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Modification of an eye injury risk scale for critically ill children
Beatriz Vilchez-Rodriguez1, Marta Marcos-López1, Isabel Manzanal-Martín1
1Servicio de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.
Insights
A modified eye injury risk scale effectively detects risks in critically ill children, showing similar reliability to the original scale. This tool aids in preventing eye damage in pediatric intensive care units.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Critical Care
Background:
- Validated tools for assessing eye injury risk in intensive care units are lacking.
- Critically ill children are susceptible to eye injuries, including keratopathies.
- Early detection of eye injury risk is crucial for timely intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the efficacy of a modified eye injury risk assessment scale in detecting keratopathies in critically ill children.
- To compare the detection ability of a simplified risk scale with a previously validated one.
Main Methods:
- An observational, retrospective study was conducted on 194 children admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit.
- A 10-factor risk scale for ocular damage was modified by simplifying criteria and removing specific risk factors.
- Patients were re-classified using the new scale, and its early detection ability for eye damage was compared to the original scale.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant difference was found between the original and modified scales in detecting patients at risk of eye injury (p=0.4361).
- The modified scale demonstrated similar reliability in classifying patients' risk of eye injury.
- One patient's eye injury was detected one day later with the new scale.
Conclusions:
- The modified eye injury risk assessment scale maintains similar reliability in detecting eye injury risk in critically ill children.
- The simplified scale offers a comparable alternative for risk assessment in pediatric intensive care settings.
Introduction:
There is no validated tool that assesses the risk of eye injury in intensive care units. The aim of this study was to analyse the ability to detect keratopathies after modification of an eye injury risk assessment scale in critically ill children.
Methods:
Observational, retrospective study. We modified a designed scale of risk of ocular damage tested in 194 children without previous ocular pathology admitted to paediatric intensive care for more than 48 h. The original scale classified patients as high/medium/low risk according to a sum of 10 risk factors. The scale was simplified by eliminating the face mask and slow blinking. Intubation was replaced by mechanical ventilation. All patients were re-classified with the new scale and the early detection ability of the modified scale for eye damage was compared.
Results:
There was no statistically significant difference between the two scales for the ability to detect patients at risk of eye injury (p = 0.4361). The new scale classified patients' risk of eye injury with the same reliability, with the exception of one patient whose eye injury with the new scale would have been detected one day later.
Conclusions:
The new scale had a similar ability to detect eye injury risk as the original scale in critically ill children.
