Intensive Care

The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) research group is a multi-disciplinary group that facilitates many types of research that affect the care of critically ill children. The group consists of the PICU staff, PICU fellows, critical care nursing researchers, and a dedicated PICU research coordinator. The research done by this group includes a wide range of research types, from data base research to randomized controlled trials to knowledge translation. The overall aim of the PICU research group is to improve the care provided to critically ill children. Significant areas of research include understanding how various hormones, such as cortisol or vitamin D, affect the course of critical illness; the role of medical response teams in improving outcomes; ways to optimize the organ donation process; and the consent process in critical care.

Research Projects

Solid organ donation from the emergency department – missed donor opportunities
22/09/2020

The ED is a source of missed organ donors. All potential donors were missed due to referral after withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy. ED physicians should consider the possibility of solid organ donation prior to the withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy.
Decontamination Interventions for the Reuse of Surgical Mask Personal Protective Equipment: A Systematic Review
10/08/2020

There is limited evidence on the safety or efficacy of surgical mask decontamination. Given the heterogeneous methods used in studies to date, we are unable to draw conclusions on the most efficacious and safe intervention for decontaminating surgical masks.
Ensuring nondiscrimination in pandemic prioritization decisions
14/04/2020

People with disability, cognitive or otherwise, are human beings, entitled to the same legal and ethical protection as any other person who needs care in Canada.
Paediatric health care access in community health centres is associated with survival for critically ill children who undergo inter-facility transport: A province-wide observational study
04/04/2019

We found that in Ontario, children undergoing inter-facility transport to PICUs are increasing in number, consume significant acute care resources, and have a high PICU mortality.
A Pragmatic Method for Identification of Long-Stay Patients in the PICU
01/10/2018

We present a pragmatic method for the retrospective identification of LSPs in the PICU that incorporates unit- and/or patient-specific characteristics. The next steps would be to validate this method using other patient and/or unit characteristics in different PICUs and over time.
Effect of organ donation after circulatory determination of death on number of organ transplants from donors with neurologic determination of death
25/09/2017

Implementation of DCD in Ontario led to increased transplant activity for all solid-organ recipients. There was no evidence that the use of DCD was pre-empting potential NDD donation. In contrast to groups receiving other organs, heart transplant candidates have not yet benefited from DCD.
A Randomized Controlled Trial Of Corticosteroids In Pediatric Septic Shock: A Pilot Feasibility Study
01/06/2017

This study suggests that a large RCT on early use of corticosteroids in pediatric septic shock is potentially feasible. However, the frequent use of empiric corticosteroids in otherwise eligible patients remains a significant challenge.