While some children demonstrated a rise in their cortisol levels in response to anaesthesia without surgery, the response was variable and often more pronounced during recovery. There was consistently no classic stress response.

Intensive care length of stay (LOS) was unchanged over 12 years. Both invasive and NIV and IV magnesium sulphate use increased. LOS was directly related to the duration of IV β2-agonist. Asthma patients admitted to PICU typically have a brief stay and have a fairly predictable course. Prospective studies could explore the contribution of IV agents and the role of NIV.

Objectives Intubation of critically ill children is an infrequent procedure, and is associated with significant risk. We set out to describe intubations carried out by the Children's Health Queensland Retrieval Service (CHQRS), with the intention to identify areas for improvement in the performance of intubation in the retrieval setting. Methods Paediatric patients undergoing transport while intubated were identified, and cases where intubation occurred after the arrival of the CHQRS team were examined. Results Over the study period of January 2015 to September 2018, 498 intubated retrievals were undertaken; 85 patients were intubated after the arrival of CHQRS; the age range was 1 day to 16.5 years (median 0.5, interquartile range [IQR] 0.11–3 years). The median weight was 6.2 kg (IQR 3.7–16.5 kg). The pathology requiring intubation included respiratory 36 (42.3%), sepsis 21 (24.7%), neurological 11 (12.9%) and trauma 7 (8.2%). A total of 470 of 498 (94.4%) of intubated patients were from regional referral or tertiary hospitals, 28 of 498 (5.6%) were from rural and remote facilities. Of 85 patients, 57 (67.1%) were intubated by CHQRS and 28 (32.9%) were intubated by a doctor from the referring facility. The CHQRS team was more likely to perform the intubation in smaller children (median weight 5.0 vs 9.9 kg, P = 0.03). The mean scene time was 2.8 h. The scene time was shorter if the intubation was performed by CHQRS (mean 2.6 h, median 2.5, IQR 1.8–3.3; median 3, IQR 2.2–3.9; P = 0.048). The scene time was shorter when the intubation was predicted from tasking information (2.6 vs 3.1 h; P = 0.03). Conclusion Paediatric endotracheal intubation is an infrequent procedure in our service. An airway registry could improve documentation and gather information to identify specific training requirements and areas for practice improvement.

We report a case of Salmonella typhimurium encephalopathy in a 7-year-old girl. The patient presented with abrupt onset of coma following a brief history of diarrhea, vomiting and fever. Despite aggressive and appropriate management, she developed acute renal failure and coagulopathy and irreversible neurological compromise. No adequate alternative explanation was found for her disease. A summary of published cases is presented and postulated pathogenic mechanisms are discussed, which includes an endotoxin triggered inflammatory response.