Introduction of computerized physician order entry systems clearly reduces medication prescription errors; however, clinical benefit of computerized physician order entry systems in pediatric or ICU settings has not yet been demonstrated. The quality of the implementation process could be a decisive factor determining overall success or failure.

The development of MSOF is a multifactorial process. Our proposed mechanisms linking mechanical ventilation and MSOF suggest several novel therapeutic approaches. However, it will first be necessary to study the mechanisms described above to delineate more precisely the contribution of each proposed factor, their interrelationships, and their time course. We suggest that scientific advances in immunology may offer novel approaches for prevention of MSOF secondary to ventilator-induced lung injury.

A protective role for CD8+ T cells during viral infections is generally accepted, but little is known about how CD8+ T cell responses develop during primary infections in infants, their efficacy, and how memory is established after viral clearance. We studied CD8+ T cell responses in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples and blood of infants with a severe primary respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. RSV-specific CD8+ T cells with an activated effector cell phenotype: CD27+CD28+CD45RO+CCR7−CD38+HLA-DR+Granzyme B+CD127− could be identified in BAL and blood. A high proportion of these CD8+ T cells proliferated and functionally responded upon in vitro stimulation with RSV Ag. Thus, despite the very young age of the patients, a robust systemic virus-specific CD8+ T cell response was elicited against a localized respiratory infection. RSV-specific T cell numbers as well as the total number of activated effector type CD8+ T cells peaked in blood around day 9–12 after the onset of primary symptoms, i.e., at the time of recovery. The lack of a correlation between RSV-specific T cell numbers and parameters of disease severity make a prominent role in immune pathology unlikely, in contrast the T cells might be involved in the recovery process.