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Feasibility and Reliability of Muscle Strength Testing in Critically Ill Children.

ABSTRACT: Diagnosing pediatric intensive care unit-acquired weakness (PICU-AW) is challenging. The Medical Research Council (MRC) score is a widely used screening method for muscle weakness in critically ill adults; however, its utility in critically ill children has not been established. Our objective was to determine the feasibility and interobserver reliability of muscle strength testing using MRC score in critically ill children. A prospective observational substudy of critically ill children aged 1 to 17 years and limited to bed rest during the first 48 hours of PICU admission was evaluated with weekly MRC exams independently performed by two clinical raters. MRC exams were attempted on all 33 participants, but could be completed in only 21 (64%), 9 of who (43%) received at least one exam while in the PICU, and in the remaining 12 (57%), MRC exams could only be completed after PICU discharge. Of the 95 attempted MRC exams, 55 (57%) could not be conducted or completed, most commonly due to patient sedation, and inability to comply due to cognitive ability, pain, or noncooperation. The inter-rater reliability for MRC sum score was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.87). However, the inter-rater reliability was only moderate when used to determine PICU-AW (Cohen kappa: 0.48). MRC testing in the PICU was not feasible as an early screening tool for muscle weakness in the majority of critically ill children in this study. Further research is needed to find an appropriate screening tool that is both feasible and predicts clinically relevant outcomes in children, such as function and recovery following critical illness.

SUBMITTER: Siu K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6513132 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Feasibility and Reliability of Muscle Strength Testing in Critically Ill Children.

Siu Kaitlyn K Al-Harbi Samah S Clark Heather H Thabane Lehana L Cheng Ji J Tarnopolsky Mark M Meaney Brandon B Choong Karen K

Journal of pediatric intensive care 20150828 4

Diagnosing pediatric intensive care unit-acquired weakness (PICU-AW) is challenging. The Medical Research Council (MRC) score is a widely used screening method for muscle weakness in critically ill adults; however, its utility in critically ill children has not been established. Our objective was to determine the feasibility and interobserver reliability of muscle strength testing using MRC score in critically ill children. A prospective observational substudy of critically ill children aged 1 t ...[more]

PMID: 31110873

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Project description:BACKGROUND:In multicenter studies, tight glycemic control targeting a normal blood glucose level has not been shown to improve outcomes in critically ill adults or children after cardiac surgery. Studies involving critically ill children who have not undergone cardiac surgery are lacking. METHODS:In a 35-center trial, we randomly assigned critically ill children with confirmed hyperglycemia (excluding patients who had undergone cardiac surgery) to one of two ranges of glycemic control: 80 to 110 mg per deciliter (4.4 to 6.1 mmol per liter; lower-target group) or 150 to 180 mg per deciliter (8.3 to 10.0 mmol per liter; higher-target group). Clinicians were guided by continuous glucose monitoring and explicit methods for insulin adjustment. The primary outcome was the number of intensive care unit (ICU)-free days to day 28. RESULTS:The trial was stopped early, on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring board, owing to a low likelihood of benefit and evidence of the possibility of harm. Of 713 patients, 360 were randomly assigned to the lower-target group and 353 to the higher-target group. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the median number of ICU-free days did not differ significantly between the lower-target group and the higher-target group (19.4 days [interquartile range {IQR}, 0 to 24.2] and 19.4 days [IQR, 6.7 to 23.9], respectively; P=0.58). In per-protocol analyses, the median time-weighted average glucose level was significantly lower in the lower-target group (109 mg per deciliter [IQR, 102 to 118]; 6.1 mmol per liter [IQR, 5.7 to 6.6]) than in the higher-target group (123 mg per deciliter [IQR, 108 to 142]; 6.8 mmol per liter [IQR, 6.0 to 7.9]; P<0.001). Patients in the lower-target group also had higher rates of health care-associated infections than those in the higher-target group (12 of 349 patients [3.4%] vs. 4 of 349 [1.1%], P=0.04), as well as higher rates of severe hypoglycemia, defined as a blood glucose level below 40 mg per deciliter (2.2 mmol per liter) (18 patients [5.2%] vs. 7 [2.0%], P=0.03). No significant differences were observed in mortality, severity of organ dysfunction, or the number of ventilator-free days. CONCLUSIONS:Critically ill children with hyperglycemia did not benefit from tight glycemic control targeted to a blood glucose level of 80 to 110 mg per deciliter, as compared with a level of 150 to 180 mg per deciliter. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and others; HALF-PINT ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01565941 .).

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Feasibility and Reliability of Muscle Strength Testing in Critically Ill Children.

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Feasibility and Reliability of Muscle Strength Testing in Critically Ill Children.

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