Clinical pediatrics
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Scorpion sting in children is a hazardous and potentially lethal condition. Fifty-one infants and children were admitted to the Pediatric Departments at the Hadassah-Hebrew University Hospitals in Jerusalem, during a 5-year period, following scorpion sting. ⋯ Analysis of our data showed that patients with severe toxicity were brought to the hospital after a significantly longer time lapse than were the patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms. The current management of children with scorpion envenomation consists of administration of specific antivenom and close surveillance in an intensive care unit, where vital signs and continuous cardiac monitoring enable early initiation of therapy for life-threatening complications, such as cardiac and respiratory failure, convulsions, or hypertension.
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Clinical pediatrics · Jan 1985
Association of temperature greater than 41.1 degrees C (106 degrees F) with serious illness.
In a 9-month prospective study conducted in an urban emergency room, 15 children with rectal temperature greater than 41.1 degrees C (106 degrees F) were evaluated. Seven of the 15 patients were admitted to the hospital. Two children who were discharged home required subsequent admission, and six were managed on an ambulatory basis. ⋯ In four, the final diagnosis indicated a much more serious illness than was considered initially. The laboratory studies did not correlate reliably with the final diagnosis or need for admission. Children with a rectal temperature greater than 41.1 degrees C are at high risk for a life-threatening illness and should be evaluated for sepsis and meningitis.
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In 1980, 104 infants with seven to 15 percent dehydration due to severe diarrhea and vomiting were hospitalized in Tehran and treated in two separate phases, deficit therapy and maintenance therapy, using two isotonic oral solutions. For deficit therapy, solution A (sodium 80, potassium 20 mmol/l) was administered at a rate of 40 ml/kg per hour until all signs of dehydration disappeared. ⋯ Intravenous fluids were not used, even in severe dehydration and shock. The efficacy and safety of this regimen were confirmed by rapid and successful rehydration and correction of electrolyte abnormalities present on admission.
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Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) records of 130 pediatric patients with cardiac arrest were reviewed. Ninety-six resuscitations were performed on patients hospitalized on the Medical and Surgical units of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (HP) and 34 on Emergency Department patients (EDPs). In HP, initial survival was 90%. ⋯ The necessity for resuscitation was most commonly associated with pulmonary diseases. These findings reflect differences between pediatric CPR and adult CPR, and suggest limitations in applying adult standards to infants and children. It is suggested that the medical community develop separate pediatric CPR courses as independent modules for those who assume responsibility for resuscitating children.
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Clinical pediatrics · Feb 1984
Grocery store baking soda. A source of sodium bicarbonate in the management of chronic metabolic acidosis.
Oral sodium bicarbonate is used to treat metabolic acidosis in patients with renal tubular acidosis. Since infants and young children are unable to swallow tablets, those affected must ingest sodium bicarbonate in a powder or liquid form. ⋯ We determined that the sodium bicarbonate contained in 8-oz boxes of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda was sufficiently constant in weight that, dissolved in water to a given volume, it yielded a quantitatively acceptable therapeutic solution of sodium bicarbonate at a cost of approximately 3 percent of that of pharmacy-weighed sodium bicarbonate. Grocery store baking soda can be a safe, economical, and convenient source of sodium bicarbonate for the treatment of chronic metabolic acidosis in infants and young children.