Current Projects
Completed Projects
CPCCRN Core Data Project (CCDP)
SIRD
Biorepository
ICU-RESUS
PHENOMS
This is a prospective observational cohort study to enroll 400 children with severe sepsis to test the hypotheses that children with these phenotypes have; 1) increased mortality, 2) predisposing genotype and environmental risk factors, and 3) increased CRP and Ferritin levels that correlate with clinical outcome. If patients’ clinical outcomes are related to a spectrum of inflammation pathobiology and increased systemic inflammation biomarkers, then this will inform a paradigm shift supporting future study of the use of phenotype specific therapies, directed to normalizing CRP and Ferritin levels in children with severe sepsis induced MOF.
TOUCH
PICU Core Outcomes
The purpose of this study is to develop a collaborative, stakeholder-informed Core Outcomes Set (COS) for pediatric critical care medicine (PCCM) research programs. A core outcome is defined as “a patient outcome, health-related condition, or aspects of health that relevant stakeholders agree are essential to assess in all clinical research studies evaluating outcomes”. The COS will serve as a guideline resource for investigators to assure that outcomes most important to all stakeholders are considered in PCCM clinical research programs.
Steering Committee Members: You can access your dashboard here with your password.
Delphi Participants: You can access your dashboard here with your password.
GRACE-1
In GRACE-1 we will perform an open-label interventional trial to identify the optimal dose and route of delivery (IV vs SQ) for GM-CSF in children with sepsis-induced MODS, with reversal of immunoparalysis as the primary outcome variable. This will include the collection and analysis of unique pharmacokinetic data that will further inform future GM-CSF dosing strategies. We will also gather feasibility and effect magnitude and variation data that will be crucial for developing an accurate sample size calculation for a future RCT focusing on improving clinical outcomes. Lastly, we will gather preliminary data on the relationships between immune function, coagulation, and the microbiome in the setting of GM-CSF treatment. These data will be used to develop specific aims that will be part of the grant proposal that will fund the subsequent placebo-controlled RCT.
We anticipate that the GRACE program will represent a paradigm shift in the management of pediatric sepsis care in that it will demonstrate the role of patient-specific immunomodulation in promoting resolution of organ failure and reducing mortality from pediatric sepsis-induced MODS.
ARDS
This prospective longitudinal observational cohort study will validate the association between these biomarkers and mortality risk in children with ARDS and examine relationship of these markers with long-term morbidity and functional outcomes among survivors.
Bereavement I – Parents’ Perspective
Bereavement II – PICU Study
Bereavement III – Physician’s Perspective
The objective of this study was to describe physicians’ experience with and attitudes toward follow-up meetings after a child’s death. Semi-structured audio-recorded telephone interviews were conducted with PICU attending physicians and fellows from the CPCCRN affiliated children’s hospitals. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using standard qualitative methods. Meeting content included discussing autopsy, hospital course, diagnosis, genetic risk, parent questions, family coping, and bereavement services; providing reassurance; expressing sympathy; and receiving feedback from parents. Barriers to follow-up meetings included time, scheduling, distance, transportation, language, cultural issues, physician willingness, and lack of systematic meeting initiation. Of the 70 physicians that were interviewed, 23 (33%) reported never having previously participated in a follow-up conference. Sixty-three (90%) of all physicians interviewed reported that follow-up meetings should be routinely offered. PICU physicians have a wide range of experience conducting follow-up meetings with bereaved parents. These data, along with parents’ perspectives described in prior research, provide a basis for developing a framework for follow-up conferences after a child’s death.
Bereavement IV: Pilot Study of Framework for Physician-Parent Follow-up Meetings
The Parent Bereavement Study is a multicenter pilot study of video-recorded physician-parent follow-up meetings using the CPCCRN framework. Results of the pilot test will be used to assess the feasibility of the framework and to refine the framework prior to conducting a randomized controlled trial of the effect of physician-parent follow-up meetings on parental bereavement outcomes. This study has been completed and the results have been published.
Cortisol Quantification Investigation (CQI)
This study was conducted on 165 critically ill children across the spectrum of illness severity. Analyses determined that centrifugal ultrafiltration fractionated free cortisol was fast and results correlated highly with equilibrium dialysis fractionated free cortisol. This study ascertains that real-time free cortisol quantification is feasible to potentially help guide future research to enhance clinical decision making for cortisol replacement therapy in the pediatric intensive care unit.
Functional Status Scale (FSS)
The purpose of the FSS (Functional Status Scale) study was to create a functional status outcome measure for large outcome studies that is well defined, quantitative, rapid, reliable, minimally dependent on subjective assessments, and applicable to hospitalized pediatric patients across a wide range of ages and inpatient environments. This study was designed with the intention that, if successful, FSS would be used throughout the world of pediatric medicine as an assessment tool.
Functional Status Scale (FSS) domains of functioning included mental status, sensory functioning, communication, motor functioning, feeding, and respiratory status, categorized from normal (Score=1) to very severe dysfunction (score=5). The Adaptive Behavior Assessment System II (ABAS II) established construct validity and calibration within domains. Seven CPCCRN institutions provided PICU patients within 24 hours before or after PICU discharge, high-risk non-PICU patients within 24 hours after admission, and technology-dependent children. Primary care nurses completed the ABAS II.
A total of 836 children, with a mean FSS score of 10.3 (SD: 4.4), were studied. Eighteen percent had the minimal possible FSS score of 6, 44% had FSS scores of ≥ 10, 14% had FSS scores of ≥ 15, and 6% had FSS scores of ≥ 20. Each FSS domain was associated with mean ABAS II scores (P < .0001). Cells in each domain were collapsed and reweighted, which improved correlations with ABAS II scores (P < .001 for improvements). Discrimination was very good for moderate and severe dysfunction (ABAS II categories) and improved with FSS weighting. Intraclass correlations of original and weighted total FSS scores were 0.95 and 0.94, respectively.
The FSS study met all objectives and was determined to be well suited for large outcome studies.
Functional Status Scale Dataset
Functional Status Score Calculator and Instructional Video
CRISIS
MOTIF
Measuring Opioid Tolerance Induced by Fentanyl (or Other Opioids) Dataset
Critical Asthma Mortality and Morbidity Planning Study
In order to gain a better understanding of status asthmaticus, its treatment, and its overall outcomes, each PICU research team within the Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network (CPCCRN) examined its admissions records in detail for children ages 1 year to 18 years old, over the last 5 years for any instances of deaths resulting from a diagnosis of asthma (fatal asthma). Post-mortem data was reviewed where available. In addition, the medical records for children intubated and mechanically ventilated for asthma (near-fatal asthma) were analyzed.
This review and abstraction has enabled CPCCRN investigators to quantify the current variability of critical asthma treatment and has helped us to identify additional medical problems, such as organ failure and the relatively high intubation rate for African-American children that occurred during the patient’s near-fatal illness. Data from this study will inform development of prospective studies investigating the management of critical asthma.
picuGrid
Critical Pertussis
Among children <18 years of age with pertussis who require hospitalization in the PICU, the aims of this multicenter study were to 1) characterize the acute course during the PICU admission; 2) assess reported health status and family impact following PICU discharge; 3) assess developmental sequelae and quality of life among infants who were less than 12 months of gestational age at time of PICU admission 12-months following PICU discharge; and 4) assess risk factors associated with developmental sequelae in infants.
A prospective cohort of children with critical pertussis was identified through the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network (CPCCRN) and other PICU sites utilizing existing national research infrastructure. With enhanced PICU surveillance, approximately 250 critical pertussis case-children were enrolled. Eligible pertussis cases were defined using study case definitions. Demographic and clinical information was collected through chart abstraction and parental interview. Six months after hospital discharge, health status was assessed through questionnaire administered by mail survey. Among infants <12 months of gestational age at the time of PICU admission, developmental sequelae survivor outcomes was evaluated with the validated Mullen Scales of Early Learning and potential risk factors for sequelae assessed through univariate and multivariable analyses.
Trichotomous Outcome Prediction in Critical Care
TOPICC was a prospective observational cohort study where a probability sample of all patients under 18 years of age, who were admitted to all non-neonatal CPCCRN PICUs, were selected. The final sample size estimated in at 10,000 patients. The duration of the study was two years. During this time, the project looked to determine the optimal time window in which to collect data elements representing the initial medical and physiological condition of PICU patients at the time of admission to the PICU. Also, investigators aimed to derive and validate a predictor of three or more outcome states following pediatric intensive care; specifically death, survival with reduced functional status, and survival with normal or unchanged functional status. The ultimate goal of this study was to develop and validate a new predictive instrument to measure quality of care provided to children in PICUs across the country. This instrument will facilitate comparisons in quality of care and help inform the development of new interventions aimed at improving the quality of pediatric critical care.
Translating an Adult Ventilator Computer Protocol to Pediatric Critical Care
Translating an Adult Ventilator Computer Protocol to Pediatric Critical Care Dataset
Bleeding and Thrombosis During ECMO
This project will seek to describe the incidence of bleeding and thrombosis in ECMO patients at CPCCRN sites, describe current anticoagulation monitoring practices and seek evidence of association between bleeding and thrombotic complications, laboratory coagulation measurements, patient characteristics, ECMO circuitry and adherence to center-specific ECMO management protocols. The ultimate goal of this research is to eliminate bleeding and thrombotic complications during ECMO and improve outcome for these patients. This study was completed and the results are being prepared for publication.
THAPCA Trials
PEACE
In critically ill patients not receiving ECMO, numerous PK studies have demonstrated highly significant changes to drug exposure through interactions between the patient, pathology and the drug. The ECMO system introduces additional variables, which are inherent to the circuit itself, as well as the systemic inflammation that results from use of an extracorporeal circuit. Sequestration of drugs in the circuit, increased volume of distribution and decreased clearance are the major PK changes associated with ECMO, although the extent of such changes remains poorly characterized. The amount of variability in drug disposition and pharmacokinetics that is introduced by different circuit components is largely unknown. Therefore, the objective of Pediatric ECMO and Cefepime Study, or PEACE, is to gain preliminary data on the impact of ECMO on the pharmacokinetics of cefepime administered as standard of care to infants.
We hypothesize that the volume of distribution of cefepime will be increased, and the clearance reduced in patients receiving ECMO. Also, there will be variability in cefepime PK across different circuit types.
PICqCPR
High-fidelity hemodynamic data will be obtained during qualifying CPR Events in the ICU, and then analyzed by pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation field experts. This investigation aims to obtain evidentiary support to associate hemodynamics (arterial diastolic pressure and end tidal carbon dioxide) during CPR with outcomes in those children who suffer an arrest within CPCCRN ICUs.
LAPSE
The purpose of this prospective observational study is to describe short and long-term outcomes among a moderate cohort of children surviving septic shock. In contrast to adult medicine, little is known about the long term outcomes following pediatric sepsis. For the first time LAPSE will investigate the intensity and duration of sepsis-associated morbidity that persists in the weeks and months following the acute septic event. LAPSE will describe the post sepsis illness trajectory through serial measurements of Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL) and subject functional status (FS). In addition LAPSE will examine organ dysfunction, as well as individual and environmental characteristics that may influence these outcome measures.
We hypothesize that significant variation of HRQL and functional status will be observed following survival of severe sepsis, enabling development of suitable composite outcome measures for future interventional trials of pediatric sepsis. We further hypothesize that deterioration of HRQL and functional status following survival of severe sepsis will correlate with (1) the intensity and duration of specific organ failures that adversely affect systemic oxygen delivery and consumption during the acute illness; and (2) characteristics of the individual (chronic co-morbid conditions, personality traits) and environment (socioeconomic factors, family dynamics and parental stress).
iNO
Acute lung injury (ALI) occurs in approximately 9% of mechanically ventilated children with 80% progressing to ALI’s most severe form, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is an important therapy for neonates with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, older children with pulmonary hypertension and patients with congenital heart disease. It has been hypothesized that iNO should benefit patients with ALI/ARDS by improving oxygenation and limiting ventilator and oxygen induced lung injury. Clinical trials, however, have not been able to prove this hypothesis. Despite lack of proof of efficacy, iNO continues to be frequently used in pediatric ALI/ARDS. The continued use of iNO may be based on bias towards intervention and the perceived lack of toxic effects of iNO. Inhaled nitric oxide is variably used among the sites within the CPCCRN. In the recently published TOPICC study, 285 (2.8%) of the 10,078 enrolled subjects received iNO during the PICU admission, which represents approximately 500 patients per year.
This study is a prospective observational cohort study, and its descriptive results will be used to inform the design and implementation of a randomized, controlled trial of iNO in pediatric intensive care (medical and cardiac).
IRA
This study will use retrospective chart review of TOPICC (Trichotomous Outcome Prediction in Critical Care) database records to identify important pathophysiological processes resulting in morbidity and mortality, as well as needed therapeutic additions and advances including life support methodologies that could prevent or ameliorate morbidity and mortality, which if known could improve PICU clinical outcomes.
VAP
Mechanically ventilated children are at high risk for nosocomial infections, including ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Limited understanding of the microbial and host factors associated with VAP pathogenesis has precluded development of truly effective prevention and treatment strategies. Recent evidence has revealed that the lungs, previously considered a sterile microenvironment, contain microbial populations. Study of the microbiome, the genomic content of the microbiota, is a novel approach to expand our understanding of the complexities of the airway microbiota. Interrogating the relationships between an intubated individual’s respiratory microbiota, the host’s immune response, and the disease process will provide important insights into the pathogenesis of VAP, help identify at-risk children early in the course of illness, and suggest new and more effective prevention and therapeutic strategies to improve outcomes and reduce resource utilization and costs. In this study, it is hypothesized that specific ecological patterns of the airway microbiome precede VAP and that the interaction of viral infection, bacterial populations, and the balance between immune activation and immune suppression play crucial roles in determining whether a given patient develops VAP.
This is a prospective longitudinal observational study of high risk mechanically ventilated children with systematic bacterial and viral analyses of the respiratory tract along with proteomic evaluation of the host response to determine whether specific taxa and patterns of bacterial microbiota contribute to VAP risk and whether bacterial communities are modulated by viral infection and host immune responses to increase risk of VAP.
PPA
The study is based around a multi-site longitudinal survey of parents 6 & 13 months after their child’s death in a CPCCRN-affiliated ICU. Parent characteristics and perceived therapeutic alliance will be assessed at 6 months, while parent health outcomes will be measured at 6 & 13 months. The study will determine the extent of therapeutic alliance bereaved parents perceive to have occurred between parents and their child’s physicians and other healthcare providers during the child’s PICU stay, as well as which therapeutic alliance is associated with parents’ health outcomes after their child’s death in a PICU.
GIFT-1
Traumatic injury remains, by far, the leading cause of death for children outside the neonatal period in the United States. The incidence of nosocomial infection is extremely high in injured children who require ICU care and it represents an important source of morbidity and health care costs. Impairment of innate immune function is common following critical injury in adults and is characterized by a reduced capacity of whole blood to produce the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) upon ex vivo stimulation with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and reduced monocyte HLA-DR expression.
We have developed the capacity to perform highly standardized, generalizable, rapid functional immune monitoring in our laboratory and our preliminary data show that children with an ex vivo LPS-induced TNF-α production capacity < 600 pg/mL are at particularly high risk for the development of nosocomial infection. Our pediatric preliminary data, along with several small adult studies, suggest that GM-CSF can reverse critical illness-induced immunosuppression. GM-CSF is FDA-approved for use in children and has a low side-effect profile, but has never been studied in critically injured children.
GIFT-1 is being conducted as a dose finding study to determine the lowest tolerable dose of GM-CSF that will reverse trauma-induced immune suppression in high-risk, critically injured children. We will perform multi-center dose-escalation studies in four cohorts of traumatized children, identified by presence or absence of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Tanner stage (1 and >1).