Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33403314›Full record

ArticlePediatric quality & safety

Practice Improvement for Standardized Evaluation and Management of Acute Tracheitis in Mechanically Ventilated Children.

Jennifer Ormsby, Paula Conrad, Jennifer Blumenthal, Jane Carpenter, Sarah Jones, Thomas J Sandora, Ana Vaughan, Julie Vincuilla, Alexander J McAdam, Louis F Fogg and 2 more

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Pediatric quality & safety. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 21% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Guideline
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Post-operative tracheitis in the NICU: incidence and risk factors.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2026
    Article
  5. Tracheostomy Outcomes in Children With Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery · 2025
    Article
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Diagnostic Stewardship in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.Infectious disease clinics of North America · 2022
    Review
  10. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Jennifer OrmsbyBoston Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass.
Paula ConradBoston Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass.
Jennifer BlumenthalDepartment of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.
Jane CarpenterBoston Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass.
Sarah JonesBoston Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass.
Thomas J SandoraDepartment of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.
Ana VaughanDepartment of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.
Julie VincuillaBoston Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass.
Alexander J McAdamDepartment of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.
Louis F FoggDepartment of Community, Systems, and Mental Health Nursing, Rush University, Chicago, Ill.
Kelly FlettDepartment of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.
Daniel P KellyDepartment of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.
Boston Children's Museum · USHarvard University · USBoston Children's Hospital · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

There is no consensus definition for ventilator-associated tracheitis and limited evidence to guide diagnosis and treatment. To improve acute tracheitis evaluation and management, this quality improvement project aimed to (1) improve the appropriateness of tracheal aspirate cultures while decreasing the number of unnecessary cultures by 20% and (2) decrease antibiotic use for acute tracheitis not consistent with local guidelines by 20% over 12 months among pediatric patients requiring mechanical ventilation.

methodsAll patients admitted to the Medical Intensive Care Unit requiring mechanical ventilation via an artificial airway were included. Tracheal aspirate sampling criteria, technique, and minimum intervals were standardized. Primary outcome measures were the number of tracheal aspirate cultures obtained per 100 ETT/tracheostomy days and ventilator-associated antibiotic days per 100 ETT/tracheostomy days. Improvement cycles included: Implementation of tracheal aspirate sampling criteria, sampling technique standardization, limiting repeat cultures to >72-hour intervals, and standardizing empiric antibiotic therapy.

resultsTracheal aspirate culture rate decreased from 10.70 to 7.10 cultures per 100 ETT/tracheostomy days (

conclusionsImplementation of standardized criteria for tracheal aspirate sampling, improved tracheal aspirate sampling technique, limiting repeat tracheal aspirate cultures, and utilizing standardized antibiotic treatment guidelines safely decreased resource utilization and antibiotic use among critically ill children requiring mechanical ventilation.

Identifiers

PMID33403314
PMCPMC7775031
OpenAlexW3116484198

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.