Pediatric blood & cancer
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Feb 2014
Association between religious and socio-economic background of parents of children with solid tumors and DNR orders.
The influence of socio-economic and religious background on decisions made by parents of children with incurable cancer regarding DNR orders is not fully understood. ⋯ The process of decision-making to a DNR request was associated with parents' educational level and monthly family income, and not by religious background, with the exception of Druze families.
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Jan 2014
Multicenter StudyPedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in sickle cell disease: feasibility, reliability, and validity.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder characterized by a chronic hemolytic anemia that can contribute to fatigue and global cognitive impairment in patients. The study objective was to report on the feasibility, reliability, and validity of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in SCD for pediatric patient self-report ages 5-18 years and parent proxy-report for ages 2-18 years. ⋯ The PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale demonstrated acceptable to excellent measurement properties in SCD. The results demonstrate the relative severity of fatigue symptoms in pediatric patients with SCD, indicating the potential clinical utility of multidimensional assessment of fatigue in patients with SCD in clinical research and practice.
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Jan 2014
Transcranial Doppler and brain MRI in children with sickle cell disease and high hemoglobin F levels.
While overt stroke and silent brain infarcts (SBI) are uncommon among Kuwaiti patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), there have been no previous transcranial Doppler (TCD) studies in this population. The main objective of this study is to determine TCD velocities in a group of Kuwaiti children with SCD and correlate same with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and angiography (MRA) findings. ⋯ The mild phenotype among Kuwaiti patients with SCD is reflected in normal TCD velocities and a low prevalence of SBI in children with the disease.
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Dec 2013
Comparative StudyComparison of automated red cell exchange transfusion and simple transfusion for the treatment of children with sickle cell disease acute chest syndrome.
Both simple transfusion (ST) of packed red blood cells and automated red cell exchange (RCE) are used in the treatment of acute chest syndrome (ACS). We report our experience using each of these modalities for the treatment of ACS. ⋯ We conclude that the CRS identifies the patients who are most severely affected with ACS, and that upfront RCE is a safe and effective treatment for these patients. Additional work is needed to develop a method to predict which of the apparently less severely affected patients will fail to improve after simple transfusion and should receive upfront RCE.
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Pediatric blood & cancer · Dec 2013
Comparative StudyPrevalence of 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency in child and adolescent patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation compared to a healthy population.
Pediatric patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) are at risk for low bone mineral density, which may due, in part, to low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. ⋯ At time of transplant, pediatric HCT patients frequently have 25-hydroxyvitamin D insufficiency/deficiency, and this occurs more commonly than in the healthy pediatric population. HCT patients rarely follow recommended guidelines to take supplemental vitamin D, consume the Recommended Daily Allowance for vitamin D, or regularly use sunscreen. Further studies are needed to determine whether vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency persists long term in HCT patients and requires dietary and behavioral interventions.