Pulmonary embolism is increasing in prevalence among pediatric patients; although still rare, it can create a significant risk for morbidity and death within the pediatric patient population. Pulmonary embolism presents in various ways depending on the patient, the size of the embolism, and the comorbidities. Treatment decisions are often driven by the severity of the presentation and hemodynamic effects; severe presentations require more invasive and aggressive treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPatients with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) have shown clinical improvement after secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) closure. We sought to determine if this post-ASD closure improvement is secondary to the expected course in BPD patients or related to the closure itself. A novel BPD-ASD score was created to assess patients' clinical status (higher score = worse disease) and applied to 10 BPD-ASD inpatients weighing ≤ 10 kg who underwent ASD closure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSelexipag, a selective prostacyclin receptor agonist, is approved for treating pulmonary arterial hypertension in WHO Group 1 adult patients. Compared to parenteral prostacyclin formulations, selexipag offers a significant improvement in patient's and caregiver's quality of life because of its oral formulation, frequency of administration, and mechanism of action. Although experience in the pediatric population is limited to case reports in older adolescent patients and selexipag is not approved for use in the pediatric pulmonary hypertension population, many pediatric centers are expanding the use of this therapy to this population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides with pulmonary involvement include granulomatosis with polyangiitis, microscopic polyangiitis, and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, and can present with life-threatening pulmonary hemorrhage in up to 40% of patients. Mortality in those patients who require intubation and mechanical ventilation can reach 77%. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can be used to support these patients through definitive diagnosis and treatment, although minimizing the risk of ventilator-induced lung injury.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPediatr Pulmonol
March 2021
Pulmonary hypertension (PH), an often unrelenting disease that carries with it significant morbidity and mortality, affects not only the pulmonary vasculature but, in turn, the right ventricle as well. The survival of patients with PH is closely related to the right ventricular function. Therefore, having an understanding of how to manage right ventricular failure (RVF) and acute pulmonary hypertensive crises is imperative for clinicians who encounter these patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Dual-lumen cannulas were designed to provide venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) with single-vessel access. Anatomic and size considerations may make appropriate placement challenging in children. Dual-lumen cannulas are repositioned in 20-69% of pediatric patients, which can be difficult without transient discontinuation of ECMO support.
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