Emergency cranial computed tomography in the management of acute febrile encephalopathy in children.
(9/535)
OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the influence of emergency cranial computed tomography on the management of acute febrile encephalopathy in children. METHODS: A retrospective study in children with acute febrile encephalopathy who underwent emergency cranial computed tomography within 12 hours of admission to the paediatric intensive care unit. All scans were evaluated by two independent radiologists. RESULTS: Thirty nine children were included. Fourteen scans were abnormal and two had clinically insignificant incidental findings. Four children with focal neurological signs had scans demonstrating extra-axial collections. None required neurosurgical intervention. Clinically, raised intracranial pressure was present in 10 patients. Only five had cerebral oedema on computed tomography; these five children died. Emergency cranial computed tomography influenced subsequent management in no child without focal neurological signs and in only one child with focal neurology. CONCLUSION: Emergency cranial computed tomography in acute febrile encephalopathy in children without focal neurological signs has little influence on subsequent management. Where cranial computed tomography is thought to be necessary, it should be carried out when the child's clinical condition has been stabilised. (+info)
Outbreak of a multiresistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strain in an intensive care unit: antibiotic use as risk factor for colonization and infection.
(10/535)
An observational study was undertaken to describe a nosocomial outbreak caused by multiresistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (MRKP). Ten patients in the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) at a hospital in Madrid were colonized by or infected with MRKP from October 1997 to April 1998. Thirty-two patients with MRKP-negative surveillance cultures who were admitted to the ICU during the outbreak period were selected as control patients. Random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis of MRKP isolates revealed patterns that were indistinguishable from each other. After identification of colonized patients by surveillance cultures and implementation of standard and contact precautions, the outbreak was controlled. An age <12 weeks (odds ratio [OR], 13.1) and previous treatment with third-generation cephalosporins and aminoglycosides (OR, 31.2) were independently associated with MRKP colonization and/or infection. Individual exposure to antibiotics, irrespective of other clinical determinants, is a risk factor for MRKP acquisition. Screening high-risk patients during outbreaks and reducing the use of third-generation cephalosporins and aminoglycosides contribute to the control of these epidemics. (+info)
Urinary catheter related nosocomial infections in paediatric intensive care unit.
(11/535)
The present prospective study was carried out in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Mumbai. The objective was to determine the incidence, risk factors, mortality and organisms responsible for urinary catheter related infections (UCRI). Colonization and/or bacteriuria was labelled as urinary catheter related infection (UCRI). Forty-four patients with 51 urinary catheters were studied. Incidence of UCRI was 47.06%. Age, female sex and immunocompromised status did not increase the risk of UCRI. Duration of catheter in-situ and duration of stay in the PICU were associated with higher risk of UCRI. The mortality was not increased by UCRI. Commonest organism isolated in UCRI was E. coli, which had maximum susceptibility to nitrofurantoin and amikacin. (+info)
Talismans and amulets in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: legendary powers in contemporary medicine.
(12/535)
BACKGROUND: For centuries talismans and amulets have been used in many cultures for their legendary healing powers. METHODS: We asked the parents of every child (Jews and Arabs) admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit over a 2 month period to complete a questionnaire, which included demographic data on the patient and the family, the use of talismans or other folk medicine practices, and the perception of the effects of these practices on the patient's well-being. A different questionnaire was completed by the ICU staff members on their attitude toward the use of amulets. RESULTS: Thirty percent of the families used amulets and talismans in the ICU, irrespective of the socioeconomic status of the family or the severity of the patient's illness. Amulets and talismans were used significantly more by religious Jews, by families with a higher parental educational level, and where the hospitalized child was very young. The estimated frequency of amulet use by the children's families, as perceived by the staff, was significantly higher than actual use reported by the parents. In Jewish families the actual use of amulets was found to be 30% compared to the 60% rate estimated by the medical staff; while in Moslem families the actual use was zero compared to the staff's estimation of about 36%. Of the 19 staff members, 14 reported that the use of amulets seemed to reduce the parents' anxiety, while 2 claimed that amulet use sometimes interfered with the staff's ability to carry out medical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The use of talismans in a technologically advanced western society is more frequent than may have been thought. Medical and paramedical personnel dealing with very ill patients should be aware of the emotional and psychological implications of such beliefs and practices on patients and their families. (+info)
Bacterial nosocomial pneumonia in Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.
(13/535)
AIMS: To determine the incidence, risk factors, mortality and organisms causing nosocomial pneumonia (NP) in intubated patients in Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). MATERIALS & METHODS: All patients with endotracheal (ET) tube with or without mechanical ventilation (MV) in a PICU of a tertiary care teaching hospital were included in this prospective study. Clinical parameters and investigations were evaluated in patients who developed nosocomial pneumonia (NP). Colonisation of the ET tube tip was studied by culture and the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the isolates was determined. RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients had an ET tube inserted and fifty-nine of these underwent MV. ET tube tip colonisation was seen in 70 out of 88 ET tubes inserted. The incidence of NP in patients with ET tube was 27.54% (7.96/100 days of ET intubation). NP developed only in patients undergoing MV. The main risk factors for developing NP were - duration of MV and duration of stay in the PICU. Age, sex, immunocompromised status and altered sensorium did not increase the risk of NP. The mortality in cases with NP was 47. 37%. E. coli and Klebsiella were the commonest organisms isolated from the ET tube tip cultures with maximum susceptibility to amikacin and cefotaxime. CONCLUSIONS: NP developed only in patients undergoing MV. Duration of MV and duration of stay in the PICU increased the risk of developing NP. (+info)
Clinical training experience in district general hospitals.
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AIMS: To estimate the nature and quantity of clinical experience available for trainees in paediatrics or general practice in acute general hospitals of differing sizes in the UK. To discuss implications for training and service configuration taking account of current Royal College recommendations (a minimum of 1,800 acute contacts each year and ideally covering a population of 450,000 to 500,000 people). METHODS: Observed frequencies of diagnoses in Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield were compared with those in five other hospitals in Yorkshire and four in the South of England, and with expected frequencies from a review of selected marker conditions using national routine and epidemiological data. Based on the Pinderfields data, we modelled expected frequencies of a wider range of diagnoses for different sized hospitals. RESULTS: Small units (1,800 or less acute referrals a year) provide adequate exposure to common conditions such as gastroenteritis (157 per annum) and asthma (171 per annum) but encounter serious or unusual disease rarely. When modelled for units serving larger populations, numbers of such disorders remain small. For example, about 0.5% of admissions require intensive care to the level of ventilatory support. Medium size units offer a wide range of experience but differ little from those serving the population of 500,000 proposed as being optimal for training. This standard is not justified by the evidence in this review. Closing or amalgamating units on the scale necessary to achieve this ideal would be impractical as only five hospitals in England have a paediatric workload equivalent to this population; it would also raise issues of access and equity. (+info)
Acute respiratory distress syndrome in a paediatric intensive care unit.
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Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is the final outcome of a common pathway of a variety of unrelated but massive insults to the lung. It is commonly seen in adults but also occurs in the paediatric age group. A prospective study was carried out to determine the incidence, predisposing conditions, clinical course and outcome of children with ARDS admitted to a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Six patients (aged 0.8 to 11 years) who fulfilled the strict criteria for ARDS were identified prospectively during a one year study period. The incidence was 1.7% of all PICU admission. The most common underlying conditions were septicemia and pneumonia. The mortality rate was 83%. Death most often occurred during the early phase of the disease. Treatment of ARDS included elimination of the cause of ARDS, early institution of mechanical ventilation with PEEP, prompt recognition and treatment of superimposed infection and careful management of additional organ failure. (+info)
Respiratory syncytial virus infection in high risk infants and the potential impact of prophylaxis in a United Kingdom cohort.
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BACKGROUND: Bronchiolitis caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important cause of morbidity in ex-premature infants. In a randomised placebo controlled trial monoclonal antibody prophylaxis showed a 55% reduction in relative risk of hospital admission for these high risk infants, against a background incidence of 10.6 admissions per 100 high risk infants. AIMS: To follow a cohort of high risk infants in order to assess hospitalisation rate from RSV and the potential impact of prophylaxis for these patients in a UK local health authority. METHODS: A cohort of high risk infants from a local health authority were followed over the 1998/99 and 1999/2000 RSV seasons. The high risk population was defined as infants who, at the beginning of the seasons studied, were: (1) under 6 months old and born prior to 36 weeks gestation with no domiciliary oxygen requirement; or (2) under 24 months of age and discharged home in supplemental oxygen. All admissions with bronchiolitis during the season were identified. RESULTS: A total of 370 high risk infants were identified for the 1998/99 season and 286 for the following year. Over the two years there were 68 admissions. Significantly more admissions occurred from group 2 infants. RSV was identified in 27 cases (four admissions per hundred high risk infants). Prophylaxis may have saved up to pound 195,134 in hospital costs over the two years, but would have cost pound 1.1 million in drug acquisition costs. CONCLUSIONS: Careful consideration of risk factors is needed when selecting infants for RSV prophylaxis. (+info)