PICU this week
Issue 1 · Monday 26 October 2026
This week's pick
Post-Cardiac Arrest Syndrome by A. de Caen, A. Olszewski, L. DelSignore | OPENPediatricsOPENPediatrics · 58 min
A peer-reviewed OPENPediatrics lecture on the pathophysiology and management of post-cardiac arrest syndrome following return of spontaneous circulation.
Research roundup
- Clinical practice guidelines: management of non-post-operative supra-ventricular tachycardia in neonates and children less than 18 years old hospitalized in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
Annals of intensive care · 2026 · Other
Clinical practice guidelines on managing non-post-operative supraventricular tachycardia in neonates and children admitted to paediatric intensive care.
- Effectiveness of Continuous Automatic Endotracheal Cuff Pressure Monitoring in Preventing Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Chest · 2026 · Randomised trial
A randomised trial in PICU testing continuous automatic endotracheal cuff pressure monitoring for preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia in children.
- Comparing the Efficacy of Negative-Pressure Ventilation to Noninvasive, Positive-Pressure Ventilation in Children With Acute Respiratory Failure.
Respiratory care · 2026 · Observational study
An observational study comparing negative-pressure ventilation with non-invasive positive-pressure ventilation in children with acute respiratory failure.
Upcoming in PICU
- PCCS Annual Scientific Meeting 2026
4–6 November 2026 · Imperial College London and St Mary's Hospital, London, United Kingdom
- 2026 PCICS Annual Meeting and NeoHeart 2026
2–6 December 2026 · Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Question of the week
A 14-year-old with relapsed refractory leukaemia develops multi-organ failure requiring ventilation, vasoactive support and renal replacement therapy. The oncology and PICU teams agree the prognosis is very poor but not yet clearly hopeless, and the family wants everything reasonable to be attempted. What is the most appropriate approach?
- A Continue full support indefinitely and review only if cardiac arrest occurs
- B Withdraw all organ support now, since multi-organ failure in refractory malignancy is uniformly fatal
- C Agree a time-limited trial of current support with explicit goals and a defined review point
- D Ask the parents to choose between full treatment and immediate withdrawal today
- E Continue support but omit further escalation without telling the family, to avoid distress
PICU this week
The week's best new paediatric intensive care teaching, research, guideline updates and events, and a question of the week, every Monday morning. No account needed.
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