[Intestinal volvulus caused by the ingestion of magnet balls: unexpected risk in children]. / Strevní volvulus zpusobený pozitím magnetických kulicek: neocekávané riziko u detí.

INTRODUCTION: The occurrence of swallowed foreign bodies in the digestive system is a common problem in children with the highest incidence in children aged six months to five years. Most swallowed objects leave the human body per vias naturales while 10-20% of swallowed foreign bodies need to be removed with an endoscope. Serious and life-threatening situations are caused by the ingestion of foreign bodies in about 1% of all cases. CASE REPORT: The authors present a case of a two-year-old girl diagnosed with acute abdomen for which she was operated on. A small bowel volvulus and several intestinal fistulas were found intraoperatively. The cause of this finding was the ingestion of magnetic balls and a swallowed metal body drawn to them by magnetic force. CONCLUSION: If more than one magnetic body is ingested, it is necessary to admit the patient to hospital and to remove these foreign bodies using an endoscope. The position of the magnets which is not changing in a location inaccessible for an endoscope during 2448 hours is an indication for urgent operation.

Reduction of renal function during mechanical ventilation of healthy lungs in an animal biomodel.

OBJECTIVES: To identify factors involved in reno-pulmonary interactions during mechanical ventilation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included a total of 25 domestic piglets. The animals were divided into three groups based on different strategies of ventilation. Group A; spontaneously breathing piglets; group B animals ventilated with tidal volume of 6 ml.kg-1 and group C with animals ventilated with tidal volume 10 ml.kg-1. Clinical monitoring and laboratory tests were performed for all groups at baseline and then at 1 hour and 12 hours for groups B and C. Ventilation indices, hemodynamics, urine output, creatinine clearance, glomerular filtration index, fractional excretion of sodium, free water clearance and tissue samples were recorded. The data obtained were statistically analysed. RESULTS: Lower creatinine clearance and renal indices were seen in group B (p < 0.05) and in group C (p < 0.001) at 1 hour, and a difference in urine output for group C (p < 0.01) compared to group A was observed. At 12 hours, there was a further reduction in creatinine clearance and renal indices for group B (p < 0.05) and group C (p < 0.01). The lung mechanics and hemodynamics were not significantly influenced. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed a causal relationship between renal dysfunction and positive pressure mechanical ventilation with respect to tidal volume and time (Tab. 4, Fig. 2, Ref. 17).

Induced therapeutic hypothermia following cardiac arrest in children.

OBJECTIVE: Evidence-based medicine currently dictates that in children, the controlled hypothermia may be applied only to the first degree and only in cases of neonatal encephalopathy and acute brain injury. Current recommendations are limited in terms of indication as well as by their very low degree of relevance (47.1%). DATA SOURCE: The conclusions of published clinical and experimental studies, and ultimately the ongoing study of our clinical work. In our study, we monitored the core body temperature, brain bioelectrical potentials and infarction, heart rate, systemic venous and arterial pressure, cardiac output, hourly diuresis, and haemostasis parameters. STUDY SELECTION: Distinct designs of clinical and experimental studies make it difficult to compare their outputs. DATA SYNTHESIS: The aim of this article is to expand our current knowledge of resuscitation care in children as well as that of the use of therapeutic hypothermia. The introduction of this method into routine pediatric clinical practice is hindered by lack of an explicitly defined therapeutic protocol. CONCLUSION: The method of therapeutic hypothermia is not a predictor of survival but its proper implementation can be the key to the recovery of functions of body organs and systems after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Unfortunately, this method is associated with adverse effects, namely with myocardial depression during the induction phase, and life-threatening complications after bringing the core of body to normal temperature. To increase the patient safety we have developed a safe strategy. Our protocol provides a relatively rapid induction, short interval of active cooling and passive rewarming over a long period of time (Tab. 3, Fig. 1, Ref. 34). Full Text in free PDF www.bmj.sk.

Signaling molecules for early detection of adverse interactions during mechanical ventilation in animal models.

AIM: The early identification of adverse interactions during mechanical ventilation, investigated by multiplexed immunoanalysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty piglets (average age 7 weeks, weight 23 kg) were intubated and divided into groups: A, spontaneously breathing; B, protectively ventilated; C, ventilated with injurious strategy; D, ventilated with lung disability. At the 1st hour (time-1) and 12th hour (time-2) of the study, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), intercellular cell adhesion molecules (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecules (VCAM-1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and interleukin-6 (Il-6) were analyzed in the blood. RESULTS: The injurious ventilated group C exhibited an increase in both cell adhesion molecules (p<0.01), TNF-alpha and BNP (p<0.05) at time-1, and at time-2 further increases (p<0.05). In group D, an increase in ICAM-1 and BNP (p<0.05) at time-1, and increases in Il-6 and ICAM-1 (p<0.05) at time-2, with notable decreases in urine output were observed. Overall, the lung damage correlated with TNF-alpha (r=0.904), Il-6 (r=0.740), and ICAM-1 (r=0.756) levels. CONCLUSION: All five monitored molecules quickly and reliably signaled adverse interactions.

Diffuse alveolar damage due to inappropriate strategy of mechanical ventilation in an experimental porcine model.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to determine how tidal volumes may affect the lung and haemodynamics during mechanical ventilation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: With the approval of the Ethics Committee, the study included a total of 24 healthy piglets, average weight 30 kg (range 28-33 kg). The animals were ventilated for 90 minutes under general anaesthesia with two different tidal volume strategies and allocated into three groups. Group A, animals were healthy controls, Group B, animals comprised 8 piglets with an abdominal aortic aneurysm and ventilated with a low tidal volume strategy (VT(exp) 7 ml/kg). Group C comprised 8 animals seven days after kidney transplantation, ventilated with a high tidal volume strategy (VT(exp) 12 ml/kg). Changes in lung mechanics and hemodynamics were assessed at 30th and 90th minutes. Lung tissue samples were examined histologically. RESULTS: Protective ventilation in Group A and B did not confer any haemodynamic and lung mechanic differences. Significant differences were only found in Group C at 90 minutes for increased preload of both heart ventricles (CVP; t-test 4.07, p<0.01 and PAoP; t-test 8.43, p<0.01), pulmonary vascular resistance (t-test 3.11, p<0.05), and decreased expiratory tidal volume (t-test 6.07, p<0.01), dynamic lung compliance (t-test 3.83, p<0.01) and cardiac output (t-test 2.07, p<0.01). Diffuse alveolar damage was detected histologically. CONCLUSION: Mechanical ventilation at high tidal volumes reaching 12 ml/kg caused functional changes in the lungs, diffuse alveolar damage and reduction of cardiac output within 90 minutes.

[Seat-belt syndrome in a pre-school child]. / Seat-belt syndrom u predskolního dítete.

The authors report on a pre-school child with a typical presentation of the trauma caused by a car safety belt and termed the seat-belt syndrome. The deceleration mechanism which throws the upper body forward in the presence of a rigid belt over the abdominal region results in large contusions of the abdominal wall and trauma to the spine, retroperitoneum, and intra-abdominal organs, or even the chest. In making the diagnosis a thorough examination of the spine is necessary as well as a repeated surgical examination of the abdomen, because seat-belt syndrome is often associated with small intestine rupture, a symptom which can remain unrecognised at the early stage. In the case of a four-year-old boy described here, two loops of the small intestine were resected for perforation; stabilization of the vertebral column was indicated on the 5th post-injury day because of decompensated diabetes and deteriorated health state following intra-abdominal surgery. In this boy, poor compensation of juvenile diabetes resulted in infectious complications requiring repeated drainage of an abscess of the abdominal wall injured by the seat belt.The abdominal wall healed within 2 months, diabetes was managed with insulin therapy and good spondylodesis was achieved at 9 months after the injury.

Total body response to mechanical ventilation of healthy lungs: an experimental study in piglets.

The objective of our study was to assess the influence of mechanical ventilation on healthy body organs. Fifteen piglets (aged 6 weeks, 19-27 kg) were anesthetized, instrumented, and divided into three groups: Group A - spontaneously breathing, group B - mechanically ventilated with tidal volume 6 ml/kg, and group C - ventilated with tidal volume 10 ml/kg for 12 hours. The parameters of lung, heart, liver and kidney functions neurohumoral regulation and systemic inflammatory reaction were recorded initially (time-1) and after 12 hours (time-12) of mechanical ventilation. At the onset of experiment (time-1) the levels of soluble adhesive molecules were higher (CAM; P<0.01), glomerular filtration index and free water clearance were lower (P<0.05) in both ventilated groups than in group A. Right ventricle myocardial performance index was higher (RIMP; P<0.05) in group C when compared with group A. Levels of CAM (P<0.05) and creatinine clearance (P<0.01) were higher, free water clearance was lower (P<0.05) in group C when compared to group B. At time-12 the RIMP (P<0.05) and levels of CAM were increased (P<0.01), creatinine clearance was decreased (P<0.05) in both ventilated groups compared to the same parameter at time-1. Ventilation index was higher (P<0.05), and hypoxemic index was lower (P<0.01) in group C when compared to group B. In conclusion, this study showed that mechanical ventilation induced changes compatible with early inflammatory response in healthy animals. Higher tidal volumes had detrimental effect on ventilatory parameters, reduced myocardial performance and potentiated adverse reaction of other organs.

[Autoimmune enteropathy with onset in early infancy: clinico-morphologic and immunologic manifestations]. / Autoimunní enteropatie se zacátkem v casném kojeneckém veku: klinicko-morfologické a imunologické projevy.

This paper describes a severely affected male infant with serious protracted diarrhoea caused by a rare autoimmune enteropathy. The disease began at 6 weeks of age of the child and it was associated with small bowel villous atrophy and the presence of circulating antienterocyte antibodies. The child was treated with steroids and with parenteral and special enteral nutrition. The patient showed clinical improvement as documented by decreased stool output and possibility to terminate the parenteral nutrition. The small biopsy samples showed a return to normal. Antienterocyte antibodies were negative after the treatment. The patient has been followed up for at least 18 months and was in a clinical remission. We recommend that autoantibodies tests should be performed in all infants with unexplained protracted diarrhoea. The use of potent immunosuppressive drugs and the increasing experience with parenteral and enteral nutrition can improve the perspective of these previously fatal disorders.