[Correlation between optic nerve sheath diameter and extracorporeal life support time]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric cardiac surgery
• Neuro-ophthalmology
• Critical care medicine

Context:

• Pediatric cardiac surgery often requires extracorporeal life support (ECLS).
• Monitoring for increased intracranial pressure (ICP) is crucial in these patients.
• Optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) is a potential non-invasive biomarker for ICP.

Purpose:

• To investigate the correlation between ECLS and aortic cross-clamp times and ONSD in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
• To assess ONSD changes at various time points post-surgery.
• To determine if ONSD variations occur independently of clinical signs of increased ICP.

Summary:

• This study analyzed 23 pediatric patients (0-15 years) undergoing cardiac surgery with ECLS.
• Optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) measurements were taken pre-operatively and at 6 and 24 hours post-surgery.
• A positive correlation was found between ECLS duration and ONSD values at 6 hours post-surgery (r=0.476, p<0.05), with ONSD returning to baseline by 24 hours. No patients showed signs of increased ICP.

Impact:

• Findings suggest ECLS duration is associated with transient ONSD changes in pediatric cardiac surgery patients.
• Highlights the potential for ONSD to reflect physiological changes beyond elevated ICP.
• Further research is needed to elucidate the factors contributing to these ONSD variations.