Background/aim: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a unique life-support modality offered to patients unresponsive to optimal medical therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate early experiences with ECMO support in 2 tertiary Turkish pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). Materials and methods:We retrospectively evaluated a total of 10 ECMO-supported patients between March 2012 and March 2013 in Marmara and Ege University Hospital PICUs. We reported data regarding demographics, laboratory and diagnostic information, and the clinical course of the patients. Results:The study consisted of 6 males and 4 females from 5 months to 14 years of age (mean age: 0.5 ± 5.01 years) supported with ECMO. Out of the 10 patients, 8 were on venovenous ECMO for respiratory failure and 2 received venoarterial ECMO for cardiac failure. Mean ECMO and intensive care duration was 11.1 ±7.3 days and 23.5 ±17.8 days, respectively. Bleeding was the most common complication (60%). Forty percent of the patients were weaned from ECMO, among which 50% were discharged in good health without sequelae. Conclusion:Initial experiences build the learning curve of institutions, and our early results are encouraging. Giving time to heal to the right patient at the right time is the key to success.

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Aim: This study aimed to determine the factors that increase and decrease the presence of the nosocomial infections in pediatric patients with traumatic brain injury, and the effects on both treatment cost and length of hospital stay.Methods: We performed a case-control study on patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) with (n=66) or without (n=120) traumatic brain injury (TBI) between 2012 and 2014. The risk factors, length of stay, and costs of nosocomial infections, were determined. Results: Data for 186 patients were analyzed. Hundred and twenty patients were controls (54 males vs. 66 females), while 66 were cases (27 males vs. 39 females). Seventeen out of the 186 PICU patients had nosocomial infections. The most isolated microbial agent was Acinetobacter baumannii (four cases). Thirteen (76.5%) out of the 17 infections were catheter-related bloodstream infections. The mean expenses per PICU patient were $762, with an additional cost of $2081 for patients with nosocomial contamination. Conclusion: The use of catheters was the most critical risk factor for nosocomial infections in our study. The cost was probably underestimated for several reasons. Nevertheless, the findings supported our hypothesis about the additional burden of nosocomial spread on PICU patients. The results of this study should help to provide evidence on cost-effectiveness or calculating the cost-benefit ratio of reducing nosocomial infections in children.

Objective: This study aims to investigate modes of transmission and clinical features of coronavirus disease 2019 in healthcare workers in pediatric intensive care units. Materials and Methods:This multicenter descriptive study was conducted between March and November 2020. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, origin of coronavirus disease 2019, treatment modalities, and loss of workdays were recorded.Results: Seven hundred and sixty-eight healthcare workers from 16 pediatric intensive care units were enrolled and 114 (14.8%) healthcare workers with a mean age of 29.7 ± 6.7 years became coronavirus disease 2019 patients. Seventy-six (66.7%) patients were female. Approximately half (54.3%) of the patients were physicians, 34.2% were nurses, and 11.4% were ancillary staff. Transmission was deemed to occur through patient contact in 54.3% of the patients. Comorbid illness was present 10.5% of the patients. Transmission occurred during endotracheal intubation in 21%, cardiopulmonary resuscitation in 9.6%, and non-invasive ventilation in 12.2% of patients, while transmission was a result of multiple possible procedures in 43.8%. Intensive care admission was needed for 13.1% of the patients. Five patients needed oxygen by cannula, 7 needed oxygen with a non-rebreathing mask, 5 needed high-flow nasal cannula support, 5 needed non-invasive ventilation, and 3 needed invasive mechanical ventilation. Fortunately, no infected healthcare workers died. Conclusion:Coronavirus disease 2019 in healthcare workers is a significant problem in pediatric intensive care units. Transmission seems to occur particularly frequently during patient care procedures such as intubation, ventilation and aerosol therapy, which highlights the importance of proper use of full sets of personal protective equipment during all procedures during care of coronavirus disease 2019 patients.