Principles of Infection Control and Neurologic Management in Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care

Abstract

Infection control and neurologic management play a major role in the management of congenital heart diseases, specifically in perioperative care. Unlike the highly individualized circulatory and respiratory management of congenital heart diseases, the principles of infection control and neurologic management are uniformly applied to all patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Moreover, it is characterized by the involvement of multiple professionals and not only physicians. In various healthcare-associated infections, prevention using effective and sustainable bundles and treatment based on urgency and severity along with the three factors of pathogen, route of infection, and host are required. In neurologic management, setting management goals, objective evaluation using validated assessment tools, and titration based on the evaluation are necessary. Bundles and protocols tailored to the situation of each ICU, reliable implementation and monitoring, and regular review and improvement are required to optimize the management.