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Objectives:Limited data exist for management of hyperuricemia in non-oncologic patients, particularly in paediatric cardiac patients. Hyperuricemia is a risk factor for acute kidney injury and may prompt treatment in critically ill patients. The primary objective was to determine if rasburicase use was associated with greater probability normalisation of serum uric acid compared to allopurinol. Secondary outcomes included percent reduction in uric acid, changes in serum creatinine, and cost of therapy.Design:A single-centre retrospective chart review.Setting:A 20-bed quaternary cardiovascular ICU in a university-based paediatric hospital in California.Patients:Patients admitted to cardiovascular ICU who received rasburicase or intravenous allopurinol between 2015 and 2016.Interventions:None.Measurements and main results:Data from a cohort of 14 patients receiving rasburicase were compared to 7 patients receiving IV allopurinol. Patients who were administered rasburicase for hyperuricemia were more likely to have a post-treatment uric acid level less than 8 mg/dl as compared to IV allopurinol (100 versus 43%; p = 0.0058). Patients who received rasburicase had a greater absolute reduction in post-treatment day 1 uric acid (−9 mg/dl versus −1.9 mg/dl; p = 0.002). There were no differences in post-treatment day 3 or day 7 serum creatinine or time to normalisation of serum creatinine. The cost of therapy normalised to a 20 kg patient was greater in the allopurinol group ($18,720 versus $1928; p = 0.001).Conclusion:In a limited paediatric cardiac cohort, the use of rasburicase was associated with a greater reduction in uric acid levels and associated with a lower cost compared to IV allopurinol.

Objective Intensive care unit (ICU) delirium has been associated with increased length of hospital stay, morbidity, mechanical ventilation, and health care resource utilization. Antipsychotics are frequently used for ICU delirium management, despite a lack of robust evidence in the literature to support their benefit. Delirium screening may result in pharmacologic or non-pharmacologic treatment. Methods In January 2019 we began screening patients admitted to the pediatric ICU (PICU) for delirium using the Cornell Assessment for Pediatric Delirium (CAPD). We compared prescribing rates of antipsychotic medications before and after implementation. We also assessed length of hospital and ICU stay prior to initiating therapy, delirium score prior to initiation of therapy, time after initiation of therapy until score decreased to a level not suggestive of delirium, and continuation of antipsychotics outside of the PICU. Results We did not observe a difference in the rate of antipsychotics use. There was, however, an increase in variability between pre- and post-intervention rates of prescribing. Patients who received an antipsychotic medication were hospitalized for an average of 18 days and in the ICU for 14 days prior to the first dose of an antipsychotic agent. They had an average CAPD score of 16, and had an average of 4 scores above 8 prior to starting treatment. Conclusion This study highlights the need for additional research to demonstrate the role of antipsychotic medications in managing delirium in the PICU.