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Abstract: Cardiac extra-corporeal life support is used more frequently in the current era of complex, high-risk neonatal heart surgery. Although outcome for neonates with complex heart disease has improved in the last decade, thanks to advances in surgery and intensive care, survival in the subset that require extra-corporeal support remains unchanged at below 40%. Neonatal cardiac extra-corporeal support is a technically challenging therapy that is applied in a range of contexts including: post-operative low cardiac output syndrome, cardiac arrest, high-risk interventional catheterisation or as a bridge to recovery from dysrhythmia and myocarditis. Extra-corporeal life support has increased in particular for neonates with single ventricle disease in the last 5 years, mainly achieving similar results to biventricular patients. Further research is required in order to determine the optimal methods for patient selection and to establish important predictors of outcome including the longterm neurological development of survivors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Reviews the United Kingdom and Australia's experience of the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in patients with refractory cardiorespiratory failure due to meningococcal disease. Methods; Findings; Interpretation.

Determines the clinical role of inhaled nitric oxide in the treatment of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN). Description of the four patterns of response which emerged from this treatment; Decreased sensitivity and differing time course of response in neonates with pulmonary hypoplasia and dysplasia.

An abstract of the article "Impact of Rapid Leukodepletion on the Outcome of Severe Clinical Pertussis in Young Infants," by Helen E. Rowlands and colleagues is presented.

Background We developed protocols to handover patients from day to hospital at night (H@N) teams. Setting NHS paediatric specialist hospital. Method We observed four handover protocols (baseline, Phases 1, 2 and 3) over 2 years. A mixed-method study (observation, interviews, task analysis, prospective risk assessment, document and case note review) explored the impact of different protocols on performance. Intervention In Phase 1, a handover protocol was introduced to resolve problems with the baseline H@N handover. Following this intervention, two further revisions to the handover occurred, driven by staff feedback (Phases 2 and 3). Results Variations in performance between handover protocols on three process measures, start time efficiency, total length of handover, and number of distractions and interruptions, were identified. Univariate regression analysis showed statistically significant differences between handover protocols on two surrogate outcome measures: number of flagging omissions and the number of out of hours deteriorations (p=0.04 for Phase 3 vs Phase 1 for both measures (CI 1.04 to 4.08; CI 1.03 to 4.33), and for Phase 3 vs Phase 2 (p=0.006 and p=0.001 (CI 1.22 to 5.15; CI 1.62 to 9.0)), respectively). The Phase 1 and 2 handover protocols were effective at identifying patients whose clinical condition warranted review overnight. Performance on both surrogate outcome measures, length of handover and distractions, deteriorated in Phase 3. Conclusions A carefully designed prioritisation process within the H@N handover can be effective at flagging acutely unwell patients. However, the protocol we introduced was unsustainable. In a complex healthcare system, sustainable implementation of new processes may be threatened by conflicting goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rejection with acute hemodynamic compromise after OHT is rare in children, and is associated with poor survival. We retrospectively reviewed the management, course and outcome of recipients with late (following initial hospital discharge) rejection with acute hemodynamic compromise who were supported on ECLS. Of 197 consecutive children undergoing OHT (84 male; mean [SD] age 8.3 [5.7] [range 0.1-18.8 yr]) between 2/2002 and 10/2012, 187 children survived and were discharged from hospital. Mean (SD) follow-up was 5.0 (3.1) (range 0.1-10.6) yr. During follow-up, seven presented with severe hemodynamic compromise after transplantation (of whom one patient had been transplanted elsewhere). All seven children, who presented in hemodynamic collapse with poor cardiac function refractory to inotropic support, were placed on ECLS-two following in-hospital cardiac arrest. The median duration of ECLS was 6 (range 5-15) days. All survived to decannulation, with one death from overwhelming sepsis 20 days after presentation. The median (range) duration (in days) of inotropic requirement post ECLS was 11 (5-27), the median ventilation time was 8 (7-30), median ICU length of stay was 14 (10-54), and median hospitalization was 24 (19-118). In all, ventricular function normalized ( FS >28%) within 10 (7-22) days. There was significant short-term morbidity; however, over a median follow-up of 5.9 (range 0.7-9.2) yr, all survivors have good functional status with no significant apparent neurological sequelae. ECLS thus appears to be a good rescue therapy for children with severe acute rejection post OHT, refractory to conventional treatment, leading to good medium-term outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A range of children receive extra-corporeal life support (ECLS) for respiratory failure, but there is little published data on this group. Our aims were: (1) to analyse predictors of outcome and (2) comment on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Retrospective review. Tertiary ECLS centre. A total of 124 children categorised as ‘paediatric respiratory ECLS’ from July 1992 to December 2005. Fifty-three percent of children had one or more co-morbid conditions; the median age was 10.1 (IQR 3–34) months; the median ECLS duration was 9 (IQR 5–17) days; survival to discharge was 62% and at 1 year was 59%. Although survival varied according to primary reason for ECLS (range 36–100%), after adjustment for this, the presence of a co-morbid condition was unrelated to mortality (OR = 1.49, 95% CI 0.65, 3.42, P = 0.34) Predictors of mortality were increased pre-ECLS oxygenation index (OR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.00, 1.18, P = 0.05) and shock (OR 2.53, 95% CI 1.21, 5.28, P = 0.01). The relationship between mortality and end organ dysfunction (OR 2.12, 95% CI 0.89, 5.02, P = 0.09) and greater number of pre-ECLS ventilator days (OR 1.10, 95% CI 0.99, 1.22, P = 0.08) was less conclusive. Pre-existing co-morbid conditions may predispose children to develop severe respiratory failure but with careful case selection, do not appear to reduce the chance of survival. Severity of pulmonary dysfunction determined by OI and shock were key predictors of outcome and should remain important determinants of referral for ECLS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate the proportion of neonates referred for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support in the modern era of advanced conventional treatments for respiratory failure who actually had congenital heart disease (CHD), and to assess the impact of this diagnostic route on patient condition and outcome.Methods: A retrospective case-note review of neonatal ECMO and cardiac admissions to a single, tertiary ECMO and cardiac intensive care unit (ICU) between March 1999 and February 2002.Results: 287 symptomatic neonates presented to the ICU with previously undiagnosed cardiac or respiratory disease. Eighty-two with presumed respiratory failure were referred for ECMO, and 205 with suspected CHD were referred for cardiac evaluation. Eight (10%) ECMO referrals, all with presumed persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN), were found to have CHD (transposition: 3; total anomalous pulmonary venous connection: 3; left heart obstructive lesions: 2). Mortality in this group was 50%, compared with 11% for correctly identified CHD patients (odds ratio 8.2, 95% CI 1.92, 35.4, p<0.01). For all neonates with CHD, the risk of death was increased by the presence of cardiovascular collapse and end-organ dysfunction at presentation to the ICU (p<0.01 for both).Conclusion: Neonates with CHD may present as severe "PPHN" via the ECMO service. Poor outcome in these patients relates to the high incidence of cardiovascular collapse and end-organ dysfunction. Early echocardiography is recommended for neonates with presumed PPHN. Neonatal ECMO support should be based in centres with cardiac surgical services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although mechanical circulatory support might not increase the number of adults surviving to transplantation, because of the shortage of donor organs, the situation might be different for children. Our aim was to assess the effect of mechanical assist devices to bridge children with end-stage cardiomyopathy to heart transplantation. Methods: A 5-year retrospective review was undertaken with data from the UK paediatric transplant programme and from bridging to transplant done at two paediatric transplant centres in the UK. Findings: Between Jan 1, 1998 and Dec 31, 2002, 22 children with end-stage cardiomyopathy, median age 5.7 years (range 1.2-17), were supported by a mechanical assist device as a bridge to first heart transplantation, with a 77% survival rate to hospital discharge. Nine were supported by a paracorporeal ventricular assist device, six received transplantation, five survived to discharge (55%), with one late death. 13 were supported by extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation, and 12 were transplanted and survived to discharge (92%) with one late death. With urgent listing, the median waiting time for a heart was 7.5 days (range 1.5-22 days). The correlation between the proportion of patients bridged to transplantation and the proportion of patients dying while on the transplant waiting list was r=-0.93, p=0.02. Interpretation: Our findings lend support to the hypothesis that a national mechanical assist programme to bridge children to transplantation can minimise the number dying while on the heart transplant waiting list. In the context of urgent listing and a short waiting time, extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation seems to provide the safest form of support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]