the vancomycin serum concentration as a dependent variable. It showed that vancomycin dose (p < 0.001) and serum creatinine (p = 0.007) were factors that had the most impact on vancomycin serum concentration. Vancomycin serum concentration was affected by vancomycin dose (p < 0.001) and serum creatinine (p = 0.001) with statistical significance, and a multivariable regression model was obtained as follows: Vancomycin serum concentration (mg/l) = -1.296 + 0.281 × vancomycin dose (mg/kg) + 20.458 × serum creatinine (mg/dl) (adjusted coefficient of determination, R² = 0.66). This prediction model is expected to contribute to establishing an optimal continuous infusion regimen for vancomycin.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.247-254
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• 2007

Purpose : Continuous renal replacement therapy(CRRT) has been the first choice for the treatment of acute renal failure in critically ill children not only in western countries but also in Korea. However, there are very few studies that have analyzed the outcome and prognosis of this modality in Korean children. We performed this study to evaluate the factors associated with the outcome and prognosis of patients treated with CRRT. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 32 children who had received CRRT at Severance hospital from 2003 to 2006. The mean age was 7.5 years(range 4 days-16 years) and the mean body weight was 25.8 kg (range 3.2-63 kg). Results : Eleven(34.4%) of the 32 patients survived. Bone marrow transplantation and malignancy were the most common causes of death and underlying disease leading to the need for CRRT Mean patient weight, age, duration of CRRT, number of organ failures, urine output, estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR), C-reactive protein, and blood urea level did not differ significantly between survivors and nonsurvivors. (1) Pediatric risk of mortality(PRISM) III score at CRRT initiation($9.8{\pm}5.3$ vs. $26.7{\pm}7.6$, P<0.0001), (2) maximum pressor number ($2.1{\pm}1.2$ vs. $3.0{\pm}1.0$, P=0.038), and (3) the degree of fluid overload($5.2{\pm}6.0$ vs. $15.0{\pm}8.9$, P=0.002) were significantly lower in survivers than in nonsurvivors. Multivariate analysis revealed that fluid overload was the only independent factor reducing survival rate. Conclusion : CRRT was successfully applied to the treatment of acute renal failure in a wide range of critically ill children. To improve survival, we suggest the early initiation of CRRT to prevent the systemic worsening and progression of fluid overload in critically ill children with acute renal failure. (J Korean Soc Pediatr Nephrol 2007;11:247-254)

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.286-292
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• 2012

Purpose: Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is becoming the treatment of choice for supporting critically ill pediatric patients. However, a few studies present have reported CRRT use and outcome in neonates weighing less than 3 kg. The aim of this study is to describe the clinical application, outcome, and complications of CRRT in small neonates. Methods: A retrospective review was performed in 8 neonatal patients who underwent at least 24 hours of pumped venovenous CRRT at the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, Korea, between March 2007 and July 2010. Data, including demographic characteristics, diagnosis, vital signs, medications, laboratory, and CRRT parameters were recorded. Results: The data of 8 patients were analyzed. At the initiation of CRRT, the median age was 5 days (corrected age, $38^{+2}$ weeks to 23 days), and the median body weight was 2.73 kg (range, 2.60 to 2.98 kg). Sixty-two patient-days of therapy were reviewed; the median time for CRRT in each patient was 7.8 days (range, 1 to 37 days). Adverse events included electrolyte disturbances, catheter-related complications, and CRRT-related hypotension. The mean circuit functional survival was $13.9{\pm}8.6$ hours. Overall, 4 patients (50%) survived; the other 4 patients, who developed multiorgan dysfunction syndrome, died. Conclusion: The complications of CRRT in newborns are relatively high. However, the results of this study suggest that venovenous CRRT is feasible and effective in neonates weighing less than 3 kg under elaborate supportive care. Furthermore, for using potential benefit of CRRT in neonates, efforts are required for prolonging filter survival.