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The studies included in this review suggest that nutritional depletion is associated with worse outcomes in pediatric intensive care units. However, studies are scarce and those existing show no methodological homogeneity, especially regarding nutritional status assessment and classification methods. Contemporary and well-designed studies are needed in order to properly assess the association between children's nutritional status and its impact on outcomes of these patients.

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Cardiac dysfunction by echocardiography and serum ferritin value was significantly associated with unfavorable outcomes in pediatric patients with sepsis.

Brazilian translation, cross-cultural adaptation, validity and reliability of the EMPATHIC-30 questionnaire to measure parental satisfaction in intensive care units

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Objectives: To evaluate serum ferritin measured within 48 hours of admission as a prognostic marker and examine the association with unfavorable outcomes in a population of pediatric patients with sepsis and high prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in which this biomarker is routinely measured. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: PICU of a tertiary care teaching hospital in a middleincome country in South America. Patients: All patients 6 months to 18 years old (n = 350) admitted with a diagnosis of sepsis, suspected or proven, were eligible for inclusion. Exclusion criteria were length of PICU stay less than 8 hours and inherited or acquired disorder of iron metabolism that could interfere with serum ferritin levels. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Three-hundred twelve patients had their ferritin levels measured within 48 hours, and only 38 did not. The prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (hemoglobin < 11 g/dL and mean corpuscular volume < 80 fl was 40.3%. The median of the highest serum ferritin level within 48 hours was 150.5 ng/mL (interquartile range, 82.25-362 ng/mL), being asso-ciated with mortality (p < 0.001; Exp(B), 5.170; 95% CI, 2.619-10.205). A 10-fold increase in ferritin level was associated with a five-fold increase in mortality. There was a monotonic increase in mortality with increasing ferritin levels (p < 0.05). Regarding the discriminatory power of ferritin for mortality, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.787 (95% CI, 0.737-0.83; p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Serum ferritin at lower thresholds predicts mortality in children with sepsis admitted to the ICU in a middle-income country with high prevalence of iron deficiency anemia. (Pediatr Crit Care Med 2020; 21:e259-e266)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals around the world were forced to reorganize their processes in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus while still providing adequate care to patients. In the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) setting, changes in family visitation protocols and restrictions on parent chaperones during hospitalization, as well as other changes, interfered with care. Based on a narrative review of the literature, supported by the authors' observations in practice, we aimed to describe the impact of the pandemic on patient and family-centered care (PFCC) in the PICU environment, especially regarding the presence of family members, family support, and communication with patients and their families, as well as the effects of changes in these practices on the mental health of those involved. In this context, several strategies were used to sustain PFCC, and, despite many challenges, attempts were made to achieve the bare-minimum goals of humanized care for patients, families, and providers alike.