Guidelines and research

Official guidance for paediatric critical care, the evidence behind it, and the latest PICU research.

Open-access systematic reviews, meta-analyses and trials on PICU topics, chosen for relevance and how widely they are cited. Evidence informs guidance but doesn't replace it.

• American Heart Association 2025 Guidelines: Basic life support, advanced cardiovascular life support, pediatric advanced life support, and neonatal resuscitation.Review articleAmerican Heart Association2026
• Interventions to improve neonatal and infant intubation success: a meta-analysis.Systematic review or meta-analysisEuropean Journal of Pediatrics2026Full text
• Tranexamic acid and beyond: A systematic review of pediatric post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage protocols and introduction of a universal management guideline.Review articleInternational Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology2026Full text
• Adherence to who severe acute malnutrition guidelines and mortality in critically ill children ‒ A cohort study in a pediatric intensive care unit.Research paperNutrición Hospitalaria (journal)2026Full text
• Report Cards as a Sustainability Tool for Guideline Adherence in Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury.Research paperPediatric Quality & Safety (journal)2026
• REstrictive versus StandarD FlUid Management in Mechanically Ventilated ChildrEn Admitted to PICU: a pilot randomized controlled trial (REDUCE-1).Randomised trialPediatric Critical Care Medicine (SCCM/WFPICCS)2026Full text
• Pediatric acute myocarditis: current evidence and practical recommendations.Review articleTrends in Cardiovascular Medicine2026Full text
• Supporting clinical guidelines for opioid conversion to methadone and tapering to prevent withdrawal in critically ill children using physiology based pharmacokinetic modeling and simulation.Research paperPLoS One (Dutch Pediatric Formulary expert panel)2026Full text
• High-Frequency Oscillation vs Mechanical Ventilation for Neonatal Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Randomised trialJAMA Network Open2026Full text
• Pediatric Intensive Care Core Outcomes-a modified Delphi consensus process (PIC-CO).OtherGerman Interdisciplinary Association of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (DIVI) – Section of Paediatric Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (SPIE)2026Full text
• Developing tailored dosing recommendations for ciprofloxacin in critically ill children using a population approach based on total and unbound concentrations.Research paperClinical Microbiology and Infection (ESCMID journal)2026
• Effectiveness of Family-Focused End of Life and Bereavement Interventions Across Neonatal, Paediatric, and Adult Intensive Care: An Overview of Reviews.Systematic review or meta-analysisJournal of Clinical Nursing2026Full text
• Impact of the francophone pediatric intensive care group bronchiolitis recommendations on diagnostic testing, antibiotic therapy and patient prognosis.Research paperArchives de Pédiatrie (Société française de pédiatrie) – study of GFRUP guidelines2026
• Admission Criteria to Paediatric Intensive Care for Oncology Haematology Patients: Updates and Evidence-Based Clinical Recommendations.Review articlePediatric Reports (review article)2026Full text
• Is There Any Dose of Benzodiazepines Safe for Delirium in the PICU? A Secondary Analysis of the PICU Up! Pilot Trial Dataset.Research paperCritical Care Explorations (PICU Up! trial investigators)2026Full text
• American Heart Association updated 2025 practice guidelines: Basic life support, advanced cardiovascular life support, pediatric advanced life support, and neonatal resuscitation.Review articleAmerican Heart Association2026
• Point-of-care ultrasound in nutrition assessment and enteral nutrition management of critically ill children: a scoping review.Review articleFrontiers in Nutrition2026Full text
• From Consensus to Practice: Implementation and Impact of the Emergency Medicine Simulation Curriculum for Pediatrics (EM ReSCu Peds).Research paperCureus2026Full text
• Impact of Delirium on Pediatric Critical Care Outcomes and Management Strategies: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Systematic review or meta-analysisJournal of Nursing Management2026Full text
• A Core Outcome Set for Family-Centered Care in Neonatal Intensive Care Settings: An International eDelphi Study and Online Consensus Meeting.Research paperChildren (Basel)2026Full text
• The Effect of Foot Reflexology Massage on Delirium and Physiological Indicators in Children Admitted to Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Randomised trialTheScientificWorldJournal2026Full text
• Virtual reality for rehabilitation and engagement in pediatric intensive care: a systematic review of feasibility, safety and outcomes.Systematic review or meta-analysisFrontiers in Pediatrics2026Full text
• Adherence to Sedation Protocol Recommendations in Intubated ICU Patients.Research paperPediatric Critical Care Medicine (SCCM/WFPICCS)2026
• Association between enteral feeding guideline implementation and early enteral nutrition in children with critical bronchiolitis: An uncontrolled before-after study.Research paperJPEN (Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition)2026
• Data variables reported during neonatal transport: a systematic literature review.Systematic review or meta-analysisJournal of Perinatology2026Full text
• Implementation of Polish guidelines on futile therapy protocols in pediatric intensive care units: a multicenter retrospective review.Research paperScientific Reports2026Full text
• CPR coach presence is associated with increased cardiopulmonary resuscitation guideline adherence in pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest: a retrospective cohort study.Research paperResuscitation (journal)2025Full text
• Phenotype and Long-Term Outcome in Recurrent Paediatric Acute Liver Failure: Systematic Review and Individual Participant Data Analysis.Systematic review or meta-analysisLiver International (International Association for the Study of the Liver)2025Full text
• Rethinking Pediatric Sepsis and Septic Shock: Beyond International Consensus Criteria.CommentaryPediatric Health, Medicine and Therapeutics (expert commentary)2025Full text
• Association Between Adherence to Guidelines and Patient Outcomes in Severe Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: A Scoping Review.Review articleJournal of Neurotrauma2025
• Efficacy and safety of levetiracetam for pediatric convulsive status epilepticus in emergency settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Systematic review or meta-analysisBMC Neurology2025Full text
• What is the New Research in Pediatric Critical Illness-Related Delirium Since the 2022 Clinical Practice Guidelines.Review articlePediatric Critical Care Medicine (SCCM/WFPICCS journal)2025
• Laryngeal mask vs. laryngeal tube trial in paediatric patients (LaMaTuPe): a single-blinded, open-label, randomised-controlled trial.Randomised trialEuropean Journal of Emergency Medicine2025Full text
• Video vs. direct laryngoscopy for tracheal intubation in neonates: a meta-analysis.Systematic review or meta-analysisFrontiers in Pediatrics2025Full text
• High-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy for children with bronchiolitis: Implementation of a national guideline.Research paperActa Paediatrica2025Full text
• Point-of-care EEG in the pediatric emergency department: a systematic review.Systematic review or meta-analysisEuropean Journal of Pediatrics2025Full text
• A Dutch nationwide pediatric cardiac arrest registry with long-term follow-up - towards an international prognostication guideline.Research paperResuscitation Plus (PROGNOSE registry, Netherlands)2025Full text
• Safety and efficacy of pulmonary surfactant therapy for acute respiratory distress syndrome in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Systematic review or meta-analysisBMC Pulmonary Medicine2025Full text
• Prospective Evaluation of Adherence to French Guidelines on Early Onset Sepsis Management.Research paperThe Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal2025
• Risk factors for healthcare-associated infection and colonization of Serratia marcescens in neonates: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Systematic review or meta-analysisAntimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control (journal)2025Full text
• Effect of high-flow nasal oxygen therapy on perioperative hypoxemia in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Systematic review or meta-analysisBMC Anesthesiology2025Full text
• Endotracheal Tube-Associated Complications in Paediatric Critical Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Systematic review or meta-analysisNursing in Critical Care2025Full text
• Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Updates in the Light of the PALICC-2 Guidelines.Review articleTurkish Archives of Pediatrics2025Full text
• Environmental factors and clinical markers of stress during neonatal transport: a systematic literature review .Systematic review or meta-analysisBMJ Paediatrics Open2025Full text
• The effects of the introduction of the single-family room in neonatal and paediatric intensive care on the outcomes of paediatric patients, families, staff, and organizations: a mixed method systematic review.Systematic review or meta-analysisBMC Health Services Research2025Full text
• Peripheral Vascular Access in Infants: Is Ultrasound-Guided Cannulation More Effective than the Conventional Approach? A Systematic Review.Systematic review or meta-analysisMedicina (Kaunas)2025Full text
• Pertussis infection in critically ill infants: meta-analysis and validation of a mortality score.Systematic review or meta-analysisCritical Care (London, England)2025Full text
• Balanced crystalloid versus saline for resuscitation in pediatric septic shock: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Systematic review or meta-analysisBMC Pediatrics2025Full text
• A Frostbite Treatment Guideline for Pediatric Patients.Research paperJournal of Burn Care & Research (American Burn Association) - single-institution consensus2025
• Individualised amoxicillin-clavulanate dosing recommendations for critically ill children with augmented clearance after cardiac surgery.Research paperInternational Journal of Antimicrobial Agents2025
• Prearrest vital sign abnormalities are associated with adverse outcomes in pediatric ICU cardiac arrest: a get with the guidelines-resuscitation analysis.Research paperResuscitation (American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation registry study)2025Full text
• Intubating laryngeal airway vs. direct laryngoscope: a crossover randomized controlled neonatal manikin trial.Randomised trialItalian Journal of Pediatrics2025Full text
• Impact of genomic sequencing information on physicians' treatment recommendations for children with congenital heart disease.Research paperGenetics in Medicine Open2025Full text
• Ethics and end-of-life in pediatric and neonatal ICUs: a systematic review of recommendations.Systematic review or meta-analysisBMC Palliative Care2025Full text
• Futile therapy protocols: A 3-year review of the implementation of Polish guidelines on ineffective organ function maintenance in pediatric intensive care unit-A pilot study.Research paperBMC Palliative Care2025Full text
• Survey of Pediatric Status Epilepticus Treatment Practices and Adherence to Management Guidelines (Pedi-SPECTRUM e-Survey).Research paperIndian Journal of Critical Care Medicine (Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine)2024Full text
• Inotropes for the prevention of low cardiac output syndrome and mortality for paediatric patients undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease: a network meta-analysis.Systematic review or meta-analysisCochrane2024Full text
• The elements of end-of-life care provision in paediatric intensive care units: a systematic integrative review.Systematic review or meta-analysisBMC Palliative Care2024Full text
• Effectiveness and family experiences of interventions promoting partnerships between families and pediatric and neonatal intensive care units: a mixed methods systematic review.Systematic review or meta-analysisJBI (JBI Evidence Synthesis)2024Full text
• Risk Factors for Poor Outcomes in Children Hospitalized With Virus-associated Acute Lower Respiratory Infections: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Systematic review or meta-analysisThe Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal2024Full text