OBJECTIVE: Despite the poor prognosis associated with missed or delayed spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) diagnosis, <15% get timely paracentesis, which persists despite guidelines/education in the US. Measures to exclude SBP non-invasively where timely paracentesis cannot be performed could streamline this burden.
METHODS: Using Veterans Health Administration Corporate Data Warehouse (VHA-CDW) we included cirrhosis patients between 2009-2019 who underwent timely paracentesis and collected relevant clinical information (demographics, cirrhosis severity, medications, vitals, and comorbidities). XGBoost-models were trained on 75% of the primary cohort, with 25% reserved for testing. The final model was further validated in two cohorts: Validation cohort #1: In VHA-CDW, those without prior SBP who received 2nd early paracentesis, and Validation cohort #2: Prospective data from 276 non-electively admitted University hospital patients.
RESULTS: Negative predictive values (NPV) at 5,10 & 15% probability cutoffs were examined. Primary cohort: n=9,643 (mean age 63.1±8.7 years, 97.2% men, SBP:15.0%) received first early paracentesis. Testing-set NPVs for SBP were 96.5%, 93.0% and 91.6% at the 5%, 10% and 15% probability thresholds respectively. In Validation cohort #1: n=2844 (mean age 63.14±8.37 years, 97.1% male, SBP: 9.7%) with NPVs were 98.8%, 95.3% and 94.5%. In Validation cohort #2: n=276 (mean age 56.08±9.09, 59.6% male, SBP: 7.6%) with NPVs were 100%, 98.9% and 98.0% The final ML model showed the greatest net benefit on decision-curve analyses.
CONCLUSIONS: A machine learning model generated using routinely collected variables excluded SBP with high negative predictive value. Applying this model could ease the need to provide paracentesis in resource-limited settings by excluding those unlikely to have SBP.

Patients with severe COVID-19 disease require monitoring with pulse oximetry as a minimal requirement. In many low- and middle- income countries, this has been challenging due to lack of staff and equipment. Wearable pulse oximeters potentially offer an attractive means to address this need, due to their low cost, battery operability and capacity for remote monitoring. Between July and October 2021, Ho Chi Minh City experienced its first major wave of SARS-CoV-2 infection, leading to an unprecedented demand for monitoring in hospitalized patients. We assess the feasibility of a continuous remote monitoring system for patients with COVID-19 under these circumstances as we implemented 2 different systems using wearable pulse oximeter devices in a stepwise manner across 4 departments.

UNASSIGNED: Central nervous system infections (CNSI) disproportionately affect individuals in low-resource settings where diagnosis is challenging; large proportions of patients never receive a confirmed microbiological diagnosis resulting in inadequate management and high mortality. The epidemiology of CNSI varies globally and conventional diagnostics deployed in resource-limited settings have significant limitations, with an urgent need for improved diagnostic strategies.
UNASSIGNED: This review describes molecular platforms and other novel diagnostics used in the diagnosis of CNSI that are applicable to resource-limited settings. An extensive literature search of Medline and PubMed was performed. The emphasis is on investigations targeting infections of relevance to resource-limited settings either due to variation in regional CNSI epidemiology or due to increased prevalence in patients with immunosuppression. This includes commercially available multiplex PCR platforms, mycobacterial PCR platforms, and rapid diagnostics tests. To offer a framework for the optimal implementation in clinical settings, existing evidence highlighting the advantages and limitations of available platforms is reviewed.
UNASSIGNED: The implementation of molecular platforms and other novel diagnostics has the potential to transform CNSI diagnosis in resource-limited settings, with several examples of successful rollout of novel diagnostics such as Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra and cryptococcal antigen testing.

UNASSIGNED: Little is known about the practice of pediatric procedural sedation in Africa, despite being incredibly useful to the emergency care of children. This study describes the clinical experiences of African medical providers who use pediatric procedural sedation, including clinical indications, medications, adverse events, training, clinical guideline use, and comfort level. The goals of this study are to describe pediatric sedation practices in resource-limited settings in Africa and identify potential barriers to the provision of safe pediatric sedation.
UNASSIGNED: This mixed methods study describes the pediatric procedural sedation practices of African providers using semi-structured interviews. Purposive sampling was used to identify key informants working in African resource-limited settings across a broad geographic, economic, and professional range. Quantitative data about provider background and sedation practices were collected concurrently with qualitative data about perceived barriers to pediatric procedural sedation and suggestions to improve the practice of pediatric sedation in their settings. All interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed for major themes.
UNASSIGNED: Thirty-eight key informants participated, representing 19 countries and the specialties of Anesthesia, Surgery, Pediatrics, Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, and General Practice. The most common indication for pediatric sedation was imaging (42%), the most common medication used was ketamine (92%), and hypoxia was the most common adverse event (61%). Despite 92% of key informants stating that pediatric procedural sedation was critical to their practice, only half reported feeling adequately trained. The three major qualitative themes regarding barriers to safe pediatric sedation in their settings were: lack of resources, lack of education, and lack of standardization across sites and providers.
UNASSIGNED: The results of this study suggest that training specialized pediatric sedation teams, creating portable \"pediatric sedation kits,\" and producing locally relevant pediatric sedation guidelines may help reduce current barriers to the provision of safe pediatric sedation in resource-limited African settings.

UNASSIGNED: International guidelines recommend a multi-faceted approach for successful diagnoses of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). In the absence of a gold standard test, a combination of genetic testing/microscopic analysis of structure and function/nasal nitric oxide measurement is used. In resource-limited settings, often none of the above tests are available, and in South Africa, only transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is available in central anatomical pathology departments. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical and ultrastructural findings of suspected PCD cases managed by pediatric pulmonologists at a tertiary-level state funded hospital in Johannesburg.
UNASSIGNED: Nasal brushings were taken from 14 children with chronic respiratory symptoms in keeping with a PCD phenotype. Ultrastructural analysis in accordance with the international consensus guidelines for TEM-PCD diagnostic reporting was undertaken.
UNASSIGNED: TEM observations confirmed 43% (6) of the clinically-suspected cases (hallmark ultrastructural defects in the dynein arms of the outer doublets), whilst 57% (8) required another PCD testing modality to support ultrastructural observations. Of these, 25% (2) had neither ultrastructural defects nor did they present with bronchiectasis. Of the remaining cases, 83% (5) had very few ciliated cells (all of which were sparsely ciliated), together with goblet cell hyperplasia. There was the apparent absence of ciliary rootlets in 17% (1) case.
UNASSIGNED: In resource-limited settings in which TEM is the only available testing modality, confirmatory and probable diagnoses of PCD can be made to facilitate early initiation of treatment of children with chronic respiratory symptoms.

PROACTIVE (PediatRic Oncology cApaCity Assessment Tool for IntensiVe CarE) is a consensus-derived tool that evaluates pediatric onco-critical care (POCC) services and identifies gaps amenable to improvement. King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC), an oncology hospital in Jordan, completed PROACTIVE in 2021 and 2022. We evaluated PROACTIVE\'s ability to identify gaps and improve POCC services at KHCC by analyzing score changes and interviewing site leaders to understand mechanisms of improvement. Results identified three types of outcomes: direct (e.g., improved multidisciplinary communication), indirect (e.g., guidelines implementation), and other outcomes unrelated to PROACTIVE (e.g., funding mechanisms). PROACTIVE can assist institutions strengthen and monitor POCC services over time.

UNASSIGNED: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a major global health challenge, characterized by poor survival outcomes worldwide. Resource-limited settings are burdened with suboptimal emergency response and worse outcomes than high-resource areas. Engaging the community in the response to OHCA has the potential to improve outcomes, although an overview of community interventions in resource-limited settings has not been provided.
UNASSIGNED: This review evaluated the scope of community-based OHCA interventions in resource-limited settings.
UNASSIGNED: Literature searches in electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Global Health, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Clinical Trials) and grey literature sources were performed. Abstract screening, full-text review, and data extraction of eligible studies were conducted independently by two reviewers. The PCC (Population, Concept, and Context) framework was used to assess study eligibility. Studies that evaluated community-based interventions for laypeople (Population), targeting emergency response activation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), or automated external defibrillator (AED) use (Concept) in resource-limited settings (Context) were included. Resource-limited settings were identified by financial pressures (low-income or lower-middle-income country, according to World Bank data on year of publication) or geographical factors (setting described using keywords indicative of geographical remoteness in upper-middle-income or high-income country).
UNASSIGNED: Among 14,810 records identified from literature searches, 60 studies from 28 unique countries were included in this review. Studies were conducted in high-income (n = 35), upper-middle-income (n = 2), lower-middle-income (n = 22), and low-income countries (n = 1). Community interventions included bystander CPR and/or AED training (n = 34), community responder programs (n = 8), drone-delivered AED networks (n = 6), dispatcher-assisted CPR programs (n = 4), regional resuscitation campaigns (n = 3), public access defibrillation programs (n = 3), and crowdsourcing technologies (n = 2). CPR and/or AED training were the only interventions evaluated in low-income, lower-middle-income, and upper-middle-income countries.
UNASSIGNED: Interventions aimed at improving the community response to OHCA in resource-limited settings differ globally. There is a lack of reported studies from low-income countries and certain continental regions, including South America, Africa, and Oceania. Evaluation of interventions other than CPR and/or AED training in low- and middle-income countries is needed to guide community emergency planning and health policies.

Pediatric Early Warning Systems (PEWS) assist early detection of clinical deterioration in hospitalized children with cancer. Relevant to successful PEWS implementation, the \"stages of change\" model characterizes stakeholder support for PEWS based on willingness and effort to adopt the new practice.
At five resource-limited pediatric oncology centers in Latin America, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 71 hospital staff involved in PEWS implementation. Purposive sampling was used to select centers requiring variable time to complete PEWS implementation, with low-barrier centers (3-4 months) and high-barrier centers (10-11 months). Interviews were conducted in Spanish, professionally transcribed, and translated into English. Thematic content analysis explored \"stage of change\" with constant comparative analysis across stakeholder types and study sites.
Participants identified six interventions (training, incentives, participation, evidence, persuasion, and modeling) and two policies (environmental planning and mandates) as effective strategies used by implementation leaders to promote stakeholder progression through stages of change. Key approaches involved presentation of evidence demonstrating PEWS effectiveness, persuasion and incentives addressing specific stakeholder interests, enthusiastic individuals serving as models for others, and policies enforced by hospital directors facilitating habitual PEWS use. Effective engagement targeted hospital directors during early implementation phases to provide programmatic legitimacy for clinical staff.
This study identifies strategies to promote adoption and maintained use of PEWS, highlighting the importance of tailoring implementation strategies to the motivations of each stakeholder type. These findings can guide efforts to implement PEWS and other evidence-based practices that improve childhood cancer outcomes in resource-limited hospitals.

High-altitude expeditions expose teams to particular medical, environmental, and social challenges that can have unintended and severe consequences for crew members. In June 2017, the 9-d Equal Playing Field (EPF) expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro to set a world record for the highest-altitude soccer match ever played demonstrated the variety of challenges that may arise during these types of trips. This trip included a full-length soccer match at 5714 m (18,746 ft), leading to additional challenges for expedition members participating in the athletic event. The EPF medical team identified the challenges that occurred during the expedition and documented the methods used to resolve these challenges in real time. From the challenges faced during the expedition, we describe the lessons learned for future expeditions to Mount Kilimanjaro and other high-altitude environments. Challenges arose with medical tent visibility, medical disqualification, underreporting of medical events, and acute pain management, while anticipated challenges with interpersonal conflict did not occur. The rigorous preparation and anticipation by the EPF medical team prior to expedition departure may have helped mitigate this conflict as well as prevented unintended severe medical events from occurring.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted healthcare delivery worldwide, including pediatric cancer care, with a disproportionate effect in resource-limited settings. This study evaluates its impact on existing quality improvement (QI) programs.
We conducted 71 semi-structured interviews of key stakeholders at five resource-limited pediatric oncology centers participating in a collaborative to implement Pediatric Early Warning System (PEWS). Interviews were conducted virtually using a structured interview guide, recorded, transcribed, and translated into English. Two coders developed a codebook of a priori and inductive codes and independently coded all transcripts, achieving a kappa of 0.8-0.9. Thematic analysis explored the impact of the pandemic on PEWS.
All hospitals reported limitations in material resources, reduction in staffing, and impacts on patient care due to the pandemic. However, the impact on PEWS varied across centers. Identified factors that promoted or limited ongoing PEWS use included the availability of material resources needed for PEWS, staff turnover, PEWS training for staff, and the willingness of staff and hospital leaders to prioritize PEWS. Consequently, some hospitals were able to sustain PEWS; others halted or reduced PEWS use to prioritize other work. Similarly, the pandemic delayed plans at all hospitals to expand PEWS to other units. Several participants were hopeful for future expansion of PEWS post-pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic created challenges for sustainability and scale of PEWS, an ongoing QI program, in these resource-limited pediatric oncology centers. Several factors mitigated these challenges and promoted ongoing PEWS use. These results can guide strategies to sustain effective QI interventions during future health crises.