Singap Med J
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Children with an anterior mediastinal mass (AMM) need general anaesthesia (GA) or deep sedation for diagnostic procedures more often than adult patients. Anaesthetic management to prevent such complications includes maintenance of spontaneous ventilation (SV) and prebiopsy corticosteroids/radiotherapy. ⋯ Based on our results, we propose a simplified workflow, wherein airway compression of any degree is considered high risk. For patients with high-risk features, multidisciplinary input should be sought to decide whether the child would be fit for a procedure under GA/sedation or considered unfit for any procedure. Recommendations include the use of less invasive methods, involving experienced anaesthesiologists to plan the anaesthetic technique and maintaining SV.
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Limited data is available on paediatric orbital cellulitis in Asia. We aimed to describe demographic data, clinical presentation, predisposing factors, identified microorganisms, choice of antibiotics and management in children with orbital cellulitis treated in a tertiary care centre in Malaysia. ⋯ Young boys were found to be more commonly affected by orbital cellulitis than young girls. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common isolated microorganism. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Burkholderia pseudomallei caused severe infection. Sinusitis and upper respiratory tract infection were the most common predisposing factors. A majority of the children improved with medical treatment alone. Our findings are in slight disagreement with other published reports on paediatric orbital cellulitis, especially from the Asian region.
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The current gold standard for diagnosing interstitial lung disease (ILD) involves an ILD clinic evaluation, followed by discussion in a multidisciplinary meeting (MDM). However, there is a paucity of data on the impact of ILD MDMs on the diagnosis and management of ILDs in Southeast Asia. We studied the clinical impact of the ILD service on the diagnosis and management of ILDs at a university-affiliated tertiary hospital in Singapore. ⋯ The ILD service allowed for more precise subtyping of various ILDs. This is particularly useful for IPF patients, who can benefit from antifibrotic therapies.