Following an ICU admission, children develop physical, cognitive, and psychosocial health issues, often referred to as Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS). Our goal is to identify modifiable factors associated with PICS morbidities, and the use of sedative and analgesic medications in these children is of particular interest given the critical neurodevelopmental functions of receptors impacted by these medications, as well as previous research in general anesthesia that shows concerning changes in even healthy children undergoing short courses. This study will evaluate the relationship between exposure to these medications and outcomes in critically ill children who have prolonged exposure in the setting of mechanical ventilation. We will also utilize novel biomarkers of neuroinjury to help develop a biological model for this injury.

Aim 1: Using a non-invasive sweat patch, evaluate for an association between a panel of neuroinjury biomarkers and sedation and analgesia exposure in PICU patients intubated for respiratory failure

Aim 2: Utilize longitudinal post-discharge evaluations to determine association between sedation and analgesia medication exposure and persistence of post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) morbidities over one year

Aim 3: Compare post-discharge deficit recovery among socioeconomic groups to determine which domains are at highest risk for impaired recovery and identify specific targets for intervention

We will collect clinical, demographic, and medication exposure data in children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit with respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation. Biomarkers of neuroinjury will be collected with a sweat patch, and follow-up post-discharge evaluations will be obtained to identify cognitive, social, and behavioral changes and recovery after discharge.

None required, but we will be using R Studio for data management and statistics if you are interested in learning to program

PALISI

SCCM

AAP