Ann Trop Paediatr
-
Cryptococcus neoformans is a rare cause of meningitis especially in immunocompetent children. Cryptococcal meningitis in a healthy Chinese adolescent is reported. She responded well to treatment with intravenous amphotericin and oral flucytosine.
-
Evidence suggests that infants feel pain, and painful experiences may lead to subsequent increased pain sensitivity. Owing to concerns regarding the potential adverse effects of pharmacological interventions in newborns, effective alternatives for pain control are being sought. ⋯ Using NIPS, it has been demonstrated that breastfeeding is analgesic in neonates during venepuncture and previous venepuncture/s and site of venepuncture do not seem to affect pain scores. Breastfeeding should be the first-choice analgesic during painful procedures in neonates.
-
Comparative Study
Reference values for oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry in healthy children at sea level in Chennai.
There is little information on oxygen saturation (SaO2) values in children in developing countries. ⋯ The reference value for mean SaO2 in healthy children aged between 1 mth and 5 yrs and living at sea level in Chennai city was 98.5% or more, but the -2SD values had a mean of 96.6%.
-
Body water and plasma volume in severe community-acquired pneumonia: implications for fluid therapy.
To determine changes in total and extracellular body water, plasma volume and sodium in children with severe and very severe pneumonia, and examine the association between these changes and oxygenation. ⋯ ECW and PV were moderately increased in severe and very severe pneumonia and the increase correlated with better oxygenation. These findings suggest that fluid retention in response to hypoxaemia is directed towards improving circulating volume. The current practice of fluid restriction in hypoxaemic patients with severe pneumonia might be logical only after correction of hypoxaemia.
-
Primary amoebic meningo-encephalitis (PAM) is extremely rare and is caused by Naegleria fowleri. It is ?commonly seen in older children who swim in water contaminated with Naegleria species. ⋯ To the best of our knowledge, only one other case of PAM in an infant has been reported from India. A high index of suspicion is required in infants who manifest similarly to pyogenic meningitis but whose CSF shows no bacterial organisms so that a wet mount of a CSF sample can be done for early detection of Naegleria fowleri infection and appropriate intervention.