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Venous thromboembolism in critically ill children

Lee A Polikoff1, E Vincent S Faustino

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.

Current Opinion in Pediatrics
|April 16, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a growing concern in critically ill children, with limited pediatric-specific guidelines. Further research and risk assessment tools are crucial for early identification and treatment of VTE in this population.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
  • Hematology
  • Thrombosis Research

Background:

  • Critically ill children face an elevated risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) due to their underlying conditions and treatments.
  • A complex interplay exists between infection and thrombosis, where thrombi can harbor infection and infection elevates VTE risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current scientific literature concerning venous thromboembolism (VTE) in critically ill pediatric patients.
  • To highlight the increasing concern and complications associated with VTE in pediatric critical care settings.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of current studies on VTE in critically ill children.
  • Analysis of existing data and guidelines, noting their adult-centric basis.
  • Examination of emerging risk assessment tools and novel anticoagulant research.

Main Results:

  • Critically ill children are at significant risk for VTE, influenced by medical treatments and underlying diseases.
  • Current pediatric VTE guidelines are lacking, relying on adult data; novel anticoagulants are under investigation for pediatric use.
  • Development of risk assessment tools and identification of biomarkers are ongoing to predict VTE in this population.

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric critical care providers must recognize the significance of VTE for timely diagnosis and management.
  • There is a critical need for robust clinical trials to establish evidence-based guidelines for pediatric VTE prevention and treatment.
  • Biomarker-integrated risk assessment tools hold promise for improving VTE prediction in critically ill children.
Abstract

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