Pediatric Burns-Time to Collaborate Together.

How to cite this article: Baalaaji M. Pediatric Burns-Time to Collaborate Together. Indian J Crit Care Med 2023;27(12):873-875.

Postoperative Care of Pediatric Brain Tumors: Let's Work Together.

How to cite this article: Baalaaji M. Postoperative Care of Pediatric Brain Tumors: Let's Work Together. Indian J Crit Care Med 2023; 27(3):161-162.

Invasive Candidiasis in Children: Challenges Remain.

How to cite this article: Baalaaji M. Invasive Candidiasis in Children: Challenges Remain. Indian J Crit Care Med 2022;26(6):667-668.

Niemann-Pick Disease: An Underdiagnosed Lysosomal Storage Disorder.

Lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) collectively constitute a significant public health burden in developing countries. Commoner LSDs include Gaucher, Fabry, and Niemann-Pick disease (NPD), but many cases remain undiagnosed. With the high incidence of consanguineous marriages, South East Asian countries are expected to have high prevalence of these LSDs. Here we report 4 cases of NPD type A/B in 3 families presenting with hepatosplenomegaly and cytopenias including one family with two sibs having hypertension and mitral valve prolapse. The diagnosis of NPD was proven by mutation analysis with identification of novel mutations, including a novel 4 bp insertion mutation (C>CCTGG) in exon 2 of the SMPD1 gene. We also had two cases of NPD type C, confirmed on mutation analysis.

Predictors and Outcome of Acute Kidney Injury in Children with Diabetic Ketoacidosis.

OBJECTIVE: To identify predictors and outcome of acute kidney injury (AKI) in children with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) admitted to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). METHODS: Retrospective case review of 79 children with DKA admitted between 2011-2014. RESULTS: Twenty eight children developed AKI during the hospital stay; 20 (71.4%) recovered with hydration alone. Serum chloride at 24 hours was independently associated with AKI. Children with AKI had prolonged acidosis and PICU stay and higher mortality. CONCLUSION: Majority of children with AKI and DKA, recover with hydration. Hyperchloremia at 24 hours had independent association with AKI, although cause-effect relation could not be ascertained.

Root Cause Analysis of Diabetic Ketoacidosis Admissions at a Tertiary Referral Pediatric Emergency Department in North India.

OBJECTIVES: To identify system-based factors contributing to Emergency Department (ED) admissions of children with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and related complications with emphasis on parental and physician awareness and prereferral management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective observational root cause analysis study of all consecutive admissions of children with DKA to pediatric ED of a tertiary care referral hospital in northern India over a period of 1 year (July 2010-June 2011). Prehospital, health-care system, referral, follow-up, and continuum of care related details were obtained through direct interview of parents and physicians and/or field observations for all enrolled children. RESULTS: Of the 30 children enrolled, 26 (86.6%) were referrals; 16 (61.5%) from first, 7 (26.9%) from second, and 3 (11.5%) from third health-care facility. More than half (n [%], 18 [60%]) had new onset diabetes and belonged to lower socioeconomic strata. Twenty-two (73.3%) were complicated DKA; shock (n [%], 19 [63%]), hypokalemia (n [%], 11 [36%]), and CE (n [%], 3 [10%]) were the most common complications. Most parents were ignorant of diabetes, its symptoms or complicating DKA. Nearly, half of the cases remained undiagnosed (n = 11) at first contact health-care facility; more so for new onset as compared to known diabetes (9/18 vs. 2/8; P = 0.022). The referring hospitals had limited facilities for rapid blood glucose estimation (n [%], 12 [40%]), blood gas analysis (n [%], 6 [20%]) and insulin infusion. On univariate analysis, patients with missed/delayed diagnosis more often had severe and complicated DKA. CONCLUSION: Parental ignorance, lower socioeconomic status, lack of clinical experience, and limited primary health-care facilities were root causes for severe and complicated DKA.