The Journal of pediatrics
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The Journal of pediatrics · Nov 1996
Comparative StudyChanging patterns of red blood cell transfusion in very low birth weight infants.
Anemia develops in increasing numbers of critically ill very low birth weight (VLBW) infants who survive the neonatal period, and they receive multiple red blood cell (RBC) transfusions. Despite their need for prolonged medical treatment, we hypothesized that VLBW infants presently receive fewer RBC transfusions as a result of the growing awareness of transfusion risks and improvement of neonatal care. ⋯ Overall administration of neonatal transfusions has decreased markedly, most likely because of multiple factors. Because most RBC transfusions are given to infants weighing 1 kg or less in the first weeks of life, therapeutic strategies should focus on this group of VLBW infants during this critical period. The temporal changes observed in transfusion patterns emphasize the importance of including concurrent controls in future studies evaluating transfusion interventions.
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The Journal of pediatrics · Nov 1996
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialPatient-controlled analgesia for mucositis pain in children: a three-period crossover study comparing morphine and hydromorphone.
(1) To test the safety and efficacy of a clinical protocol for administering opioid by using patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) for the management of mucositis pain in children after bone marrow transplantation, (2) to compare the efficacy, side-effect profile, and potency ratio of morphine with those of hydromorphone by using PCA as the method of opioid administration, and (3) to obtain pharmacokinetic data on hydromorphone and morphine in this population of children. ⋯ The safety and efficacy of a clinical protocol for the administration of opioids by means of PCA for mucositis pain after bone marrow transplantation was demonstrated. In this small study, hydromorphone was not superior to morphine in terms of analgesia or the side-effect profile: a larger study would be needed to show a difference. The clearances of hydromorphone and morphine in the children studied were generally greater than those previously recorded, but this finding may be related to disease or treatment variables. Apart from clearance, the morphine pharmacokinetics in the study population were similar to those previously recorded. Hydromorphone may be less potent in this population of children than indicated by adult equipotency tables.
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The Journal of pediatrics · Nov 1996
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialRecombinant human erythropoietin reduces the need for erythrocyte and platelet transfusions in pediatric patients with sarcoma: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
To evaluate the effect of recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) and iron supplementation on transfusion requirements in pediatric patients with sarcoma who were receiving chemotherapy, we performed a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. ⋯ Treatment with EPO and iron significantly reduces PRBC transfusions in pediatric patients receiving concomitant chemotherapy for malignant sarcomas. A decrease in the number of platelet transfusions was also seen and deserves further study.
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The Journal of pediatrics · Nov 1996
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialTopical application of lidocaine-prilocaine (EMLA) cream reduces the pain of intramuscular infiltration of saline solution.
Intramuscular injections may be painful. Some of this pain may be caused by the infiltration of medication into the muscle, separate from the pain of skin puncture. We hypothesized that topical application of lidocaine/prilocaine (EMLA) cream would reduce the pain of intramuscular infiltration. ⋯ Our results suggest that further clinical studies of EMLA cream for modifying perceived pain from intramuscular injection in children are warranted.