CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne
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A survey of Canadian hospitals providing obstetric care was undertaken to assess preparation, protocols, training and staff availability for neonatal resuscitation. Of the 721 hospitals contacted 577 (80%) responded. The reported availability of written guidelines for resuscitation varied greatly, depending on hospital size and proximity to a tertiary care centre. ⋯ Nurses were permitted to perform intubation in 21 hospitals (4%), 7 of them in Alberta. National professional bodies should develop guidelines for training and skill maintenance, and hospitals should develop protocols for maintaining equipment and for neonatal resuscitation team activities, including regular practice. Training should be improved in family practice and obstetrics programs, and consideration should be given to training senior obstetric nurses and respiratory therapists in intubation of neonates.
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Comparative Study
Prevalence of iron deficiency among Chinese children aged 6 to 36 months in Montreal.
Screening for iron deficiency was undertaken among a group of Chinese children aged 6 to 36 months to determine the prevalence of the condition and its association with infant feeding. Of the 346 children studied, 12.1% were found to be iron deficient. The overall prevalence rate of thalassemia minor was 6.7%. ⋯ No such difference was found among those older than 12 months. The observed prevalence of iron deficiency was closer to the rate reported for black children than to that reported for white children in the United States. The findings stress the importance of conducting further studies of iron deficiency among Chinese subpopulations in North America.
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Intussusception in babies under 4 months of age is uncommon. The hospital records of 25 babies under 4 months of age who were treated for intussusception between 1974 and 1983 were reviewed. There was no history of pain in nine cases. ⋯ Only eight infants presented with all three symptoms. There was a high rate of failure of reduction by barium enema, even when it was attempted early. Although intussusception does occur in young infants, the clinical picture is generally different from that seen in infants aged 4 months or more.