Archives of disease in childhood
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The aim of this study was to look at the influence of homelessness on acute medical admissions. A prospective case-controlled study was therefore performed on all homeless children admitted through the accident and emergency department over one year, comparing them with the next age matched admission from permanent housing. Assessments made were: whether homelessness or other social factors influenced the doctors' decision to admit; differences in severity of illness; length of stay; and use of primary care. ⋯ Referral to the hospital was made by a general practitioner in only 5/50 (10%) of homeless compared with 18/50 (36%) of controls. Social factors were an important influence on the decision to admit in over three quarters of the homeless children and resulted in admission when less severely ill even when compared with admissions from an inner city population. Even though there was marked social deprivation among the homeless families, the decision to admit was based on vague criteria that need to be further refined.
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Two patients with severe generalised myasthenia gravis of childhood were successfully treated with immunoadsorption plasmapheresis. One patient was a 5 year old girl and the other was a 12 year old girl. ⋯ Plasma exchange may also yield clinical improvement for myasthenia gravis, but the treatment is accompanied by the risk of viral infections and hypersensitivity reactions. Immunoadsorption plasmapheresis is an effective treatment for severe generalised myasthenia gravis of childhood and is superior to plasma exchange with respect to safety.
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Brainstem reflexes were examined in 23 children treated with thiopentone infusion and correlated with serum thiopentone concentrations. The results suggest that if all brainstem reflexes are lost with a serum thiopentone concentration less than 40 mg/l, it is unlikely to be due to the thiopentone alone. Other causes including brain death need to be considered.
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Neonatal meningitis is a serious problem with a high mortality and frequent neurological sequelae. The incidence of neonatal meningitis was calculated and the aetiology, clinical and laboratory features, and the treatment of cases recorded prospectively over a 7 year 8 month period was documented. It was further investigated whether secondary meningitis had occurred after lumbar puncture. ⋯ As in the first 48 hours after birth an initial blood culture is unlikely to be negative if bacterial meningitis is present, lumbar puncture can be deferred if the procedure might exacerbate respiratory distress. Although approximately 1880 infants had a lumbar puncture during the review period, only one case of meningitis was found where it was possible that lumbar puncture in a bacteraemic infant may have caused meningeal infection. The incidence of this potential complication must therefore be low.