W Indian Med J
-
Review Case Reports
Leptospirosis occurring in two children after fresh water immersion.
Leptospirosis is relatively uncommon in children. Two cases of severe leptospirosis occurred in teenaged boys who shared a common exposure via immersion in fresh water. While both patients had laboratory-confirmed leptospirosis, their symptoms differed in many respects.
-
Pulmonary barotrauma is a well-known but rarely seen complication of mechanical intermittent positive pressure ventilation. It is thought to be related to raised pressures within alveoli which lead to their eventual rupture and the subsequent development of respiratory embarrassment. Mishaps related to faulty one-way valves in the self-inflating, bag-ventilation devices commonly used in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can, although rarely, lead to severe barotrauma. In this report, we describe a case of pulmonary barotrauma that appeared to be related to the "locking" of the "Ambu" bag's one-way valve in the inspiratory position during routine CPR.
-
We investigated the prevalence of the use of herbs among adults and children in Jamaica in 1996. Two concurrent surveys were conducted in randomly selected urban and rural areas: among adults and among caretakers of young children. From over 90% of the selected households, all caretakers of children under 6 years and one randomly selected adult (18 years or older) were interviewed using structured questionnaires. ⋯ Many caretaker factors were associated with herbal use. Public health implications include the potential toxicity of some herbs, the possibility that herbal teas given to young children may displace more nutritious foods and delay presentation to health care facilities. The findings will allow policy makers to target those most likely to use herbal preparations or to give them to young children, and target herbs to be analyzed for toxic or beneficial properties.