Objectives This article investigated the utility of urine biomarkers tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-7 (IGFBP-7) in identifying acute kidney injury (AKI) in neonates after congenital heart surgery (CHS). TIMP-2 and IGFBP-7 are cell cycle arrest proteins detected in urine during periods of kidney stress/injury. Methods We conducted a single-center, prospective study between September 2017 and May 2019 with neonates undergoing CHS requiring cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Urine samples were analyzed using NephroCheck prior to surgery and 6, 12, 24, and 96 hours post-CPB. All patients were evaluated using the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) criteria. Wilcoxon rank sum tests were used to compare the medians of the [TIMP-2*IGFBP-7] values in the AKIN negative and positive groups at each time point. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to measure how well the [TIMP-2*IGFBP-7] values predict AKIN status. Results Thirty-six patients were included. No patients met the AKIN criteria for AKI preoperatively. Postoperatively, 19 patients (53%) met the AKIN criteria for AKI diagnosis: 13 (36%) stage 1, 5 (14%) stage 2, and 1 (3%) stage 3. None required renal replacement therapy. At the 24-hour time points, patients who met the AKIN criteria for AKI had a statistically significantly higher [TIMP-2*IGFBP7] values than the patients without AKI (1.1 vs. 0.27 [ng/mL] 2 /1,000) at 24 hours (adj- p = 0.0019). Conclusion AKI is a serious complication associated with adverse outcomes in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. [TIMP-2*IGFBP-7] urinary level 24 hours after CPB is a good predictor of AKI in this population.
The primary objective of this study was to determine if serum lactate level at the time of hospital admission can predict mortality in pediatric patients. A systematic review was conducted to identify studies that assessed the utility of serum lactate at the time of admission to predict mortality in pediatric patients. The areas under the curve from the receiver operator curve analyses were utilized to determine the pooled area under the curve. Additionally, standardized mean difference was compared between those who survived to discharge and those who did not. A total of 12 studies with 2,099 patients were included. Out of these, 357 (17%) experienced mortality. The pooled area under the curve for all patients was 0.74 (0.67-0.80, p < 0.01). The pooled analyses for all admissions were higher in those who experienced mortality (6.5 vs. 3.3 mmol/L) with a standardized mean difference of 2.60 (1.74-3.51, p < 0.01). The pooled area under the curve for cardiac surgery patients was 0.63 (0.53-0.72, p < 0.01). The levels for cardiac surgery patients were higher in those who experienced mortality (5.5 vs. 4.1 mmol/L) with a standardized mean difference of 1.80 (0.05-3.56, p = 0.04). Serum lactate at the time of admission can be valuable in identifying pediatric patients at greater risk for inpatient mortality. This remained the case when only cardiac surgery patients were included.
Objectives: Pediatric ICU survivors experience a collection of physical, cognitive, emotional, and social symptoms named post-intensive care syndrome (PICS). We aimed to quantify PICS morbidities from multiple stakeholder perspectives across domains.
Methods: Using physician, neuropsychologist, and parent/caregiver completed outcome measures across domains in a cross sectional analysis of 186 children between the ages of 8 to 19 years with data from a PICU follow-up clinic 1-3 months after PICU discharge, we quantified PICS morbidities and used Spearman correlation to evaluate interdependence of PICS domains.
Results: Compared to pre-hospitalization functioning, new PICS related morbidities were observed and significant correlations were identified between the PICS domains. Results highlight the need to identify and support patients and families for multiple morbidities simultaneously across all relevant PICS domains; moreover, important divergence between caregiver report, physician and neuropsychologist assessment were also found, showcasing the importance of multiple assessments and perspectives.
Conclusions: New PICS morbidities across domains are common after discharge from the PICU and timely follow-up care is needed that involves collaboration/integration of physicians, neuropsychologists, youth, and families to effectively identify and treat PICS related issues.

