NCT00207896

Neuroendocrine Dysfunction in Critically Ill Pediatric Patients

Defining the Prevalence of Acute Neuroendocrine Dysfunction and Correlating the Dysfunction With Outcomes in Critically Ill Pediatric Patients: A Pilot Study

• Status: Completed
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 73 (actual)
• Sponsor: Children's Healthcare of Atlanta · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 5 Months
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Research studies in adults have shown that certain hormones may be decreased or may not work normally which contributes to how sick a person becomes. The purpose of this project is to study hormones in children. The investigators will look to see if a decrease of certain hormone levels affects how sick a child may become. This study is intended to develop a connection between hormone levels and severity of illness. It is hoped that the information gathered will help develop further studies that may more clearly explain the role of hormones in critically ill children and possibly the introduction of hormone replacement in critical illness.

Detailed description

Neuroendocrine dysfunction is an abnormality in the production or release of certain hormones. Studies completed in adult patients have shown abnormal hormone levels in critical illness can contribute to how long patients stay in the intensive care unit, how severe their illness is and whether or not they survive. In children hormones are produced differently and have different functions. Depending on the particular illness in question hormonal dysfunction may have grave clinical consequences. Thus far, there have been few studies that have examined neuroendocrine dysfunction in children. The aim of our study is to identify the common hormone responses in children, and to identify any connection between hormone levels and outcomes (likelihood of child staying in the intensive care unit for multiple days, etc.). To explore these aims we will draw blood from all critically ill patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and check various hormone levels. Only those patients who require blood samples as part of their admission will have blood tests for certain hormone levels. No change will be made from established standard of care for a patient's particular critical illness. The study is designed to examine hormone responses to critical illness and identify a connection between hormone levels and severity of illness. Based on these lab values we intend to lay a foundation for further studies that may more clearly explain the role of hormones in critically ill children, and possibly the introduction of hormone replacement in critical illness.

Conditions

• Critical Illness

Timeline

• Start date: 2004-08-01
• Primary completion: 2007-08-01
• Completion: 2007-08-01
• First posted: 2005-09-21
• Last updated: 2014-12-02

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States