Archives of disease in childhood
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The prevalence and clinical significance of specific polysaccharide antibody deficiency (SAD) in children are poorly understood. The authors sought to determine the prevalence of SAD in children with chronic wet cough, through a retrospective study of all children with chronic wet cough attending our tertiary respiratory clinic over a 12-month period. Antibody levels to 13 pneumococcal serotypes were measured following vaccination with the unconjugated pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, Pneumovax II, and clinical data were reviewed. ⋯ Children with SAD were more likely than children with normal antibody responses to require intravenous antibiotics (p=0.035) and to have abnormal chest radiographs (p=0.029). The authors conclude that SAD is present in a significant number of children with chronic wet cough. The clinical significance and long-term outcome of SAD warrant further investigation in prospective studies.
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The aim of this study was to describe the EEG and clinical profile of seizures in children with non-traumatic coma, compare seizure detection by clinical observations with that by continuous EEG, and relate EEG features to outcome. ⋯ Initial EEG background amplitude is prognostic in paediatric non-traumatic coma. Clinical observations do not detect two out of three seizures. Seizures and status epilepticus after admission are associated with poor outcome.
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To determine whether blood lactate measured at the time of presentation to hospital predicted outcome in children with pneumonia in Malawi, and to understand the factors associated with high blood lactate concentrations in pneumonia. ⋯ Used in conjunction with clinical risk factors and pulse oximetry for measuring oxygen saturation, lactate could play an important role in identifying the sickest patients with pneumonia in developing countries.
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To assess the potential effect of two guideline discharge oxygen saturation (SpO(2)) recommendations (≥90% and ≥94%) in recovering bronchiolitis. ⋯ Accepting lower SpO(2) at discharge could significantly reduce length of stay, but require the clinical and safety effects to be studied.
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Pierre Robin sequence (PRS) is a congenital anomaly presenting with micrognathia, glossoptosis and a cleft palate. This study describes a decade's experience of the management of upper airway obstruction (UAO) in PRS patients with a nasopharyngeal airway (NPA). ⋯ There is a spectrum of UAO in PRS. This study reports on long-term outcomes in 104 children with PRS and airway obstruction. In most children (86.5%), airway obstruction was managed by conservative measures or with an NPA for a few months. The natural history shows that with normal growth, airway compromise resolves without immediate surgical intervention as advocated by some practitioners. Few PRS children require a tracheostomy.