Journal of pediatric surgery
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Case Reports
Treatment of giant omphalocele by enlargement of the abdominal cavity with a tissue expander.
Even in the absence of major associated anomalies, treatment of giant omphaloceles is difficult primarily because of the disproportion between the large volume of the omphalocele and the small volume of the intraabdominal cavity. The case of a child is presented in whom conservative treatment had to be abandoned. Reduction of the omphalocele contents and closure of the defect was successfully accomplished after a 19-day period of enlargement of the abdominal cavity by means of an intra-abdominally placed tissue expander.
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We evaluated why and how life support was withheld or withdrawn in surgical neonates. During the study period, January 1988 through December 1991, 529 neonates were admitted, 52 of whom died (10%). Twenty-eight deaths were due to the underlying disease. ⋯ We conclude that life-sustaining care is withheld or withdrawn relatively frequently from patients at our ICU. Such decisions are ethical ones, taken in the light of professional and technical expertise. Evaluation of withholding or withdrawal of treatment is difficult but necessary to evolve appropriate decision-making procedures and to formulate humane standards of intensive care.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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In a retrospective review we analysed alveolar-arterial oxygen difference (AaDO2) as an entry criterion for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in neonates with several forms of acute respiratory insufficiency. Although for meconium aspiration syndrome, respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, and idiopathic pulmonary hypertension of the newborn we found values in accordance with the literature, patients with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) met 80% mortality criteria with significant lower AaDO2 values. Several patients died before ever reaching usual entry criteria for ECMO, because serious lung deterioration makes AaDO2 values unreliable. Awaiting classical ECMO entry criteria for patients with CDH may at least partially explain the lower survival rate for ECMO in CDH.
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A statewide experience with pediatric abdominal visceral injury in restrained automobile passengers was compiled from the trauma registries of two academic institutions. Retrospective analysis of motor vehicle passenger injuries from 1987 to 1991 included age, sex, mechanism of injury, prehospital care, type of injury, therapeutic interventions, complications, and ultimate outcome. The records of over 2,000 patients evaluated for blunt trauma were reviewed, with 42 children fulfilling the following inclusion criteria: 15 years of age or younger, restrained in an automobile at the time of the accident, and diagnosed with an abdominal injury. ⋯ There were two deaths due to injuries. Hollow and solid visceral injuries can occur in belted pediatric passengers during vehicular accidents. Both are a source of significant morbidity, and the patient should be evaluated carefully.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Foreign bodies of the esophagus are a common problem in children, with the majority of these foreign bodies being coins. Because there are various methods for managing esophageal coins, we retrospectively reviewed our experience of the past 4 years to establish a safe and cost-effective protocol for their management. From January 1987 to December 1990, 57 children were managed for esophageal coins in our institution. ⋯ Using these criteria, 16 of the 19 patients managed endoscopically could have safely and effectively been managed in the emergency department with a net savings of $1,833 per patient. We conclude that Foley balloon extraction and bougienage of esophageal coins in selected children is both safe and cost-effective. A protocol for managing children with esophageal coins is presented, and the techniques of Foley balloon extraction and esophageal bougienage are reviewed.