European journal of pediatrics
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Performance of the pediatric logistic organ dysfunction (PELOD) and (PELOD-2) scores in a pediatric intensive care unit of a developing country.
The study aimed to compare two scores: the pediatric logistic organ dysfunction (PELOD) with its updated version (PELOD-2) in describing the severity of organ dysfunction in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and assess the performance of PELOD-2 in the Egyptian population. A prospective cohort study of 200 patients consecutively admitted to PICU between July 2015 and A 2016 was included. The median age was 6 months, and the male to female ratio was 1.04. ⋯ The observed mortality was 50 patients. The area under the receiving operating characteristic curve was excellent for both PELOD and PELOD-2 (0.93 and 0.91, respectively). The Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test showed good calibration of PELOD-2 (χ 2 = 9.9, p = 0.27), while PELOD showed poor calibration (χ 2 = 42, p = 0.000) in the same studied group.
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Euthanasia was first legalised in the Netherlands in 2002, followed by similar legislation in Belgium the same year. Since the beginning, however, only the Netherlands included the possibility for minors older than 12 years to request euthanasia. In 2014, the Belgian Act legalising euthanasia was amended to include requests by minors who possess the capacity of discernment. ⋯ The justification for allowing euthanasia in minors is buttressed mostly by the principles of beneficence and respect for autonomy. Somewhat paradoxically, both principles are also used in the literature to argue against the extension of legislation to minors. Opponents of euthanasia generally rely on the principle of non-maleficence.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Premedication with melatonin vs midazolam: efficacy on anxiety and compliance in paediatric surgical patients.
Preoperative anxiety is a major problem in paediatric surgical patients. Melatonin has been used as a premedicant agent and data regarding effectiveness are controversial. The primary outcome of this randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of oral melatonin premedication, in comparison to midazolam, in reducing preoperative anxiety in children undergoing elective surgery. ⋯ Trait anxiety of children and their mothers (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) at admission, preoperative anxiety and during anaesthesia induction (Modified Yale Pre-operative Anxiety Scale), and children's compliance with anaesthesia induction (Induction Compliance Checklist) were all assessed. Children premedicated with melatonin and midazolam did not show significant differences in preoperative anxiety levels, either in the preoperative room or during anaesthesia induction. Moreover, compliance during anaesthesia induction was similar in both groups.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Comparison of four different intraosseous access devices during simulated pediatric resuscitation. A randomized crossover manikin trial.
The aim of the study was to compare the success rate, procedure time, and user satisfaction of pediatric NIO™ compared to Pediatric BIG®, EZ-IO®, and Jamshidi intraosseous access devices. This was a randomized, crossover manikin trial with 87 paramedics. ⋯ The paramedics evaluated each device on the subjective ease with which they performed the procedures. The intraosseous device, which proved the easiest to use was NIO, which in the case of CPR received a median rating of 1.5 (IQR, 0.5-1.5) points.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Digital stethoscopes compared to standard auscultation for detecting abnormal paediatric breath sounds.
Our study aimed to objectively describe the audiological characteristics of wheeze and crackles in children by using digital stethoscope (DS) auscultation, as well as assess concordance between standard auscultation and two different DS devices in their ability to detect pathological breath sounds. Twenty children were auscultated by a paediatric consultant doctor and digitally recorded using the Littman™ 3200 Digital Electronic Stethoscope and a Clinicloud™ DS with smart device. ⋯ There was moderate concordance with respect to wheeze detection between digital and standard binaural stethoscopes, and 100% concordance for crackle detection. Importantly, DS devices were more sensitive than clinician auscultation in detecting wheeze in our study.