Using a Quality Improvement Initiative to Decrease Oxygen Toxicity among Mechanically Ventilated Children.

Introduction: Excessive oxygen supplementation in critically ill children can lead to hyperoxia, resulting in systemic toxicity and worse outcomes. Despite evidence linking hyperoxia to adverse outcomes, the overuse of oxygen therapy remains a widespread practice. This quality improvement initiative aimed to reduce hyperoxia exposure among mechanically ventilated children in the pediatric intensive care unit at Arkansas Children's Hospital, aligning with the Second Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference guidelines. Methods: data pairs from mechanically ventilated patients and calculated hyperoxia rates monthly. Results: = 0.11, respectively). Conclusions: Using quality improvement methodology and electronic health record-based clinical decision support tools, we successfully reduced hyperoxia rates among mechanically ventilated children in the pediatric intensive care unit. This initiative highlights the importance of standardized oxygen management and real-time staff reminders in improving care practices.