Journal of paediatrics and child health
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J Paediatr Child Health · Mar 2012
Case ReportsCardiac cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in a 13-year-old treated with doxorubicin microbead transarterial chemoembolization.
Increasing numbers of children are surviving into adulthood following surgery to correct or palliate congenital heart disease. This surgery can occasionally result in long-standing elevated right heart pressures and chronic hepatic venous congestion leading to cardiac cirrhosis. ⋯ A 13-year-old girl developed inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma and was treated with transarterial embolization with lipiodol and doxorubicin eluting microbeads. Promoting awareness of this association, even in younger patients, will hopefully result in better surveillance and screening of hepatic complications in survivors of complex cardiac surgery.
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A four-year-old girl developed anaphylaxis following ant stings at her parent's property in country New South Wales. The offending insect was identified by an entomologist as the green head ant. Ant sting anaphylactic reactions in Australia, the importance of identifying the offending insect following sting anaphylaxis and the signs of insect sting anaphylaxis are further discussed.
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J Paediatr Child Health · Feb 2012
Mild traumatic brain injury: improving quality of care in the paediatric emergency department setting.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in childhood can impose a significant threat to life and longer-term disability. This study investigated the extent to which the documentation of key indicators of healthcare quality in the emergency department (ED) setting was consistent with clinical guidelines for the management of children with mild TBI (MTBI). ⋯ The apparent absence of a systematic approach to the diagnosis and follow-up of MTBI in children presenting to ED suggests a missed opportunity to minimise the risk of disability following these injuries. Greater attention to an integrated care pathway that improves the identification, documentation, and follow-up of children with MTBI presenting to ED is required.
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Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) is an uncommon cause of neonatal sepsis. ⋯ Although less common now than in the pre-antibiotic era, Streptococcus pneumoniae remains a rare but important cause of neonatal sepsis and can mimic early onset Group B streptococcal sepsis. It is unclear whether current infant or adult pneumococcal immunisation programs might influence its incidence in the neonatal period. The potential for strains with reduced susceptibility to β-lactam antibiotics to cause neonatal infection needs to be considered in relevant settings.
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J Paediatr Child Health · Feb 2012
Human spirit: a vignette to capture and document the resilience of the human spirit 2011.
Many personal stories carry a universal message. This account, of two patients who survived the genocide in April/May 1994 in Rwanda, symbolises the resilience of the human spirit.