Caring for Critically Ill Adults in PICUs Is Not "Child's Play"

Validity and reliability of the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT) for critically ill pediatric patients

INTRODUCTION

In some regions, critically ill pediatric and adult patients are cared for in the same intensive care unit, complicating pain assessment due to mixed age groups. To address this, it is essential to use pain scales that are applicable to a wide age range. The Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT) was developed to assess pain in both intubated and non-intubated adult patients. However, its applicability in pediatric patients has not been confirmed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate CPOT for critically ill pediatric patients.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective observational study in an eight-bed open PICU from January 2022 to March 2023. Three research nurses independently assessed pain using CPOT, the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) scale, and an Observational Visual Analog Scale (VAS obs). Criterion-related and construct validity were examined using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients between CPOT, VAS obs, and FLACC. Diagnostic performance was evaluated via ROC analysis using a FLACC score ≥ 4 as the reference. CPOT scores with and without medical interventions were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test, and inter-rater reliability was assessed with Cohen's weighted κ.

RESULTS

Ninety-one patients were observed 165 times. CPOT strongly correlated with VAS obs (Spearman's ρ =  0.87, p <  0.01) and FLACC (Spearman's ρ =  0.84, p <  0.01). At a CPOT cut-off score of 3, sensitivity was 100% and specificity was 96.7%. CPOT effectively reflected pain levels during medical interventions (p <  0.01), and inter-rater reliability was high (weighted κ =  0.89, 95% CI: 0.799-0.941).

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that CPOT may be a useful tool for pain assessment in pediatric patients.

A Nonhybrid Model of Transitioning Pediatric to Adult Critical Care during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Surge: A Single Unit Experience

To accommodate the unprecedented demand for critical care beds during the first surge of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the United Kingdom, hospitals had to adapt, restructure, and collaborate to provide the best possible care for the pediatric and adult populations. This single-center experience outlines the considerations our hospital took into account when planning for this restructure and the steps taken to ensure a successful execution of the task. Cross-specialty collaboration between the pediatric and adult critical care teams adopted a unique approach to care for only critically ill COVID-19 positive adult patients in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), transferring out critically unwell children at an early stage before the adult intensive care unit (AICU) became overwhelmed (nonhybrid model). This was designed to be in a staggered fashion, before allowing the AICU to overflow. This approach enabled the adult critical care team to support pediatric colleagues in learning the nuances of looking after critically ill adults prior to the service being saturated by the predicted supersurge. The success of the operation hinged on two things. First, PICU staff continuing to work in a familiar environment with their usual clinical team and second, the gradual and controlled admission of adult patients into PICU before the peak in demand for critical care beds. This design helped protect staff morale and build confidence in their new clinical role. The overall case fatality of invasively ventilated patients with COVID-19 in our hospital during the first surge was 32%, which is lower than the global average of 45%. This serves as evidence that this nonhybrid model is safe and sustainable.

A Tale of 8 Cities: Pediatric Critical Care Redeployment to Adult Care During Wave 1 of COVID-19

BACKGROUND

Pediatric hospital resources including critical care faculty (intensivists) redeployed to provide care to adults in adult ICUs or repurposed PICUs during wave 1 of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the magnitude of pediatric hospital resource redeployment and the experience of pediatric intensivists who redeployed to provide critical care to adults with COVID-19.

METHODS

A mixed methods study was conducted at 9 hospitals in 8 United States cities where pediatric resources were redeployed to provide care to critically ill adults with COVID-19. A survey of redeployed pediatric hospital resources and semistructured interviews of 40 redeployed pediatric intensivists were simultaneously conducted. Quantitative data were summarized as median (interquartile range) values.

RESULTS

At study hospitals, there was expansion in adult ICU beds from a baseline median of 100 (86-107) to 205 (108-250). The median proportion (%) of redeployed faculty (88; 66-100), nurses (46; 10-100), respiratory therapists (48; 18-100), invasive ventilators (72; 0-100), and PICU beds (71; 0-100) was substantial. Though driven by a desire to help, faculty were challenged by unfamiliar ICU settings and culture, lack of knowledge of COVID-19 and fear of contracting it, limited supplies, exhaustion, and restricted family visitation. They recommended deliberate preparedness with interprofessional collaboration and cross-training, and establishment of a robust supply chain infrastructure for future public health emergencies and will redeploy again if asked.

CONCLUSIONS

Pediatric resource redeployment was substantial and pediatric intensivists faced formidable challenges yet would readily redeploy again.

Impact of adapting paediatric intensive care units for adult care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review

OBJECTIVES

The objectives were to categorise the evidence, map out the existing studies and explore what was known about the organisation of paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) during the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, this review set out to identify any knowledge gaps in the literature and recommend areas for future research.

DESIGN

Scoping review.

METHODS

This study used Arksey and O'Malley's six-stage scoping review framework. A comprehensive search was conducted using the following databases, CINAHL Complete; MEDLINE; PsycINFO; PsycARTICLES and EMBASE and grey literature search engines. A search strategy with predefined inclusion criteria was used to uncover relevant research in this area. Screening and data collection were done in duplicate.

RESULTS

47 631 articles were obtained through searching. However, only 25 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Three dominant themes emerged from the literature: (1) the reorganisation of space for managing increased capacity; (2) increased staffing and support; and (3) the resulting challenges.

CONCLUSION

COVID-19 has strained institutional resources across the globe. To relieve the burden on intensive care units (ICUs), some PICUs adjusted their units to care for critically ill adults, with other PICUs making significant changes, including the redeployment of staff to adult ICUs to provide extra care for adults. Overall, PICUs were collectively well equipped to care for adult patients, with care enhanced by implementing elements of holistic, family-centred PICU practices. The pandemic fostered a collaborative approach among PICU teams and wider hospital communities. However, specific healthcare guidelines had to be created to safely care for adult patients.

Situation Awareness-Oriented Dashboard in ICUs in Support of Resource Management in Time of Pandemics

In a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of 32 beds, clinicians manage resources 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from a large-screen dashboard implemented in 2017. This resource management dashboard efficiently replaces the handwriting information displayed on a whiteboard, offering a synthetic view of the bed's layout and specific information on staff and equipment at bedside. However, in 2020 when COVID-19 hit, the resource management dashboard showed several limitations. Mainly, its visualization offered to the clinicians limited situation awareness (SA) to perceive, understand and predict the impacts on resource management and decision-making of an unusual flow of patients affected by the most severe form of coronavirus. To identify the SA requirements during a pandemic, we conducted goal-oriented interviews with 11 clinicians working in ICUs. The result is the design of an SA-oriented dashboard with 22 key indicators (KIs): 1 on the admission capacity, 15 at bedside and 6 displayed as statistics in the central area. We conducted a usability evaluation of the SA-oriented dashboard compared to the resource management dashboard with 6 clinicians. The results showed five usability improvements of the SA-oriented dashboard and five limitations. Our work contributes to new knowledge on the clinicians' SA requirements to support resource management and decision-making in ICUs in times of pandemics.

PICU in the MICU: How Adult ICUs Can Support Pediatric Care in Public Health Emergencies

Initial waves of the COVID-19 pandemic have largely spared children. With the advent of vaccination in many older age groups and the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, however, children now represent a growing percentage of COVID-19 cases. PICU capacity is far less than that of adult ICUs. Adult ICUs may need to support pediatric care, much as PICUs provided adult care earlier in the pandemic. Critically ill children selected for care in adult settings should be at least 12 years of age and ideally have conditions common in children and adults alike (eg, community-acquired sepsis, trauma). Children with complex, pediatric-specific disorders are best served in PICUs and are not recommended for transfer. The goal of such transfers is to maintain critical capacity for those children in greatest need of the PICU's unique abilities, therefore preserving systems of care for all children.

Clinical and organizational framework of repurposing pediatric intensive care unit to adult critical care in a resource-limited setting: Lessons from the response of an urban general hospital to the COVID-19 pandemic

PURPOSE

We aim to describe the action plan and clinical results of a COVID-19 unit for adult patient care in units intended for critically ill children, proposing a clinical/administrative framework.

METHODS

We reviewed the preparedness of the PICU team before the surge of cases of COVID-19 and the organizational/administrative issues to increase critical beds in a six-bed PICU allocated to adult critical care in a government-funded general hospital in Latin America. We analyzed the prospectively collected administrative/clinical data of severe COVID-19 cases admitted to PICU during the peak of the first wave of the pandemic.

RESULTS

We describe a 6-step preparedness plan: recruitment and education, admission criteria, children diversion, team hierarchy, and general and respiratory equipment. The 6-bed PICU was allocated to adult care for 20 weeks, progressively increasing capacity to a 23-bed dedicated COVID-19 unit managed by the PICU team. A six-block bed organizational units were implemented, and personnel increased from 40 to 125 healthcare workers in 24 h shifts. COVID-19 incidence in personnel was 0.5/1000 workdays. One hundred thirty-six patients were admitted, median age 59 (51,65) years old, 68% were male, and 63% had P/F ≤ 100. In addition, 48% received mechanical ventilation, the median length of stay was 7 (3,17), and in-hospital mortality was 15%.

CONCLUSIONS

We propose an organizational framework for the role of PICU in the hospital action plan to increase adult critical beds. The cohort of patients admitted to a PICU repurposed as a COVID-19 ICU had good outcomes. These data are valuable to plan coordinated actions of the healthcare system for future scenarios.

Caring for critically ill adults in paediatric intensive care units in England during the COVID-19 pandemic: planning, implementation and lessons for the future

OBJECTIVE

To describe the experience of paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in England that repurposed their units, equipment and staff to care for critically ill adults during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

DESIGN

Descriptive study.

SETTING

Seven PICUs in England.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

(1) Modelling using historical Paediatric Intensive Care Audit Network data; (2) space, staff, equipment, clinical care, communication and governance considerations during repurposing of PICUs; (3) characteristics, interventions and outcomes of adults cared for in repurposed PICUs.

RESULTS

Seven English PICUs, accounting for 137 beds, repurposed their space, staff and equipment to admit critically ill adults. Neighbouring PICUs increased their bed capacity to maintain overall bed numbers for children, which was informed by historical data modelling (median 280-307 PICU beds were required in England from March to June). A total of 145 adult patients (median age 50-62 years) were cared for in repurposed PICUs (1553 bed-days). The vast majority of patients had COVID-19 (109/145, 75%); the majority required invasive ventilation (91/109, 85%). Nearly, a third of patients (42/145, 29%) underwent a tracheostomy. Renal replacement therapy was provided in 20/145 (14%) patients. Twenty adults died in PICU (14%).

CONCLUSION

In a rapid and unprecedented effort during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, seven PICUs in England were repurposed to care for adult patients. The success of this effort was underpinned by extensive local preparation, close collaboration with adult intensivists and careful national planning to safeguard paediatric critical care capacity.

A Hybrid Model of Pediatric and Adult Critical Care During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Surge: The Experience of Two Tertiary Hospitals in London and New York

OBJECTIVES

The current novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 outbreak has caused an unprecedented demand on global adult critical care services. As adult patients have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, pediatric practitioners world-wide have stepped forward to support their adult colleagues. In general, standalone pediatric hospitals expanded their capacity to centralize pediatric critical care, decanting patients from other institutions. There are few units that ran a hybrid model, managing both adult and pediatric patients with the same PICU staff. In this report, we describe the hybrid model implemented at our respective institutions with shared experiences, pitfalls, challenges, and adjustments required in caring for both young and older patients.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

Two PICUs in urban tertiary hospitals in London and New York.

PATIENTS

Adult and pediatric patients admitted to the PICU in roughly a 6-week period during the coronavirus disease 2019 surge.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

The PICU at King's College Hospital admitted 23 non-coronavirus disease adult patients, while whereas the PICU at Morgan Stanley's Children Hospital in New York admitted 46 adults, 30 of whom were coronavirus disease positive. The median age of adult patients at King's College Hospital was higher than those admitted in New York, 53 years (19-77 yr) and 24.4 years (18-52 yr), respectively. Catering to the different physical, emotional, and social needs of both children and adults by the same PICU team was challenging. One important consideration in both locations was the continued care of patients with severe non-coronavirus disease-related illnesses such as neurosurgical emergencies, trauma, and septic shock. Furthermore, retention of critical specialists such as transplant services allowed for nine and four solid organ transplants to occur in London and New York, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This hybrid model successfully allowed for the expansion into adult critical care while maintaining essential services for critically ill children. Simultaneous care of adults and children in the ICU can be sustained if healthcare professionals work collaboratively, show proactive insight into anticipated issues, and exhibit clear leadership.

Transforming a paediatric ICU to an adult ICU for severe Covid-19: lessons learned

During the first Covid-19 wave, our paediatric intensive care unit (PICU), like many others across the globe, was transformed into an adult ICU for patients with severe Covid-19, due to a shortage of adult ICU beds. Here, we provide a comprehensive description of all the conditions that must be fulfilled to successfully accomplish this transformation. Strong support from all hospital departments was crucial, as their activity was modified by the change. Healthcare workers from various units, notably the paediatric anaesthesiology department, worked in the adult ICU to ensure sufficient staffing. The number of physiotherapists and psychologists was increased. A support system for both healthcare workers and patients' relatives was set up with the help of the mobile paediatric palliative care and support team. Supplies suitable for adults were ordered. Protocols for numerous procedures were written within a few days. Video tutorials, checklists, and simulation sessions were circulated to the entire staff. The head nurses guided and supported the new staff and usual PICU staff. The transformation was achieved within a week. The main difficulties were healthcare worker stress, changes in recommendations over time, absence of visits from relatives, and specific adult issues that paediatricians are unfamiliar with.Conclusion: For the staff, caring for adult patients was made easier by working in their familiar unit instead of being moved to an adult hospital with unfamiliar staff members and equipment. Strong support from the hospital and the assistance of consultants from adult hospital departments were crucial. What is Known: • The dramatic spread across the world of coronavirus disease 2019 generated critical care needs that drastically exceeded resources in many countries worldwide. • Paediatric ICU activity during this period decreased due to lockdown measures and the fact that children rarely required ICU for coronavirus disease 2019. What is New: • We describe how an 18-bed adult Covid-19 ICU was successfully set up in a paediatric hospital during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. • Specific requirements regarding supply, human resources, and procedures, as well as difficulties encountered, are described.

Rapid Transition of a PICU Space and Staff to Adult Coronavirus Disease 2019 ICU Care

OBJECTIVES

We describe the process by which a PICU and a PICU care team were incorporated into a hospital-wide ICU care model during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

DESIGN

A descriptive, retrospective report from a single-center PICU.

SETTING

Twenty-three bed, quaternary PICU, within an 862-bed hospital.

PATIENTS

Critically ill adults, with coronavirus disease 2019-related disease.

INTERVENTIONS

ICU care provided by pediatric intensivists with training and support from medical intensivists.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Within the context of the institution's comprehensive effort to centralize and systematize care for adults with severe coronavirus disease 2019 disease, the PICU was transitioned to an adult coronavirus disease 2019 critical care unit. Nurses and physicians underwent just-in-time training over 3 days and 2 weeks, respectively. Medical ICU physicians and nurses provided oversight for care and designated hospital-based teams were available for procedures and common adult emergencies. Over a 7-week period, the PICU cared for 60 adults with coronavirus disease 2019-related critical illness. Fifty-three required intubation and mechanical ventilation for a median of 18 days. Eighteen required renal replacement therapy and 17 died.

CONCLUSIONS

During the current and potentially in future pandemics, where critical care resources are limited, pediatric intensivists and staff can be readily utilized to meaningfully contribute to the care of critically ill adults.