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Objectives/Hypothesis: Patients with cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) are at increased risk of malnutrition. Acute and chronic malnutrition have been associated with elevated risk of postsurgical wound complications, adding morbidity and cost to patients and their families. To study the association between demographic factors, including insurance type, race, and median neighborhood income (MNI), and malnutrition in patients with CLP. Study Design: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Retrospective review was performed in patients undergoing their first cleft‐related surgery at a large tertiary pediatric hospital from 2006 to 2018. Demographic data, weight and height at surgery, type of insurance, race, and primary residential address were collected. Geocoded information on MNI was generated using patient address. World Health Organization Z‐scores for weight‐for‐age (WFA) and height‐for‐age (HFA) were used as proxies for acute and chronic malnutrition, respectively. Linear regression models were generated to analyze the relationship of insurance type, race, and MNI on WFA and HFA Z‐scores. Results: About 313 patients met inclusion criteria. Increasing MNI predicted increasing WFA Z‐score (0.05 increase in WFA per $1,000 increase, P =.047) as well as HFA Z‐score (0.09 increase in HFA per $1,000 increase, P =.011). The effect of MNI was not independently modified by race for either WFA (P =.841) nor HFA (P =.404). Race and insurance type did not predict WFA or HFA. Conclusions: Lower MNI is a significant independent risk factor for acute and chronic malnutrition in children with CLP. Combined with previous investigation linking malnutrition to surgical outcomes in this population, this offers a target area for intervention to improve patient outcomes. Level of Evidence: 3 Laryngoscope, 132:1482–1486, 2022 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Early shock reversal is crucial to improve patient outcomes. Capillary refill time (CRT) is clinically important to identify and monitor shock in children but has issues with inconsistency. To minimize inconsistency, we evaluated a CRT monitoring system using an automated compression device. Our objective was to determine proper compression pressure in children., Methods: Clinician force for CRT was collected during manual CRT measurement as a reference for automated compression in a previous study (12.9 N, 95% confidence interval, 12.5-13.4; n = 454). An automated compression device with a soft inflation bladder was fitted with a force sensor. We evaluated the effectiveness of the automated pressure to eliminate pulsatile blood flow from the distal phalange. Median and variance of CRT analysis at each pressure was compared., Results: A comparison of pressures at 300 to 500 mm Hg on a simulated finger yielded a force of 5 to 10 N, and these pressures were subsequently used for automated compression for CRT. Automated compression was tested in 44 subjects (median age, 33 months; interquartile range [IQR], 14-56 months). At interim analysis of 17 subjects, there was significant difference in the waveform with residual pulsatile blood flow (9/50: 18% at 300 mm Hg, 5/50:10% at 400 mm Hg, 0/51: 0% at 500 mm Hg, P = 0.008). With subsequent enrollment of 27 subjects at 400 and 500 mm Hg, none had residual pulsatile blood flow. There was no difference in the CRT: median 1.8 (IQR, 1.06-2.875) in 400 mm Hg vs median 1.87 (IQR, 1.25-2.8325) in 500 mm Hg, P = 0.81. The variance of CRT was significantly larger in 400 mm Hg: 2.99 in 400 mm Hg vs. 1.35 in 500 mm Hg, P = 0.02, Levene's test. Intraclass correlation coefficient for automated CRT was 0.56 at 400 mm Hg and 0.78 at 500 mm Hg., Conclusions: Using clinician CRT measurement data, we determined either 400 or 500 mm Hg is an appropriate pressure for automated CRT, although 500 mm Hg demonstrates superior consistency., Competing Interests: The remaining authors have disclosed that they do not have any conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)