Since little is known about dysregulated hyperinflammatory immunological responses causing acute severe infection and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the available data on therapies for severe presentations in children are very limited. Describing experiences of severe pediatric COVID-19 presentations in more detail will help improve clinical practice.In this case report, we describe the complete clinical course of a 9-year-old girl previously diagnosed with Angelman syndrome and high-risk T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia who had been receiving reinduction chemotherapy, presented with pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome, and progressively developed hyperferritinemic multiple-organ failure, a cytokine storm, and coagulopathy associated with COVID-19. She was treated with therapeutic plasma exchange, tocilizumab, hydrocortisone, and favipiravir, but she died 7 days after her admission into our pediatric intensive care unit.The utility of therapeutic plasma exchange with other immunomodulatory therapies in severe presentations requires further trials. The spectrum of the inflammatory phenotypes associated with COVID-19 should be investigated and well defined to initiate the optimal treatment strategy on time.

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Background: The aims of this study were to evaluate the outcomes of patients with severe bronchiolitis who received preemptive high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) treatment according to the authors' protocol, and to identify potential baseline characteristics that might predict patients who will not benefit from HFNC. Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of patients with severe bronchiolitis, who received preemptive HFNC treatment according to the authors' protocol and who were admitted to the pediatric emergency department between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016. Results: Eighty-four patients in total were enrolled over the 2 year period. Twenty-three patients (27.3%) failed HFNC. Of these, four responded to non-invasive mechanical ventilation and 19 required subsequent invasive ventilation. According to logistic regression analysis, existence of a chronic condition, significant tachycardia, existence of dehydration, and a venous pH <7.30 at admission were found to be predictors of HFNC failure. There were no cases of pneumothorax or any other reported adverse effects related to HFNC therapy. Conclusions: Preemptive HFNC treatment, complying with a preestablished protocol, might be a safe way to support patients with severe bronchiolitis in high-volume, resource-limited pediatric emergency departments. The existence of a chronic condition, significant tachycardia, dehydration, and a venous pH <7.30 at admission could be risk factors for preemptive HFNC treatment failure in severe bronchiolitis.

Infections and sepsis are the leading causes of death in non-cardiac intensive care units (ICUs) and account for 40 percent of all ICU expenditures. Data regarding bloodstream infections (BSIs) due to a carbapenem-resistant gram negative (CRGN) microorganisms in pediatric ICUs still remain limited. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted retrospectively in patients who were admitted to two pediatric critical care units between January 2011 and December 2017. Patients were assigned to two groups. Patients with BSI caused by a CRGN microorganism and infections were assigned to the BSI group and those other than BSI were assigned to the non-BSI group. Results: This study included 89 critically ill children with a mean age of 52.1 (±65.1) months. The requirements for invasive procedures including tracheostomy, Foley catheter and central venous catheter were not statistically different among the groups, p values were 0.159, 0.291 and 0.803, respectively. The majority of the patients admitted to pediatric intensive care unit were due to sepsis/septic shock in the BSI group (n=18, 58%) and in the non-BSI group, this figure was 37.9% (n=24). Prior third/fourth generation cephalosporin exposure was significantly more common in the BSI group (51.6% vs 15.5%, p<0.001), carbapenem exposure was not significantly different among the groups (35.5% vs 56.9%, p=0.054). Neutropenia (<500/mm 3) and thrombocytopenia (150x103/mm 3) were significantly more common in the BSI group (p=0.011 and p=0.010) and the C-reactive protein level was significantly higher (p=0.018). Crude and attributable mortality did not show any significance between the groups, p values were 0.578 and 0.955, respectively. Conclusion: CRGN infections are still a major cause of morbidity, mortality and healthcare associated infections. In this study, we evaluated patients with BSI due to a CRGN microorganism and compared them with other infection types. The risk factors and outcomes were similar except for prior cephalosporin exposure. As a conclusion, we have to enhance infection control programs and prevent patients from redundant antibiotic exposure.

We aimed to identify nonconvulsive seizures (NCS) and nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). A prospective cohort study on 35 patients who underwent continuous electroencephalographic monitoring in the PICU was done. The patients were evaluated to collect data of their demographics, clinical diagnoses, clinical seizures by electroencephalography, and neuroimaging findings. One case with NCSE and 4 cases with NCS were diagnosed among the 35 patients. The etiology of the patient with NCSE showed antiepileptic drug (AED) withdrawal. The etiology of the patients with NCS included electrical injury, head trauma, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and pneumonia. The findings suggest that younger age, epilepsy, acute structural brain abnormalities, abrupt cessation of AED, and clinically overt seizures before NCSE/NCS are associated with significant risk for NCS/NCSE. In addition, the electrical injury may also be considered as a risk factor for electrographic seizure though such a case has not yet been reported.

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Infections and sepsis are the leading causes of death in non-cardiac ICUs and account for 40 percent of all ICU expenditures. Data regarding bloodstream infections (BSIs) due to a carbapenem-resistant gram negative (CRGN) microorganis in pediatric ICUs still remain limited. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted retrospectively in patients who were admitted to two pediatric critical care units between January 2011 and December 2017. Patients were assigned to two groups. Patients with bloodstream infection (BSI) caused by a carbapenem-resistant gramnegative microorganism and infections were assigned to BSI group other than BSI were assigned to non-BSI group. Results: This study included 96 critically ill children with a mean age of 48.6 (1-204) months.Requirement of invasive procedures included tracheostomy, foley catheter and central venous catheter were not statistically different among groups, P values were 0.159, 0.291 and 0.803, respectively. The majority of the patients admitted to PICU due to sepsis/septic shock in BSI group (n: 18, 58%) and in non-BSI group (n: 24, 37,9%). Prior third/fourth generation cephalosporin exposure significantly more common in BSI group (51.6% vs.15.5%, P<0.001), carbapenem exposure was not significantly different among groups (35.5% vs 56.9%, P=0.054). Neutropenia (<500/mm 3) and thrombocytopenia (150x103/mm 3) were more significantly more common in BSI group (P=0.011 and P=0.010) and C-reactive protein (CRP) level was significantly higher (P=0.018). Crude and attributable mortality did not show significance between groups, P values were 0.578 and 0.955, respectively. Conclusion: Carbapenem-resistant gram-negative infections are still major cause of morbiditity, mortality and healthcare associated infections. In this sudy, we evaluated the patients with BSI due to a CRGN microorganism and compared with other infection types. The risk factors and outcomes were similar except prior cephalosporin exposure. As a conclusion, we have to enhance the infection control programs and prevent the patients from redundant antibiotic exposure.

Most cases of bleeding that develop after percutaneous liver biopsies can be managed with follow-up and supportive treatment. In life-threatening situations, however, open surgery or minimally invasive methods are required. This case report describes the clinical course of an 11-year-old patient with a diagnosis of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome who experienced a major hemorrhage following a percutaneous liver biopsy. Clinical findings, imaging, interventions, and results were evaluated. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was performed without any problem. The patient's bilirubin level started to increase on the 20th day after transplantation. Profuse watery diarrhea started on the 24th day. Graft-versus-host disease of the gastrointestinal tract and liver was considered as his diarrhea continued to the 29th day. An ultrasound-guided Tru-cut® liver biopsy (Merit medical, South Jordan, UT, USA) was performed with an 18-gauge needle on the 52nd day after transplantation. In the fourth hour after the procedure, the general condition of the patient started to deteriorate. Active bleeding was detected in the patient with computed tomography, and he was hypotensive and tachycardic. The patient was urgently transferred to the angiography unit and a successful angiographic embolization was performed. Angiographic embolization is an intervention with high success rates in cases of bleeding where the patient is hemodynamically stable. However, it can also be successfully applied in selected patients who are hemodynamically unstable.