September 2011

Recording-Breaking Number of Open Forums on Tap at AARC Congress 2011
The 57th International Respiratory Convention & Exhibition in Tampa, FL, this Nov. 5–8 will feature more original research than any other AARC Congress in history, in a record-setting 20 Open Forums sprinkled throughout the four days of the meeting. Two Open Forums on Sunday and Monday are dedicated solely to neonatal and pediatric topics. Take a few moments to review the abstracts—and the program too, which is now online as well—and then register to attend today. SCROLL THROUGH OPEN FORUM SESSIONS READ PROGRAM

ED Visit for Asthma Not Likely to End with ICS Prescription
Too many children who present to the emergency department with an acute exacerbation of asthma walk away without a prescription for an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS). That’s the take home message from Rhode Island researchers who conducted a secondary analysis of the 2005-2007 National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey database for ED visits by children ages 2-21 with acute respiratory symptoms and a diagnosis of asthma exacerbation. Among the 2,288,874 estimated visits only 4% included a prescription for an ICS. ICS medications were more likely to be prescribed during the Fall, but no other factors were linked to ICS prescription. The authors conclude, “ED clinicians should consider interventions to increase ICS prescriptions for children with persistent asthma.” The study appeared in the July issue of Academic Emergency Medicine. READ ABSTRACT

Toddlers Benefit from Injected Plus Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine
Young children receive the same protective antibody response from two doses of the influenza vaccine, regardless of whether both doses are of the injection, the nasal spray, or a combination of the two, report U.S. researchers who conducted a federally funded study. However, influenza-specific T cells could not be detected in children who received only the trivalent, inactivated vaccine (TIV) injection while children who received at least one dose of the live, attenuated influenza virus vaccine (LAIV) nasal spray produced significant amounts of three important T-cell subtypes that are likely to confer additional protection beyond that afforded by antibodies alone. Since the LAIV nasal spray has been linked to wheezing in young kids, the authors believe children under age two should receive one dose of the TIV followed by one dose of the LAIV. The study was conducted among 53 children between the ages of six and 35 months and appeared in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. READ PRESS RELEASE

Study Questions Permissive Hypercapnia
Permissive hypercapnia in ventilated infants deserves more review, find Georgetown University Hospital investigators publishing ahead of print in the Maternal and Child Health Journal on Aug. 24. They arrived at that conclusion after conducting an observational cohort study in 425 preterm infants at nine hospitals to determine the association between bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and hypercarbia in ventilated infants with birthweights between 500-1499 grams. Infants with hypercarbia that occurred only when MAP was ≤8 cm H2O, a scenario similar to permissive hypercapnia, had an increased incidence of BPD. READ ABSTRACT

MMP Levels Predict Pediatric ARDS Outcomes
University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers who analyzed tracheal aspirates from 33 pediatric ARDS patients and 21 non-ARDS controls at 48 hours of intubation find matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) -8 and -9 levels can predict outcomes for ARDS patients. Patients with higher MMP-8 and active MMP-9 levels at 48 hours required longer mechanical ventilation times and had fewer ventilator-free days. The highest number of ventilator days was seen in patients with the highest levels of active MMP-9. The authors conclude, “Together, these results identify early biomarkers predictive of disease course and potential therapeutic targets for this life threatening disease.” The study was published ahead of print in PLoS One on Aug. 3. READ ABSTRACT