Pediatr Crit Care Me
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Sep 2007
Deletion 22q11.2 syndrome--implications for the intensive care physician.
To report on the experience of a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) with patients with deletion 22q11.2 syndrome: 1) to delineate the clinical characteristics and management of these patients; 2) to assess whether these patients were managed appropriately, especially in terms of blood transfusion; and 3) to make recommendations for PICU management. ⋯ PICUs need to be familiar with deletion 22q11.2 syndrome, especially the recommended use of irradiated and cytomegalovirus-seronegative blood components in these immunocompromised patients. The guidelines were inconsistently followed in the cohort of patients reported here. The extent of this problem may be more widespread in PICUs, and we recommend that individual units review their practice in this regard. Hypocalcemia may manifest at any time, and a regular survey of the calcium status is required in the intensive care setting. Admission to PICU should afford the opportunity to invite subspecialty referral and optimize extended care.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Sep 2007
Diagnosis of catheter-related bloodstream infection in neonates: a study on the value of differential time to positivity of paired blood cultures.
Diagnosis of neonatal catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) is currently based on isolation of identical bacterial species from bloodstream and catheter tip cultures. This requires removal of the catheter followed by the insertion of a new catheter. The objective of this study was to investigate whether differential time to positivity (DTP) of blood cultures drawn from paired peripheral vein and central vascular catheter is useful for diagnosing neonatal CRBSI, avoiding removal of the catheter. ⋯ Differential time to positivity of paired blood cultures may have some potential in the diagnosis of catheter-related infections in neonatal intensive care unit patients and should be subjected to a prospective study.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Sep 2007
Editorial CommentProbiotics in the critically ill: handle with care!