Pediatrics
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Black children with asthma comprise one-third of all asthma patients in Medicaid. With increasing Medicaid coverage, it has become especially important to monitor Medicaid for differences in hospital practice and patient outcomes by race. ⋯ For closely matched black and white patients, racial disparities concerning asthma admission outcomes and style of practice are small and generally nonsignificant, except for ICU use, where we observed higher rates in black patients.
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Multicenter Study
Intravenous Versus Oral Antibiotics for Postdischarge Treatment of Complicated Pneumonia.
Postdischarge treatment of complicated pneumonia includes antibiotics administered intravenously via a peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC) or orally. Antibiotics administered via PICC, although effective, may result in serious complications. We compared the effectiveness and treatment-related complications of postdischarge antibiotics delivered by these 2 routes. ⋯ Treatment failure rates between PICC and oral antibiotics did not differ. Children with complicated pneumonia should preferentially receive oral antibiotics at discharge when effective oral options are available.
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The purpose of this study was to compare characteristics of youth who participate in the choking game alone versus those who participate in a group. ⋯ Youth who participate alone in the choking game are a particularly high risk group, exhibiting substantially higher rates of suicidal ideation and poorer mental health compared with youth who participate in the choking game in a group. Adolescent health care providers should be aware of these associations, assess whether prevention messaging is appropriate, and be prepared to explain the high risks of morbidity and mortality associated with participation.