Acute and Critical Care

Original Articles

Pediatrics
Weight variability at pediatric intensive care unit admission and adverse outcomes in critically ill children: Jae Hwa Jung, Yoon Hee Kim, Min Jung Kim, Mireu Park, Hamin Kim, Kyung Won Kim, Myung Hyun Sohn, Soo Yeon Kim; Acute Crit Care. 2025;40(4):605-613. Published online November 28, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4266/acc.001550

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Abstract PDF Supplementary Material: Background
Body weight can fluctuate during critical illness due to factors such as fluid shifts, nutritional status, the type of acute illness, and underlying comorbidities. We investigated the association between acute body weight variability (WV) and clinical outcomes in critically ill pediatric patients.
Methods
We retrospectively analyzed data from patients aged 1 month to 18 years who were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of a university-affiliated tertiary hospital between August 2017 and July 2021. WV was defined as the percentage difference between the measured body weight at PICU admission and the usual body weight, obtained either from recent hospital records or caregiver reports. Associations between WV and clinical outcomes, including PICU mortality and ventilator-free days (VFDs), were assessed.
Results
Of the 926 patients, 74 (8.0%) died. Median WV was significantly higher in non-survivors than in survivors (8.7% vs. 0.0%; P<0.001). Increased WV was independently associated with higher mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.102; 95% CI, 1.073–1.131) and fewer VFDs (odds ratio [OR], 0.599; 95% CI, 0.524–0.684). Combining WV with Pediatric Index of Mortality 3 score significantly improved mortality prediction over either parameter alone (area under the curve, 0.888; P=0.047).
Conclusions
Higher WV at PICU admission is independently associated with adverse clinical outcomes, including increased mortality and fewer VFDs. WV could complement existing mortality prediction models in pediatric critical care.

Pediatrics
Low vitamin C concentrations and prognosis in critically ill children: Min Jung Kim, Yoon Hee Kim, Soo Yeon Kim, Jong Deok Kim, Mireu Park, Hamin Kim, Myung Hyun Sohn, Kyung Won Kim; Acute Crit Care. 2025;40(3):482-490. Published online August 29, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4266/acc.000975

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Background
The administration of high-dose vitamins has been focused on in critically ill patients as adjunctive therapy for life-threatening conditions. We evaluated the association between serum vitamin C concentrations and patient prognosis. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed and collected clinical and biochemical data, including thiamine and vitamin C levels, of patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Results: In total, 177 patients were admitted to the PICU during the study period, and 63 children were enrolled in this study. The most common reason for PICU admission was sepsis (33.3%). The median thiamine and vitamin C levels were 3.6 µg/dl (interquartile range [IQR], 2.9–4.5 µg/dl) and 2.84 µg/ml (IQR, 1.61–4.55 µg/ml), respectively. Thiamine deficiency was observed in 10 patients (15.9%), and 17 (27.0%) had vitamin C deficiency. There were no differences in the vitamin levels according to the reason for PICU admission. Vitamin C levels were affected by nutritional status. The length of stay in the PICU and duration of mechanical ventilation were longer in patients with vitamin C deficiency than in those without (P=0.035 and P=0.010, respectively). The serum delta neutrophil index and C-reactive protein and lactate levels increased in the vitamin C-deficient group (P=0.028 and P=0.039, respectively). There was a significant difference in Pediatric Index of Mortality 3 scores according to vitamin C levels but not in mortality directly. Conclusions: Vitamin C deficiency was associated with elevated inflammatory marker levels, increased mechanical ventilation durations, and PICU admission. Our results support the potential benefits of vitamin C administration in critically ill children.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Pediatric Vitamin C Deficiency
Thanaporn Trangkanont, Maneerat Puwanant, Thirachit Chotsampancharoen
Nutrients.2025; 17(23): 3755. CrossRef

Epidemiology
Multicenter validation of a deep-learning-based pediatric early-warning system for prediction of deterioration events: Yunseob Shin, Kyung-Jae Cho, Yeha Lee, Yu Hyeon Choi, Jae Hwa Jung, Soo Yeon Kim, Yeo Hyang Kim, Young A Kim, Joongbum Cho, Seong Jong Park, Won Kyoung Jhang; Acute Crit Care. 2022;37(4):654-666. Published online October 26, 2022; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4266/acc.2022.00976

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Abstract PDF Supplementary Material

Background
Early recognition of deterioration events is crucial to improve clinical outcomes. For this purpose, we developed a deep-learning-based pediatric early-warning system (pDEWS) and aimed to validate its clinical performance.
Methods
This is a retrospective multicenter cohort study including five tertiary-care academic children’s hospitals. All pediatric patients younger than 19 years admitted to the general ward from January 2019 to December 2019 were included. Using patient electronic medical records, we evaluated the clinical performance of the pDEWS for identifying deterioration events defined as in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) and unexpected general ward-to-pediatric intensive care unit transfer (UIT) within 24 hours before event occurrence. We also compared pDEWS performance to those of the modified pediatric early-warning score (PEWS) and prediction models using logistic regression (LR) and random forest (RF).
Results
The study population consisted of 28,758 patients with 34 cases of IHCA and 291 cases of UIT. pDEWS showed better performance for predicting deterioration events with a larger area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, fewer false alarms, a lower mean alarm count per day, and a smaller number of cases needed to examine than the modified PEWS, LR, or RF models regardless of site, event occurrence time, age group, or sex.
Conclusions
The pDEWS outperformed modified PEWS, LR, and RF models for early and accurate prediction of deterioration events regardless of clinical situation. This study demonstrated the potential of pDEWS as an efficient screening tool for efferent operation of rapid response teams.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

A Realist Evaluation of a Rapid Response System for Mental State Deterioration in Acute Hospital Settings
Tendayi Bruce Dziruni, Alison M. Hutchinson, Sandra Keppich‐Arnold, Tracey Bucknall
Journal of Advanced Nursing.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Implementation of the bedside paediatric early warning system, its sustainability in clinical practice and patient outcomes: a quality improvement initiative
Ruqiah Ali AlZaher, Syed Jamil, Iris Murabi, Eidah Ahmari
BMJ Open Quality.2025; 14(2): e002454. CrossRef
AI-driven transcriptomic biomarker discovery for early identification of pediatric deterioration in Acute Care
Qing Wang, Lina Sun, Wei Meng, Chen Chen
SLAS Technology.2025; 35: 100357. CrossRef
Predicting cardiac arrest after neonatal cardiac surgery
Alexis L. Benscoter, Mark A. Law, Santiago Borasino, A. K. M. Fazlur Rahman, Jeffrey A. Alten, Mihir R. Atreya
Intensive Care Medicine – Paediatric and Neonatal.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Volumetric regional MRI and neuropsychological predictors of motor task variability in cognitively unimpaired, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and probable Alzheimer's disease older adults
Michael Malek-Ahmadi, Kevin Duff, Kewei Chen, Yi Su, Jace B. King, Vincent Koppelmans, Sydney Y. Schaefer
Experimental Gerontology.2023; 173: 112087. CrossRef
Predicting sepsis using deep learning across international sites: a retrospective development and validation study
Michael Moor, Nicolas Bennett, Drago Plečko, Max Horn, Bastian Rieck, Nicolai Meinshausen, Peter Bühlmann, Karsten Borgwardt
eClinicalMedicine.2023; 62: 102124. CrossRef
A model study for the classification of high-risk groups for cardiac arrest in general ward patients using simulation techniques
Seok Young Song, Won-Kee Choi, Sanggyu Kwak
Medicine.2023; 102(37): e35057. CrossRef
An advanced pediatric early warning system: a reliable sentinel, not annoying extra work
Young Joo Han
Acute and Critical Care.2022; 37(4): 667. CrossRef

Pediatric
Oxygenation Index in the First 24 Hours after the Diagnosis of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome as a Surrogate Metric for Risk Stratification in Children: Soo Yeon Kim, Byuhree Kim, Sun Ha Choi, Jong Deok Kim, In Suk Sol, Min Jung Kim, Yoon Hee Kim, Kyung Won Kim, Myung Hyun Sohn, Kyu-Earn Kim; Acute Crit Care. 2018;33(4):222-229. Published online November 29, 2018; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4266/acc.2018.00136

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Abstract PDF Supplementary Material

Background
The diagnosis of pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS) is a pragmatic decision based on the degree of hypoxia at the time of onset. We aimed to determine whether reclassification using oxygenation metrics 24 hours after diagnosis could provide prognostic ability for outcomes in PARDS.
Methods
Two hundred and eighty-eight pediatric patients admitted between January 1, 2010 and January 30, 2017, who met the inclusion criteria for PARDS were retrospectively analyzed. Reclassification based on data measured 24 hours after diagnosis was compared with the initial classification, and changes in pressure parameters and oxygenation were investigated for their prognostic value with respect to mortality.
Results
PARDS severity varied widely in the first 24 hours; 52.4% of patients showed an improvement, 35.4% showed no change, and 12.2% either showed progression of PARDS or died. Multivariate analysis revealed that mortality risk significantly increased for the severe group, based on classification using metrics collected 24 hours after diagnosis (adjusted odds ratio, 26.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.43 to 209.89; P=0.002). Compared to changes in pressure variables (peak inspiratory pressure and driving pressure), changes in oxygenation (arterial partial pressure of oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen) over the first 24 hours showed statistically better discriminative power for mortality (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.701; 95% CI, 0.636 to 0.766; P<0.001).
Conclusions
Implementation of reclassification based on oxygenation metrics 24 hours after diagnosis effectively stratified outcomes in PARDS. Progress within the first 24 hours was significantly associated with outcomes in PARDS, and oxygenation response was the most discernable surrogate metric for mortality.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

A single‐center PICU present status survey of pediatric sepsis‐related acute respiratory distress syndrome
Liang Zhou, Shaojun Li, Tian Tang, Xiu Yuan, Liping Tan
Pediatric Pulmonology.2022; 57(9): 2003. CrossRef
Comparison of Prognostic Factors Between Direct and Indirect Pediatric ARDS
Da Hyun Kim, Eun Ju Ha, Seong Jong Park, Won Kyoung Jhang
Respiratory Care.2020; 65(12): 1823. CrossRef

Pediatric
Serum Albumin as a Biomarker of Poor Prognosis in the Pediatric Patients in Intensive Care Unit: Young Suh Kim, In Suk Sol, Min Jung Kim, Soo Yeon Kim, Jong Deok Kim, Yoon Hee Kim, Kyung Won Kim, Myung Hyun Sohn, Kyu-Earn Kim; Korean J Crit Care Med. 2017;32(4):347-355. Published online November 30, 2017; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4266/kjccm.2017.00437

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350 Download
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Abstract PDF Supplementary Material

Background
Serum albumin as an indicator of the disease severity and mortality is suggested in adult patients, but its role in pediatric patients has not been established. The objectives of this study are to investigate the albumin level as a biomarker of poor prognosis and to compare it with other mortality predictive indices in children in intensive care unit (ICU).
Methods
Medical records of 431 children admitted to the ICU at Severance Hospital from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Children who expired within 24 hours after ICU admission, children with hepatic or renal failure, and those who received albumin replacement before ICU admission were excluded.
Results
The children with hypoalbuminemia had higher 28-day mortality rate (24.60% vs. 9.28%, P < 0.001), Pediatric Index of Mortality (PIM) 3 score (9.23 vs. 8.36, P < 0.001), Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM) III score (7.0 vs. 5.0, P < 0.001), incidence of septic shock (12% vs. 3%, P < 0.001), C-reactive protein (33.0 mg/L vs. 5.8 mg/L, P < 0.001), delta neutrophil index (2.0% vs. 0.6%, P < 0.001), lactate level (1.6 mmol/L vs. 1.2 mmol/L, P < 0.001) and lower platelet level (206,000/μl vs. 341,000/μl, P < 0.001) compared to the children with normal albumin level. PIM 3 (r = 0.219, P < 0.001) and PRISM III (r = 0.375, P < 0.001) were negatively correlated with serum albumin level, respectively.
Conclusions
Our results highlight that hypoalbuminemia can be a biomarker of poor prognosis including mortality in the children in ICU.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Hypoalbuminemia is associated with adverse outcomes in critically ill children with cancer
Vinson James, Emily Ashcraft, Cheng Cheng, Lama Elbahlawan
Frontiers in Oncology.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Prognostic value of the lactate dehydrogenase-to-albumin ratio for predicting mortality in critically ill pediatric patients: a retrospective cohort study
Ming Liu, Yunpeng Gou, Ping Yang
Frontiers in Pediatrics.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Interpretation of Preoperative Albumin and Hematocrit Levels in Patients Operated for Cleft Palate: A Single-Center, Retrospective And Controlled Analysis
Can Ege Yalçın, Şerife Kartal Erdost, Emre Savacı, Yağmur Aydın
Cukurova Anestezi ve Cerrahi Bilimler Dergisi.2025; 8(4): 375. CrossRef
Diagnostic Utility of High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Pediatric Atypical Urinary Tract Infections
D Geçkalan, ÖÖ Şimşek, Z Çil
Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice.2025; 28(12): 1464. CrossRef
Prognostic Value of the Lactate/Albumin Ratio for 28-Day Mortality in Pediatric Septic Shock: A Prospective Cohort Study
Duy-Truong Khac Le, Phuong Minh Nguyen, Ly Cong Tran, Viet Trieu Nguyen
Cureus.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Association between serum albumin levels at admission and clinical outcomes in pediatric intensive care units: a multi-center study
Hatice Feray Ari, Ese Eda Turanli, Sinan Yavuz, Kubra Guvenc, Ali Avci, Adem Keskin, Nagehan Aslan, Dincer Yildizdas
BMC Pediatrics.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Evaluation of the C-reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio and Fluid Overload in Critically Ill Children and Adolescents Aged One Month to 18 Years
Om S Chaurasiya, Sachin Rana, Kawalpreet Chhabra , Mayank Singh
Cureus.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Prognostic factors and models to predict pediatric sepsis mortality: A scoping review
Irene Yuniar, Cut Nurul Hafifah, Sharfina Fulki Adilla, Arifah Nur Shadrina, Anthony Christian Darmawan, Kholisah Nasution, Respati W. Ranakusuma, Eka Dian Safitri
Frontiers in Pediatrics.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
The association between serum albumin and long length of stay of patients with acute heart failure: A retrospective study based on the MIMIC-IV database
Tao Liu, Haochen Xuan, Lili Wang, Xiaoqun Li, Zhihao Lu, Zhaoxuan Tian, Junhong Chen, Chaofan Wang, Dongye Li, Tongda Xu, Chiara Lazzeri
PLOS ONE.2023; 18(2): e0282289. CrossRef
Pediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome Temporally Associated With SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS) and Serous Effusions in a Child With Severe Hypoalbuminemia: A Case Report
Zohair El Haddar, Aziza Elouali, Ilham Belga, Maria Rkain, Abdeladim Babakhouya
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Inappropriate empirical antibiotic therapy was an independent risk factor of pediatric persistent S. aureus bloodstream infection
Xingmei Wang, Ziyao Guo, Xi Zhang, Guangli Zhang, Qinyuan Li, Xiaoyin Tian, Dapeng Chen, Zhengxiu Luo
European Journal of Pediatrics.2022; 182(2): 719. CrossRef
Evaluation of models for predicting pediatric fraction unbound in plasma for human health risk assessment
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Overview of Albumin Physiology and its Role in Pediatric Diseases
Charles B. Chen, Bilasan Hammo, Jessica Barry, Kadakkal Radhakrishnan
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The effect of nutritional status on post-operative outcomes in pediatric otolaryngology-head and neck surgery
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