Paediatric respiratory reviews
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Paediatr Respir Rev · Dec 2005
Review Comparative StudyForced oscillations, interrupter technique and body plethysmography in the preschool child.
The interrupter technique, forced oscillation and plethysmography have been increasingly used to monitor early childhood respiratory diseases over the past 30 years. The techniques are based on different principles but generally yield concordant information. ⋯ The interrupter technique is useful but yields little more than a single value of respiratory resistance. Forced oscillation and plethysmography may provide additional information relevant to the mechanisms of airway obstruction, provided the methodological artefacts are accounted for and corrected.
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Paediatr Respir Rev · Sep 2005
The burden of paediatric intensive care: a South American perspective.
Paediatric intensive care is a relatively new medical specialty that has shown a marked growing up around the world over the last three decades. The limits and the development of this new specialty are not uniform from country to country. Original articles relating to paediatric intensive care and some South American data bases of health care were evaluated and relevant results were selected. ⋯ In conclusion, during the last 20 years PICUs have developed and increased their coverage in South America. However, the most sophisticated and well equipped PICUs are preferentially located in the more developed areas whereas those areas with higher infant mortality rates have few PICU beds. Improvements in the economical stability, regional health organisation as well as the rationale for PICU localisation are some of the important goals to be reached in the near future.
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Paediatr Respir Rev · Sep 2005
The burden of paediatric intensive care: an Australian and New Zealand perspective.
Most seriously ill children in Australia and New Zealand are cared for in specialised intensive care units associated with tertiary children's hospitals. Highly regionalised models of care are in operation. Children from remote areas are transported to intensive care by paediatric emergency transport services. ⋯ There is also evidence of uniformity of outcomes across paediatric intensive care units in the region and that outcomes have been improving. Although there are some downward pressures on intensive care workloads (preventative strategies such as immunisation, safety campaigns), these are counterbalanced by new surgical initiatives and increasing expectations of extended high tech support for children with life shortening diseases and disabilities. This expanding group of technology-dependent children will be one of the major challenges facing health authorities and intensive care physicians in this region in the coming decade.
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Paediatr Respir Rev · Jun 2005
ReviewWhy babies should never sleep alone: a review of the co-sleeping controversy in relation to SIDS, bedsharing and breast feeding.
There has been much controversy over whether infants should co-sleep or bedshare with an adult caregiver and over whether such practises increase the risk of SIDS or fatal accident. However, despite opposition from medical authorities or the police, many western parents are increasingly adopting night-time infant caregiving patterns that include some co-sleeping, especially by those mothers who choose to breast feed. ⋯ We will examine the conceptual issues related to the biological functions of mother-infant co-sleeping, bedsharing and what relationship each has to SIDS. At very least, we hope that the studies and data described in this paper, which show that co-sleeping at least in the form of roomsharing especially with an actively breast feeding mother saves lives, is a powerful reason why the simplistic, scientifically inaccurate and misleading statement 'never sleep with your baby' needs to be rescinded, wherever and whenever it is published.