Pediatrics
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Comparative Study
Comparison of childhood burns associated with use of microwave ovens and conventional stoves.
To identify the incidence, type, and severity of burns associated with microwave oven (MW) use and to compare MW-associated burns with those associated with use of conventional stoves, we conducted a review of a national data base. Data were obtained from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission Injury Information Clearinghouse for 1986 through 1990 concerning burn injuries to children (0 to 19 years). There were an estimated 5160 burns associated with MW use. ⋯ Most stove burns (74%) were thermal; 7% involved a body surface area greater than 25%. Five percent of children with stove burns required hospital admission. We conclude that (1) burns to children associated with MW use are less frequent and less severe than stove burns; (2) MW burns predominantly affect females; and (3) burn prevention efforts should emphasize the hazards of stoves, which vastly exceed those of MWs.
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Children hospitalized in a pediatric intensive care unit are frequently distressed. The purpose of this study was to identify the patterns of use of sedative agents in pediatric critical care patients. A questionnaire survey was mailed to 45 directors of Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship Training Programs listed in Critical Care Medicine, January 1989. ⋯ Although withdrawal is seen in 61.8% of units, it is generally treated when recognized, rather than prevented by routine tapering of sedation. Optimal sedation of pediatric intensive care unit patients is considered problematic, despite the use of frequent doses of many sedatives. Systematic investigation of pharmacodynamic response to these agents in the pediatric critical care population is indicated.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Role of local anesthesia during lumbar puncture in neonates.
Local anesthesia decreases physiologic responses to pain in neonates but has not been used routinely during lumbar punctures in newborns, as it might obscure anatomical landmarks. However, local anesthesia may decrease newborns' struggling during lumbar puncture, thus facilitating the procedure and increasing its success rate. The success rate of lumbar punctures was compared in neonates allocated prospectively to 0.2 to 0.5 mL of 1% lidocaine anesthesia (n = 48) or a control group (n = 52). ⋯ No acute complications, cerebrospinal fluid contamination, or subsequent meningitis was noted in either group. It is concluded that local anesthesia with lidocaine decreases the degree of struggling but does not alter the success rate of lumbar puncture in neonates. The practice of withholding lidocaine anesthesia from neonates undergoing lumbar punctures cannot be justified by arguing that it makes the procedure more difficult to perform.
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A new clinical scoring system for patients with cystic fibrosis is needed because of recent advances in diagnosis and treatment which have changed the course of this disease. Chest radiograph scoring is the best objective measure of pulmonary disease for longitudinal studies beginning with infants; however, based on pilot studies, previous scoring systems are not sensitive enough in discriminating between degrees of mild lung disease. Therefore, a new radiographic scoring system was developed with the goal of achieving both sensitivity and reproducibility. ⋯ Assessment of serial changes over time was performed using a group of 176 chest radiographs from 25 patients ranging from 4 weeks to 6 years old; this showed that the Wisconsin system generates score differences that are greater in magnitude with disease progression compared with the Brasfield method. Therefore, the new method is more sensitive to progression of mild disease and should be superior to prior radiographic scoring systems for evaluating therapies designed to modify the early course of disease. The Wisconsin system is designed to be useful in longitudinal clinical studies involving young children with cystic fibrosis and is capable to detecting progression from normality to mild lung disease.
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The pathogenesis of the periventricular intraparenchymal echodense lesion (IPE) observed in association with germinal matrix-intraventricular hemorrhage (GM-IVH) in premature neonates is unclear. The objectives of this study were to determine (1) the temporal characteristics of GM-IVH and IPE, (2) the basic characteristics of the IPE, and (3) the relationship of clinical events, including surfactant administration, to IPE. One hundred twenty-four neonates of less than 1250 g birth weight were prospectively evaluated. ⋯ Nine (60%) group 1 neonates, 6 (18%) group 2, and 5 (7%) group 3 neonates died. The cranial sonogram was markedly abnormal in all 6 group 1 survivors. Stepwise polytomous logistic regression indicated that birth weight, gestational age, and emergent cesarean section were the best predictors of GM-IVH + IPE.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)