Pediatrics
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Comparative Study
Association of neck circumference with perioperative adverse respiratory events in children.
The purpose of this investigation was to examine the association of neck circumference (NC) with perioperative respiratory adverse events in children undergoing elective noncardiac surgery, a relationship that has not been previously characterized. ⋯ NC was positively correlated with other indices of obesity in children, and large NC (indicative of central obesity) was associated with some adverse respiratory events in these children undergoing noncardiac surgery. NC could be a useful clinical screening tool for the occurrence of perioperative adverse respiratory events in children.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) supports development and universal implementation of a comprehensive electronic infrastructure to support pediatric information functions of the medical home. These functions include (1) timely and continuous management and tracking of health data and services over a patient's lifetime for all providers, patients, families, and guardians, (2) comprehensive organization and secure transfer of health data during patient-care transitions between providers, institutions, and practices, (3) establishment and maintenance of central coordination of a patient's health information among multiple repositories (including personal health records and information exchanges), (4) translation of evidence into actionable clinical decision support, and (5) reuse of archived clinical data for continuous quality improvement. The AAP supports universal, secure, and vendor-neutral portability of health information for all patients contained within the medical home across all care settings (ambulatory practices, inpatient settings, emergency departments, pharmacies, consultants, support service providers, and therapists) for multiple purposes including direct care, personal health records, public health, and registries. The AAP also supports financial incentives that promote the development of information tools that meet the needs of pediatric workflows and that appropriately recognize the added value of medical homes to pediatric care.
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To determine if pediatric procedural sedation-provider medical specialty affects major complication rates when sedation-providers are part of an organized sedation service. ⋯ In our sedation services consortium, pediatric procedural sedation performed outside the operating room is unlikely to yield serious adverse outcomes. Within this framework, no differences were evident in either the adjusted or unadjusted rates of major complications among different pediatric specialists.
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Comparative Study
Vitamin D status in abused and nonabused children younger than 2 years old with fractures.
To examine vitamin D levels in children with (1) suspected abusive and accidental fractures, (2) single and multiple fractures, and (3) fracture types highly associated with inflicted trauma. ⋯ Vitamin D insufficiency was common in young children with fractures but was not more common than in previously studied healthy children. Vitamin D insufficiency was not associated with multiple fractures or diagnosis of child abuse. Nonaccidental trauma remains the most common cause of multiple fractures in young children.
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Infants with congenital heart defects (CHDs) have increased risk of childhood morbidity and mortality. However, little is known about racial/ethnic differences in early childhood mortality. ⋯ We provide evidence that supports racial/ethnic disparities in early childhood mortality among infants with CHDs. Identifying infants with the greatest risk of early childhood mortality will facilitate development of interventions and policies to mitigate these risks.