Discussion
CHDs, CHD
REGRESSION
In this prospective randomized single-center pilot study, we explored the effect of the implementation of a daily goals checklist on PCICU LOS in pediatric patients with CHD after congenital heart surgery procedures. In the overall cohort, we were able to detect a slightly but non-significantly reduced PCICU LOS in the STANDARD group (median 96.0 h) versus the control group (median 101.5 h) (In 2003, Pronovost et al. [The reason for the different findings in our study regarding PCICU LOS in the overall cohort and in patients with mild CHDs remains to be elucidated. We speculate that in complex congenital heart surgery procedures, postoperative care is more challenging and results in increased bedside presence of treating physicians even without the definition of daily goals. As a consequence, pathologic parameters are recognized, and treatment is initiated more readily compared to patients with less complex CHD. Therefore, patients with mild CHD could benefit from a daily goals checklist, which would increase bedside presence and more compelling therapy. Pronovost and colleagues [Our analysis identified several significant parameters for prolonged PCICU LOS. Multiple linear regression analysis found age at surgery (Age at surgery is an important contributor to PCICU LOS. Alexander and colleagues [Besides age at surgery, severity of CHD was also associated with a prolonged PCICU LOS in multiple linear regression analysis in the present study. Although severity of CHD was not associated with the STAT category in the overall cohort, in the sub-analysis of the STANDARD, group both variables were associated with each other (The VIS is an often-examined tool to predict morbidity and mortality [In the STANDARD cohort, the above-discussed parameters were not of relevance as significant parameters for prolonged PCICU LOS. Here, the number of defined goals (The effect of daily goals on drug dosages is unclear. In our cohort, there was no difference between the STANDARD group and the control group with regard to mean and max. VIS, dosage of opioids, analgesics, sedatives, and diuretics administered via continuous intravenous infusion. To the best of our knowledge, there are no surveys which examine the effect of daily goals on the drug dosages used to achieve the defined goals. However, literature on goal-directed therapy reports inconsistent data; in some cases, there is no difference between the intervention group and the control group; in others, there are significant differences [