Research

Paediatric intensive care research is an exciting field, which addresses a spectrum of diseases and conditions which continue to challenge our critically ill children. The Royal Children's Hospital intensive care research team are delighted to be part of a number of national and international collaborative studies, as well as undertaking local projects. Our areas of particular interest include cardiac disease, acquired brain injury, lung injury and renal replacement therapy.

All intensive care staff are encouraged to undertake research, and in addition we have a dedicated group of nurses who together co-ordinate our research projects. This enables us to efficiently screen all children admitted to the unit, each day, for their suitability for inclusion in our projects.

Data & Research Staff

All staff from medical, nursing and technology departments within the intensive care unit are encouraged to undertake research. The skills and experience of the intensive care consultant group have provided a strong foundation for the continued growth of research within the unit.

Staff involved in research are assisted by:

Data, Quality & Audit Team Leader

Carmel Delzoppo

Manager of the Intensive Care Database and responsible for the development, implementation and maintenance of the clinical database in intensive care, and for producing reports and statistics for use in research within the hospital and externally, with particular reference to the collaborative effort with Australian and New Zealand Paediatric Intensive Care Registry. Team leader of the collaborative data and research team.            

Intensive Care Research Co-ordinator, responsible for monitoring and co-ordinating research projects in the intensive care unit and liasing with staff interested in performing research. Carmel also assists with data collection for the intensive care database and for the organ donor database sponsored by the Red Cross.  Steering Committee member for the Paediatric Study Group in the Clinical trials Group for Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society.                                                                          

Telephone: 61 3 9345 4766  
e-mail:  carmel.delzoppo@rch.org.au 

Database & Research Assistants

Claire Daffey, Liz Fletcher, Linda Darragh

Database & Research Assistants contribute to data collection, maintenance of the intensive care database, audits and clinical research projects. The team also perform PICU patient outcome calls.

Telephone: 61 3 9345 4766, or ICU data room: 4483 
e-mail: claire.daffey@rch.org.au, liz.fletcher@rch.org.au, linda.darragh@rch.org.au

Murdoch Affiliated Research Coordinators

Michelle Goldsworthy BN, GrDip Adv Nurs & HSM
Telephone: 61 3  93454732
e-mail: michelle.goldsworthy@mcri.edu.au

Sophie Syddall BSc, MSc, Phd
Telephone: 61 3  93455210
e-mail: sophie.syddall@mcri.edu.au

 

Research currently running in PICU

 Project Principal Investigator HREC    Contact
 'COOL KIDS' - Multicentre phase 3 RCT invesitgating induced hypothermia after severe traumatic brain injury in children Assoc/Prof Warwick Butt  30073 sophie.syddall@mcri.edu.au
Randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial of aminophylline for bronchiolitis in infants who require intensive care.  Professor Frank Shann  22066G  carmel.delzoppo@rch.org.au
Prospective randomized cross-over trial of regional citrate with heparin for anticoagulation and additional albumin prime in continuous venovenous haemofiltration in children.  Assoc/Prof Warwick Butt  27108A

 rosemary.stephens@rch.org.au

 
A multi-centre prospective randomised controlled trial of early prolonged hypothermia therapy in Children with traumatic brain Injury. Assoc/Prof Warwick Butt  26010D  carmel.delzoppo@rch.org.au
The Hearts and Minds Study: The Incidence and Timing of Neurological Abnormalities, and their Association with Outcome in Infants Undergoing Surgery for Congenital Heart Disease. Assoc/Prof Lara Shekerdemian

 24103 J

  hearts.minds@rch.org.au
The psychosocial experience of parents of children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Assoc/Prof Jim Tibballs    james.tibballs@rch.org.au
A study of traumatic epiglottitis Assoc/Prof Jim Tibballs    james.tibballs@rch.org.au
Envenomation - Various studies including but not restricted to jellyfish.
 Assoc/Prof Jim Tibballs    james.tibballs@rch.org.au
Measurement of intra-abdominal pressure: comparison of intravesicular pressures in children. Assoc/Prof Warwick Butt    
Anticendant signs of cardiac arrest in children.
 Assoc/Prof Jim Tibballs    james.tibballs@rch.org.au
The effect of transport time versus outcome in severely injured children. Dr Rob Henning   robert.henning@rch.org.au
The anticoagulant effect of heparin therapy. Dr Paul Monagle    

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Published Work 2011

Shann, F. (2011). Pneumonia in developing countries. Advances in  Experimental Medicine and Biology,  697: 59-75.

Azzopardi, P., Kinney, S., Moulden, A., & Tibballs, J. (2011). Attitudes and barriers to a Medical Emergency Team system at a tertiary paediatric hospital. Resuscitation, 82(2), 167-174.

Ryerson, L., Alexander, P., Butt, W., Shann, F., Penny, D., & Shekerdemian, L. (2011). Rotating inotrope therapy in a pediatric population with decompensated heart failure. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, 12(1),57-60.

Shann, F. (2011). Role of intensive care in countries with a high child mortality rate. [Editorial]: Pediatric Critical Care Medicine,12(1):114-115.

Tibballs, J., Carter, B., Kiraly, N., Ragg, P., & Clifford, M. (2011). External and internal biphasic direct current shock doses for pediatric ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine,12(1):14-20.

Published Work 2010

Ryerson, L. M., Chiletti, R., Zacharin, M. and Tibballs, J. (2010) 'Two cases of idiopathic infantile arterial calcification', Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health, 46(12), 777-9 

Silas, R., & Tibballs, J. (2010). Adverse events and comparison of systematic and voluntary reporting from a paediatric intensive care unit. Quality and Safety in Health Care, 19(6), 568-571.

Clifford, M., & Hunt, R. W. (2010). Neonatal resuscitation. Best Practice & Research Clinical Anaesthesiology, 24(3), 461-474.

Augustin, S., Horton, A., Butt, W., Bennett, M., & Horton, S. (2010). Centrifugal pump inlet pressure site affects measurement. Perfusion, 25(5), 313.

Sivarajan, V. B., Best, D., Brizard, C. P., Shekerdemian, L. S., D'Udekem, Y., Horton, S. B., Butt, W. (2010). Improved outcomes of paediatric extracorporeal support associated with technology change. Interact CardioVasc Thorac Surg, 11(4), 400-405.

Tibballs, J., Carter, B., Kiraly, N. J., Ragg, P., & Clifford, M. (2010). Biphasic DC shock cardioverting doses for paediatric atrial dysrhythmias. Resuscitation, 81(9), 1101-1104.

Shann, F. (2010). The non-specific effects of vaccines. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 95(9), 662-667.

Shann, F. M. D. F., Nohynek, H. M. D. P., Scott, J. A. M. F., Hesseling, A. M. D. M., Flanagan, K. L. P. F., & on behalf of the Working Group on The Nonspecific Effects of, V. (2010). Randomized Trials to Study the Nonspecific Effects of Vaccines in Children in Low-Income Countries. [Editorial]: Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal May 2010;29(5):457-461.

Rutledge, J., Bush, A., Shekerdemian, L., Schulze-Neick, I., Penny, D., Cai, S., Li, J. (2010). Validity of the LaFarge equation for estimation of oxygen consumption in ventilated children with congenital heart disease younger than 3 years--a revisit. American Heart Journal, 160(1), 109-114.

Shahwan, A., Bailey, C., Shekerdemian, L., & Harvey, A. S. (2010). The prevalence of seizures in comatose children in the pediatric intensive care unit: a prospective video-EEG study. Epilepsia, 51(7), 1198-1204.

Simpson, C. M., Smolich, J. J., Shekerdemian, L. S., & Penny, D. J. (2010). Urotensin-II contributes to pulmonary vasoconstriction in a perinatal model of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn secondary to meconium aspiration syndrome. Pediatric Research, 67(2), 150-157.

Shann, F. (2010). Warfare and children. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 46(5), 217-221.

Shann, F. (2010). Letters to the Editor. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 46(5), 279-280.

Ben-Meir, M., & Tibballs, J. (2010). Leukocytotic pseudohypoxaemia. Anaesthesia And Intensive Care, 38(3), 566-567.

Dalton, H. J., & MacLaren, G. (2010). Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in pandemic flu: insufficient evidence or worth the effort? Critical Care Medicine, 38(6), 1484-1485.

Fortune, P.-M., & Shann, F. (2010). The motor response to stimulation predicts outcome as well as the full Glasgow Coma Scale in children with severe head injury *. [Article]: Pediatric Critical Care Medicine11(3):339-342.

Tibballs, J., Carter, B., Kiraly, N., Ragg, P., & Clifford, M. (2010). External and internal biphasic direct current shock doses for pediatric ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia. [Article]: Pediatric Critical Care Medicine.

MacLaren, G., Butt, W., Best, D., & Donath, S. (2010). Central extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for refractory pediatric septic shock. [Article]: Pediatric Critical Care Medicine.

Namachivayam, P., Shann, F., Shekerdemian, L., Taylor, A., van Sloten, I., Delzoppo, C., Daffey, C., & Butt, W. (2010). Three decades of pediatric intensive care: Who was admitted, what happened in intensive care, and what happened afterward. [Article]: Pediatric Critical Care Medicine.

Ryerson, L., Alexander, P., Butt, W., Shann, F., Penny, D. J., & Shekerdemian, L. (2010). Rotating inotrope therapy in a pediatric population with decompensated heart failure. [Article]: Pediatric Critical Care Medicine.

Tibballs, J. (2010). A critique of the apneic oxygenation test for the diagnosis of "brain death". Pediatric Critical Care Medicine: A Journal Of The Society Of Critical Care Medicine And The World Federation Of Pediatric Intensive And Critical Care Societies, 11(4), 475-478.

Shann, F., Nohynek, H., Scott, J. A., Hesseling, A., Flanagan, K., & on behalf of the Working Group on The Nonspecific Effects of, V. (2010). Randomized Trials to Study the Nonspecific Effects of Vaccines in Children in Low-Income Countries. [Editorial]: Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal May 2010;29(5):457-461.

Tibballs, J., & Weeranatna, C. (2010). The influence of time on the accuracy of healthcare personnel to diagnose paediatric cardiac arrest by pulse palpation. Resuscitation, 81(6), 671-675.

Alexander, D. C., Butt, W. W., Best, J. D., Donath, S. M., Monagle, P. T., & Shekerdemian, L. S. (2010). Correlation of thromboelastography with standard tests of anticoagulation in paediatric patients receiving extracorporeal life support. Thrombosis Research, 125(5), 387-392.

Tibballs, J., Henning, R., Robertson, C. F., Massie, J., Hochmann, M., Carter, B., Bradley, C., .Osborne, A., Stephens, R. A., Scoble, M., Jones, S. E., White, J. and Bryan, D. (2010). A home respiratory support programme for children by parents and layperson carers. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 46(1-2), 57-62.

Best, D., Butt, W., Membrey, M., Johansen, A., & Horton, S. (2010). Extra corporeal membrane oxygenation in children: "21 today". Australian Critical Care, 23(1), 31-31.

Snookes, S. H., Gunn, J. K., Eldridge, B. J., Donath, S. M., Hunt, R. W., Galea, M. P., Shekerdemian, L. (2010). A systematic review of motor and cognitive outcomes after early surgery for congenital heart disease. Pediatrics, 125(4), e818-e827.

Adatia, I., & Shekerdemian, L. (2010). The role of calcium channel blockers, steroids, anticoagulation, antiplatelet drugs, and endothelin receptor antagonists. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine: A Journal Of The Society Of Critical Care Medicine And The World Federation Of Pediatric Intensive And Critical Care Societies, 11(2 Suppl), S46-S52.

Shann, F. (2010). BCG vaccination in developing countries. BMJ, 340(mar15_1), c809.

Ragg, P. G., & Tibballs, J. (2010). Pressure-created communication between lumens of a multilumen venous catheter. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine: A Journal Of The Society Of Critical Care Medicine And The World Federation Of Pediatric Intensive And Critical Care Societies, 11(2), e26-e27.

Gilmore, H., Millar, K. J., Weintraub, R. G., Hislop, J., Negri, J., Brizard, C. P., d'Udekem, Y. (2010). Australian Experience with VAD as a Bridge to Paediatric Cardiac Transplantation. Heart, Lung and Circulation, 19(1), 26-30.

Horton, S., d'Udekem, Y., Shann, F., Butt, W., Bennett, M., Best, D., Brizard, C. (2010) Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation via sternotomy for circulatory shock. The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, 139(2), e12-e13.

Simpson, C. M., Smolich, J. J., Shekerdemian, L. S., & Penny, D. J. (2010). Urotensin-II contributes to pulmonary vasoconstriction in a perinatal model of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn secondary to meconium aspiration syndrome. Pediatric Research, 67(2), 150-157.

Duke, T. (2010). Systemic inflammatory response syndrome and bacteremia in developing countries. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine: A Journal Of The Society Of Critical Care Medicine And The World Federation Of Pediatric Intensive And Critical Care Societies, 11(1), 153-154.

Published Work 2009

Samarasekera, S. P., Mikocka-Walus, A., Butt, W., & Cameron, P. (2009). Epidemiology of major paediatric chest trauma. Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health, 45(11), 676-680.

Linton, S., Grant, C., Pellegrini, J. and Davidson, A. (2009) 'The development of a clinical markers score to predict readmission to paediatric intensive care', Intensive & Critical Care Nursing vol.25(6), pp.283-93

McKinley, D. and Kinney, S. (2009). "The challenges of completing a randomised controlled trial evaluating the use of saline during endotracheal suction in the paediatric intensive care unit... The Asia Pacific Critical Care 2008 Congress." Australian Critical Care 22(1): 62-62.

Pan, L. T. and MacLaren, G. (2009). "Continuous venovenous haemodiafiltration for metformin-induced lactic acidosis." Anaesthesia & Intensive Care 37(5): 830-832.

Azzopardi P; Bennett CM; Graham SM; Duke T (2009). "Bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine-related disease in HIV-infected children: a systematic review." The International Journal Of Tuberculosis And Lung Disease: The Official Journal Of The International Union Against Tuberculosis And Lung Disease 13(11): 1331-1344.

Enarson, P., Duke, T., Graham, SM. (2009). "Who speaks for the children?" The International Journal Of Tuberculosis And Lung Disease: The Official Journal Of The International Union Against Tuberculosis And Lung Disease 13(11): 1317-1317.

Chisti, M. J., M. Tebruegge,La Vincente S, Graham SM, Duke T, LA- English. (2009). "Pneumonia in severely malnourished children in developing countries - mortality risk, aetiology and validity of WHO clinical signs: a systematic review." Tropical Medicine & International Health: TM & IH 14(10): 1173-1189.

Duke GJ; Graco M; Santamaria J; Shann F (2009). "Validation of the hospital outcome prediction equation (HOPE) model for monitoring clinical performance." Internal Medicine Journal 39(5): 283-289.

Kinney S; Tibballs J; Duke T; Johnston L. (2009). "A case-control study identifying risk factors for a critical event amongst children who have a medical emergency team (MET) call... The Asia Pacific Critical Care 2008 Congress." Australian Critical Care 22(1): 64-64.

Kurubi J; Vince J; Ripa P; Tefuarani N; Riddell M; Duke T. (2009). "Immune response to measles vaccine in 6 month old infants in Papua New Guinea." Tropical Medicine & International Health 14(2): 167-173.

Lindstrom SJ, Pellegrino VA, Butt WW (2009). "Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation." The Medical Journal Of Australia 191(3): 178-182.

Shann, F. and T. Duke (2009). "Twenty-three thousand unnecessary deaths every day: what are you doing about it?" Pediatric Critical Care Medicine: A Journal Of The Society Of Critical Care Medicine And The World Federation Of Pediatric Intensive And Critical Care Societies 10(5): 608.

Tibballs J, Kinney S. Reduction of hospital mortality and of preventable cardiac arrest and death on introduction of a pediatric medical emergency team.[see comment]. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. 10(3):306-12, 2009 May.

Duke T, Subhi R, Peel D, Frey B. Pulse oximetry: technology to reduce child mortality in developing countries. Annals of Tropical Paediatrics. 29(3):165-75, 2009 Sep.

Duke, T. Child survival and IMCI: in need of sustained global support.[comment]. Lancet. 2009 Aug 1;374(9687):393-403

Shekerdemian, L. 'Perioperative manipulation of the circulation in children with congenital heart disease', Heart 2009 Aug; vol.95(15), pp.1286-96

Subhi R. Adamson M. Campbell H. Weber M. Smith K. Duke T.The prevalence of hypoxaemia among ill children in developing countries: a systematic review. [Review] [59 refs] Hypoxaemia in Developing Countries Study Group. The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 9(4):219-27, 2009 Apr.
 
Plunkett A. De Marco P. Vuillermin P. Duke T. Klebsiella pneumoniae: caught on film.Archives of Disease in Childhood Fetal & Neonatal Edition. 94(1):F57, 2009 Jan.
 
Nydegger A. Walsh A. Penny DJ. Henning R. Bines JE.Changes in resting energy expenditure in children with congenital heart disease.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 63(3):392-7, 2009 Mar.
 
Sivarajan V. Penny DJ. Filan P. Brizard C. Shekerdemian LS. Impact of antenatal diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome on the clinical presentation and surgical outcomes: the Australian experience. Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health. 45(3):112-7, 2009 Mar.
 
Beca J. Gunn J. Coleman L. Hope A. Whelan LC. Gentles T. Inder T. Hunt R. Shekerdemian L. Pre-operative brain injury in newborn infants with transposition of the great arteries occurs at rates similar to other complex congenital heart disease and is not related to balloon atrial septostomy. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 53(19):1807-11, 2009 May 12.
 
MacLaren G. Butt W. Best D. Pediatric septic shock guidelines and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation management.[comment]. Critical Care Medicine. 37(6):2143-4; author reply 2144-5, 2009 Jun.
 
Shann F. Sepsis in babies: should we stimulate the phagocytes?[comment].
Lancet. 373(9659):188-90, 2009 Jan 17.
 
Tibballs J. Russell P. Reliability of pulse palpation by healthcare personnel to diagnose paediatric cardiac arrest. Resuscitation. 80(1):61-4, (2009) Jan.

Butt WW. Outcome assessment--what outcome do we want?. Pediatric critical care medicine : a journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies 10 (1) : 133 - 4; discuss(2009)

Maclaren G, Butt W. Controversies in paediatric continuous renal replacement therapy. Intensive Care Medicine 35 (4) : 596 - 602(2009)

Martin J, Shekerdemian LS. The monitoring of venous saturations of oxygen in children with congenitally malformed hearts.. Cardiology in the Young 19 (1) : 34 - 9(2009)

Newall F, Ignjatovic V, Summerhayes R, Gan A, Butt W, Johnston L, Monagle P. In vivo age dependency of unfractionated heparin in infants and children.. Thrombosis Research 123 (5) : 710 - 4(2009)

Sivarajan V, Penny DJ, Filan P, Brizard C, Shekerdemian LS. Impact of antenatal diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome on the clinical presentation and surgical outcomes: The Australian experience.. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health Epub 2009 : (2009)

Subhi R. Smith K. Duke T. When should oxygen be given to children at high altitude? A systematic review to define altitude-specific hypoxaemia, Archives of Disease in Childhood. 94(1):6-10, 2009 Jan.

Published work 2008

Cantwell-Bartl AM, Tibballs J. "Place, age, and mode of death of infants and children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome: Implications for medical counselling, psychological counselling, and palliative care." J Palliative Care 2008; 24: 76-84.

Gutierrez J.A., Duke T., Henning R., South M. "Respiratory Failure and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome." In Taussig L.M., Landau L.I., etal (eds) Paediatric Respiratory Medicine 2nd Edition Philadelphia: Mosby 2008

Henning R. Chapter  "Shock and cardiac Disease in Children" Oh TH, ed. Intensive Care Manual. Sydney: Butterworths, 6th ed 2007. (In press.)

Henning R., "Lung trauma: Near drowning and toxic inhalation." In Taussig L.M., Landau L.I., etal (eds) Paediatric Respiratory Medicine 2nd Edition Philadelphia: Mosby 2008

Kinney S, Tibballs J, Johnston L, Duke T. "Clinical profile of hospitalized children provided with urgent assistance from a medical emergency team." Pediatrics 2008; 121: e1577-84.

Linton S., Grant C., Pellegrini J., "Supporting families through discharge from PICU to the ward: The development and evaluation of a discharge information brochure for families." Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 26 July 2008

MacLaren G, Kluger R. "The feasibility of myocardial velocity, strain and strain rate measurements during aortic valve replacement surgery." J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth 2008;22(4):648-649

MacLaren G, Yeow SF, Spelman D. "Antibiotic prophylaxis in cardiac surgery." Heart 2008;94(5):646

MacLaren G, Kofidis T, Klima U. "Nonpharmacologic support of the failing right ventricle." Crit Care Med 2008;36(2):662

Perez A., Butt W., Millar K.J., Best D., Thiruchelvam T., Cochrane AD, Bennett M, Shekerdemian L.S. "Long-distance transport of critically ill children on extracorporeal life support in Australia." Critical Care Resuscitation. 2008 Mar;10(1):34.

Plunkett A., De Marco P., Vuillermin P., Duke T. "Klebsiella pneumoniae": Archives of Disease in Childhood. Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne. Department of Haematology, Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. Child Health Research Unit, Barwon Health.

Sung V. Massie J. Hochmann MA. Carlin JB. Jamsen K. Robertson CF. "Estimating inspired oxygen concentration delivered by nasal prongs in children with bronchiolitis." [Journal Article. Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't] Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health. 44(1-2):14-8, 2008 Jan.
 Tibballs J. Paediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation: recent changes to  guidelines. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 2008; 44: 67-9.

Tibballs J. "Organ donation after cardiac death: legal and ethical justifications for antemortem interventions" (letter). Med J Aust 2008; 188: 186-7.

Tibballs J, Cantwell-Bartl A. "Outcomes of management decisions by parents for their infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome born with and without a prenatatal diagnosis." J Paediatr Child Health 2008; 44: 321-4.

Tibballs J, Thiruchelvam T. "A case of Commotio cordis in a young child caused by a fall." Resuscitation 2008; 77: 139-41.

Tibballs J. The non-compliance of clinical guidelines for organ donation with Australian statute law. Journal of Law & Medicine. 16(2):335-55, 2008 Oct.

Tibballs J, van der Jagt E. "Medical emergency and rapid response teams." Pediatr Clin N Am 2008; 55: 989-1010.

Tibballs J, Russell P. "Reliability of pulse palpation by healthcare personnel to diagnose paediatric cardiac arrest." Resuscitation 2008; 77: Suppl 1; S30.

Tibballs J, Winkel KD. "Envenomation syndromes". In: Roger's Textbook of Pediatric Intensive Care. 2008. Nichols DG. Ed-in-Chief. Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. Philadelphia. pp482-507.

Previous years published works


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