title: Clinical equipoise on prophylaxis against catheter-associated thrombosis in critically ill children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In preparation for a randomized controlled trial of prophylaxis against catheter-associated deep venous thrombosis in critically ill children, we aimed to determine clinical equipoise, defined as willingness to randomize children, among pediatric critical care physicians.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a cross-sectional, self-administered electronic survey of pediatric critical care physicians in the United States. The survey focused on the effect of child's age, presence of a central venous catheter, and risk (ie, presence of coagulopathy or recent surgery) and presence of bleeding on their willingness to randomize children to an anticoagulant or placebo.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Responses from 239 (33.0%) of 725 physicians were analyzed. Respondents were willing to randomize children 1 month or older in the presence of a catheter but only those older than 13 years in the absence of a catheter. For children with coagulopathy, they would randomize those with international normalized ratio less than or equal to 2.0, partial thromboplastin time less than or equal to 50 seconds, and platelet count greater than or equal to 50000/mm(3). Respondents were willing to randomize children 2 days after most types of surgery and after 1 to 5 days of a bleeding event.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinical equipoise on prophylaxis against catheter-associated thrombosis exists among pediatric critical care physicians, which ethically justifies conducting a randomized controlled trial.
authors.affiliation: Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT 06510. Electronic address: candace.mannarino@yale.edu.
authors.forename: Candace N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Mannarino
authors.affiliation: Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520. Electronic address: vince.faustino@yale.edu.
authors.forename: Edward Vincent S
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Faustino
mesh_terms: D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000009:adverse effects*; D062905:Central Venous Catheters / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002648:Child; D016638:Critical Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D019934:International Normalized Ratio; D008297:Male; D010314:Partial Thromboplastin Time; D000072143:Pediatricians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D065129:Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012306:Risk; D057212:Therapeutic Equipoise; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants
keywords: Anticoagulant; Central venous catheter; Deep venous thrombosis; Pediatrics; Randomized controlled trial; Survey