No abstract

We suggest that after initial resuscitative efforts, an increased emphasis should be placed on early initiation of CRRT and inotropic agent use over fluid administration to maintain acceptable blood pressure.

Background: This article reports demographic characteristics and intensive care unit survival for 344 patients from the Prospective Pediatric Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (ppCRRT) Registry, a voluntary multicenter observational network.Design, setting, participants, and measurements: Ages were newborn to 25 yr, 58% were male, and weights were 1.3 to 160 kg. Patients spent a median of 2 d in the intensive care unit before CRRT (range 0 to 135). At CRRT initiation, 48% received diuretics and 66% received vasoactive drugs. Mean blood flow was 97.9 ml/min (range 10 to 350 ml/min; median 100 ml/min); mean blood flow per body weight was 5 ml/min per kg (range 0.6 to 53.6 ml/min per kg; median 4.1 ml/min per kg). Days on CRRT were <1 to 83 (mean 9.1; median 6). A total of 56% of circuits had citrate anticoagulation, 37% had heparin, and 7% had no anticoagulation.Results: Overall survival was 58%; survival differed across participating centers. Survival was lowest (51%) when CRRT was started for combined fluid overload and electrolyte imbalance. There was better survival in patients with principal diagnoses of drug intoxication (100%), renal disease (84%), tumor lysis syndrome (83%), and inborn errors of metabolism (73%); survival was lowest in liver disease/transplant (31%), pulmonary disease/transplant (45%), and bone marrow transplant (45%). Overall survival was better for children who weighed >10 kg (63 versus 43%; P ‫؍‬ 0.001) and for those who were older than 1 yr (62 versus 44%; P ‫؍‬ 0.007).Conclusions: CRRT can be used successfully for a wide range of critically ill children. Survival is best for those who have acute, specific abnormalities and lack multiple organ involvement; sicker patients with selected diagnoses may have lower survival. Center differences might suggest opportunities to define best practices with future study.

Two hundred and twenty-six children who underwent renal replacement therapy (RRT) from 1992 to 1998 were retrospectively reviewed. The mean age, at the onset of RRT, was 74+/-11.7 months and weight was 25.3+/-9.7 kg. RRT therapies included hemofiltration (HF; n=106 children for an average of 8.7+/-2.3 days), hemodialysis (HD; n=61 children for an average of 9.5+/-1.7 days), and peritoneal dialysis (PD; n=59 children for an average of 9.6+/-2.1 days). Factors influencing patient survival included: (1) low blood pressure (BP) at onset of RRT (33% survival with low BP, vs. 61% with normal BP, vs 100% with high BP; P<0.05), (2) use of pressors anytime during RRT (35% survival in those on pressors vs. 89% survival in those not requiring pressors; P<0.01), (3) diagnosis (primary renal failure with a high likelihood of survival vs secondary renal failure; P<0.05), (4) RRT modality (40% survival with HF, vs. 49% survival with PD, vs. 81% survival with HD; P<0.01 HD vs PD or HF), and (5) pressor use was significantly higher in children on HF (74%) vs HD (33%) or PD (81%; P<0.05 HD vs HF or PD). In conclusion, pressor use has the greatest prediction of survival, rather than RRT modality. Patient survival in children with the need for RRT for ARF is similar to in adults and, as in adults, is best predicted by the underlying diagnosis and hemodynamic stability.