Pediatrics
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Development and validation of a pictorial nausea rating scale for children.
The lack of a widely used, validated measure limits pediatric nausea management. The goal of this study was to create and validate a pictorial scale with regular incremental levels between scores depicting increasing nausea intensity. ⋯ We describe the development of a pictorial scale with beginning evidence of construct validity for a self-report assessment of the severity of pediatric nausea. The scale had convergent and discriminant validity, along with an ability to detect change after treatment.
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Comparative Study
Risk of later seizure after perinatal arterial ischemic stroke: a prospective cohort study.
Although acute seizures are common among neonates with arterial ischemic stroke (AIS), the incidence of subsequent seizures is unknown. The goals of this study were to determine the incidence of seizures following hospital discharge after perinatal acute AIS, and to assess lesion characteristics associated with later seizure occurrence. ⋯ Seizures occurred in <25% of patients during initial follow-up after perinatal AIS. Of those with seizures, nearly half had a single episode of seizure and not early epilepsy. Larger stroke size was associated with higher risk of seizure. These data suggest that prolonged treatment with anticonvulsant agents may not be indicated for seizure prophylaxis after perinatal AIS. These findings may help guide clinicians in counseling families and could form the basis for much-needed future research in this area.
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Comparative Study
Hypoglycemia in pediatric sulfonylurea poisoning: an 8-year poison center retrospective study.
The goal of this study was to describe the clinical effects and time of onset of hypoglycemia in pediatric sulfonylurea poisoning. ⋯ Pediatric sulfonylurea exposure can result in significant poisoning. Severe effects such as seizures occurred only in cases of unrecognized sulfonylurea ingestion. The onset of hypoglycemia after pediatric sulfonylurea ingestion can be delayed by as much as 18 hours by either free access to food or administration of intravenous glucose.
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Historical Article
Neonatal mortality from respiratory distress syndrome: lessons for low-resource countries.
Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is a major contributor to neonatal mortality worldwide. However, little information is available regarding rates of RDS-specific mortality in low-income countries, and technologies for RDS treatment are used inconsistently in different health care settings. Our objective was to better understand the interventions that have decreased the rates of RDS-specific mortality in high-income countries over the past 60 years. ⋯ Of the sequential introduction of technologies and therapies for RDS, widespread use of oxygen and continuous positive airway pressure were associated with the time periods that demonstrated the greatest decline in RDS-specific mortality. We argue that these 2 interventions applied widely in low-resource settings, with appropriate supportive infrastructure and general newborn care, will have the greatest impact on decreasing neonatal mortality. This historical perspective can inform policy-makers for the prioritization of scarce resources to improve survival rates for newborns worldwide.
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Guidelines for prevention of group B streptococcal (GBS) infection have successfully reduced early onset (EO) GBS disease. Study results suggest that Escherichia coli is an important EO pathogen. ⋯ In the era of intrapartum chemoprophylaxis to reduce GBS, rates of EO infection have declined but reflect a continued burden of disease. GBS remains the most frequent pathogen in term infants, and E coli the most significant pathogen in preterm infants. Missed opportunities for GBS prevention continue. Prevention of E coli sepsis, especially among preterm infants, remains a challenge.