Use of an anatomical atlas in real-time EIT reconstructions of ventilation and pulsatile perfusion in preterm infants.

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a bedside imaging technique in which voltage data arising from current applied on electrodes is used to compute images of admittivity in real time. Due to the severe ill-posedness of the inverse problem, good spatial resolution poses a challenge in EIT. Conversely, the temporal resolution is high, facilitating dynamic bedside imaging.

Allergy and atopic phenotype are associated with earlier gestation and severity of respiratory symptoms in bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Background: A history of atopy is associated with respiratory morbidities in term-born children; however, little is known about how allergies/atopy affect respiratory outcomes in children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). This study aims to describe the prevalence of reported allergies/atopy in young children with BPD and assess whether allergies/atopy are associated with outpatient outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective longitudinal cohort study of children between 0 and 36 months of age followed at outpatient BPD clinics was performed using data from questionnaires administered during routine clinical encounters.

Outcomes of Ventilator-Dependent Children With Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia and Tracheobronchomalacia.

Objectives: To characterize an observational cohort of ventilator-dependent infants and children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) with or without tracheobronchomalacia (TBM) and determine the impact of TBM on the need for ventilator support, liberation from the ventilator and tracheostomy decannulation.

Methods: Demographics and clinical outcomes were obtained by retrospective review from 12 centers participating in the outpatient BPD Collaborative registry. The cohort consisted of infants born between 2016 and 2021 who were dependent on invasive mechanical ventilation at home.

Medical and social factors associated with prolonged length of stay for chronically ventilated children.

Objectives: This study seeks to determine the overall and post-intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS) for children with tracheostomies and chronic mechanical ventilation. We hypothesized that medical and social factors would be associated with prolonged LOS.

Study Design: This single-center retrospective review included children who were discharged after initiation of chronic ventilation via tracheostomy over an 8-year period (2015-2022).

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease, associated with premature birth, that arises during the infantile period. It is an evolving disease process with an unchanged incidence due to advancements in neonatal care which allow for the survival of premature infants of lower gestational ages and birth weights. Currently, there are few effective interventions to prevent BPD.

Interdisciplinary clinical bronchopulmonary dysplasia programs: development, evolution, and maturation.

Multidisciplinary bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) programs provide improved and consistent medical management, care of the developing infant, family support, and smoother transitions in care resulting in improved survival, pulmonary, and extra-pulmonary outcomes. This review summarizes the benefits of interdisciplinary BPD management, as well as strategies for initial programmatic development, program growth, and maintenance at centers across the United States factoring in institutional, provider, and parent reported goals that were derived from a consensus conference on BPD management.

Transitioning children using home invasive mechanical ventilation from hospital to home: Discharge criteria, disparities, and ethical considerations.

Children using home invasive mechanical ventilation (HIMV), a valuable therapeutic option for chronic respiratory failure, constitute a growing population. Transitioning children using HIMV from hospital to home care is a complex process that requires a multidisciplinary approach involving healthcare professionals, caregivers, and community resources. Medical stability, caregiver competence, and home environment suitability are essential factors in determining discharge readiness.

Improved tracheostomy-dependent patient outcomes after implementation of the Pediatric Resident Education in Pulmonary (PREP) Boot Camp.

Introduction: Children with tracheostomies are high risk for morbidity and mortality. Pediatric resident physicians are not routinely taught skills to care for this vulnerable patient population. Few reports link educational interventions to improved patient outcomes.

Standardizing electronic health record ventilation data in the pediatric long-term mechanical ventilator-dependent population.

Background: Sharing data across institutions is critical to improving care for children who are using long-term mechanical ventilation (LTMV). Mechanical ventilation data are complex and poorly standardized. This lack of data standardization is a major barrier to data sharing.

A Literature Review of Feeding Disorders in Children with Tracheostomies and Ventilators.

Feeding disorders and gastrostomy use are highly prevalent in children with invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) due to both common risk factors (eg, prematurity, neurological disorders) and resultant experiential deprivation (eg, long hospitalizations, delayed feeding experiences). Feeding in children with IMV is complicated by the presence of a tracheostomy, lung vulnerability, and medical complexity. The potential comorbidity of swallowing difficulties (dysphagia) and atypical early feeding experiences can result in complex feeding disorders.