Nonadherence to appropriate tidal volume and PEEP in children with pARDS at a single center

Michael C McCrory1,2, Alan G Woodruff1,2, Amit K Saha1

  • 1Department of Anesthesiology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.

Insights

Many children with pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (pARDS) did not receive evidence-based mechanical ventilation settings. Adherence to low tidal volume and appropriate positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) was suboptimal, especially in overweight children and those requiring high oxygen levels.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
  • Respiratory Physiology
  • Mechanical Ventilation

Background:

  • Low tidal volume and adequate positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) are recommended for pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (pARDS).
  • Limited data exist on the adherence to these evidence-based strategies since the 2015 pARDS guideline revisions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of adherence to appropriate tidal volume and PEEP in children with pARDS.
  • To identify factors associated with nonadherence to these ventilation strategies.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective cohort study of pediatric patients (1 month to <18 years) with pARDS receiving invasive mechanical ventilation.
  • Data collected from a single pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) between 2016 and 2018.
  • Analysis focused on adherence to tidal volume (≤8 mL/kg ideal body weight) and PEEP at 24 hours post-pARDS criteria.

Main Results:

  • Only 56% of patients received appropriate tidal volume and 52% received appropriate PEEP at 24 hours; 26% received both.
  • Overweight/obese children (≥2 years) had lower adherence to appropriate tidal volume (36%) compared to normal/underweight children (73%).
  • Patients requiring high fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2 ≥50%) had significantly lower adherence to appropriate PEEP (32%) versus those with FiO2 <50% (100%).

Conclusions:

  • Children with pARDS in this PICU frequently did not receive recommended tidal volume or PEEP.
  • Improving adherence may involve targeted strategies for overweight pediatric patients regarding tidal volume.
  • Patients requiring high FiO2 necessitate closer attention to PEEP adherence.
Abstract

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