Depression--an adverse event with nifedipine.

Two cases are reported in which depression was associated with the use of calcium channel blocker, nifedipine. In one instance, a patient became unresponsive to treatment with nortriptyline when nifedipine was introduced. In both cases, the depression resolved following discontinuation of nifedipine.

Dog bite injuries in children: a preliminary survey.

Dog bite injuries in children are a preventable health problem. To characterize this type of injury, we have undertaken to define demographic criteria and patterns of injury inflicted by dogs in our pediatric population. A retrospective chart review was conducted of pediatric patients with dog bite injuries admitted to a Level I pediatric trauma center from January 1986 through June 1998. Patient demographics, canine characteristics, and hospital patient data were collected and analyzed using the Excel program and appropriate statistical methodology. There were 67 patient records reviewed. Thirty-eight (57%) of the patients were male, and 29 (43%) were female. There were 43 (64%) white children, 22 (33%) African-American children, and 2 (3%) Hispanic children. The average age of the children was 6.2 +/- 4.2 years, with an average weight of 23.3 +/- 13.7 kg. More than half the attacks occurred in the afternoon and 55 per cent of these attacks were documented as "unprovoked" attacks. Thirty-one (46%) of these attacks involved family pets, and 30 (45%) dogs were known to the attacked child. The head and neck was involved in greater than 67 per cent of these injuries. Pit bulls caused 25 per cent of the bite injuries. Large dogs were responsible for 88 per cent of the attacks. Forty-four (66%) patients required operative intervention. Twenty-eight of these patients had multiple anatomical areas injured. There were 44 procedures involving the head and neck, 21 involving extremities, and 6 involving other areas of the body. All patients 5 years of age and under had head and neck injuries. Dog bite injuries requiring admission occur more in male children. Caucasian and African American children were the majority of children affected. The children under 5 years of age suffered the most devastating injuries. More than half of these attacks were not provoked. More than two-thirds of the injuries to these children involved the head and neck. We conclude that effective prevention strategies must stress careful supervision of young children and the family or neighbor's dog, a scenario that may easily lead to complacency and set the stage for a severe injury.

Pediatric splenic injury: pathway to play?

BACKGROUND: Nonoperative management of blunt splenic injury (BSI) remains a "gold standard" in pediatric trauma care. Controversy exists regarding the minimal hospital stay necessary for the care of these patients and the appropriate duration of reduced activity required after discharge. METHODS: A clinical pathway was developed in an attempt to standardize the hospital and outpatient management of children with BSI cared for at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. From July 1, 1996 to September 30, 1997, all children with BSI were treated using this pathway (pathway group). To better evaluate outcome, data were compared with an historical control of consecutive children treated at our institution during the previous 2 years (control group). RESULTS: Twenty-eight children in the control group and 21 children in the pathway group comprise the study population. Average age, injury mechanism, grade of splenic injury, injury severity score, length of intensive care unit stay, and number of transfusions were not significantly different between the two groups (P<.05). As expected, there was a significant decrease in the length of stay on the general care units (5.3+/-1.2 v 2.9+/-0.9 days, control v pathway, P<.05), which, in turn, resulted in a significant decrease in the total length of hospitalization (6.7+/-1.4 v 3.9+/-1.2 days, P<.05) and estimated hospital charges. During follow-up, no complications or missed injuries were identified at a standard 3-week and the 3-month office visit. CONCLUSION: Hemodynamically stable children with isolated blunt splenic injuries may be treated safely with a 4-day hospital stay followed by 3 weeks of quiet activities at home and 3 months of light activity before return to full, unrestricted activity.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in the management of pediatric empyema.

BACKGROUND: Management of empyema in children has progressed from open thoracotomy to video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of VATS in children with multiloculated empyemas. METHODS: Nine children (mean age, 4 years; range, 21 months to 13 years) with empyema, in whom multiple loculations were found on computed tomography, were treated with VATS from January, 1994, to November, 1996. All patients underwent VATS under general anesthesia, with drainage of the empyemas, decortication, and placement of chest tubes under direct vision. RESULTS: In all nine patients, VATS was successful. Average operating time was 120 minutes. Blood loss was insignificant, except in one patient who needed an intraoperative blood transfusion. This child required extensive decortication, with blood oozing from raw areas. All patients recovered well, with no recurrences to date. An algorithm for the use of VATS in the treatment plan for children with empyema was established. CONCLUSION: VATS provides safe and effective treatment in the management of pediatric empyema. Moreover, it avoids lengthy hospitalization, prolonged intravenous antibiotic therapy, and unnecessary pain and stress secondary to placement of chest tubes without anesthesia.

Laparoscopy in pediatric abdominal trauma.

BACKGROUND: The use and indications for laparoscopy have been increasing. As part of this trend, a new algorithm may emerge for pediatric trauma in which laparoscopic techniques are used in hemodynamically stable patients with suspected hollow viscus perforation. CASE REPORT: We present a case in which laparoscopy was successfully used in a pediatric trauma patient as a diagnostic and therapeutic modality. A 4-year-old boy was a back-seat passenger in a head-on collision motor vehicle accident. He was restrained by a lap seat belt. He sustained a concussion, a large forehead laceration and a seat belt abdominal injury. On admission, he complained of abdominal pain. Physical examination revealed a soft, non-distended abdomen with moderate diffuse tenderness. He was hemodynamically stable. Computerized tomography of the abdomen revealed free fluid in the pelvis. No abnormalities were detected in the liver or spleen. Because of clinical deterioration and suspected intestinal perforation, diagnostic laparoscopy was utilized instead of proceeding directly to celiotomy. At laparoscopy a jejunal perforation was found and successfully repaired laparoscopically. Large hematomas were seen in the mesentery, as well as an unsuspected splenic laceration. No active bleeding was found. The patient recovered uneventfully and was discharged 5 days following the surgical procedure. CONCLUSION: This case illustrates the efficacy of using early laparoscopy in children with abdominal trauma when diagnosis is difficult and hollow viscus injury is suspected.

Importance of charge on transvascular albumin transport in skin and skeletal muscle.

To test the hypothesis that charge affects the transvascular transport of albumin, the tracer clearance for albumin and a set of charge-modified albumins was measured in heel skin and gastrocnemius muscle from anesthetized rabbits. The charge on albumin was made less negative by modifying the carboxyl groups of aspartic and glutamic acids to alcohol groups. Four preparations of modified albumin having isoelectric points of 5.1 +/- 0.4, 5.8 +/- 0.4, 7.1 +/- 0.5, and 8.1 +/- 0.7 were studied. In skin, the clearances for the most neutral modified albumin and cationic albumin were 20 and 80% greater than that for native albumin, respectively. In skeletal muscle, the clearances for the most neutral modified albumin and cationic albumin were 50% and 1.5 times greater than that for native albumin, respectively. Calculation of the reflection coefficient for native albumin from the change in clearance with increased venous pressure resulted in estimates greater than 0.95 in both tissues. The change in clearance for the modified albumins during increased venous pressure was not different from that for native albumin. Charge appears to effect transvascular diffusion of proteins more than convective transport.

Influence of saline infusions on transvascular protein transport.

Anesthetized rabbits were given an intravenous infusion of saline over a 1-h period to increase transvascular protein transport in skin and skeletal muscle. The infusion rate was adjusted to rapidly decrease the plasma concentration of total protein without increasing mean arterial blood pressure or the venous pressure in the leg. The 1-h clearance for radiolabeled albumin and a set of charge-modified albumins was measured in the heel skin and the gastrocnemius muscle. For both skin and skeletal muscle, the clearance for native albumin during the saline infusion was twice the value for control. The increase in clearance for the most neutral protein was greater than that for native albumin, suggesting that transvascular fluid movement was through a pathway which excludes native albumin. The clearance for cationic albumin increased slightly in skin and did not change in skeletal muscle, indicating that transport of the cationic protein through this pathway is predominantly diffusion. The data were consistent with a two-pore model for transvascular transport of water and proteins and with the increase in water transport through the small pores during the saline infusion.

Mycobacterium leprae antigen-induced suppression of T cell proliferation in vitro.

The extent to which M. leprae and its products induced suppression of T lymphocyte proliferation in vitro was evaluated. M. leprae antigens suppressed T cell proliferation in response to mitogens and antigens in both lepromatous and tuberculoid patients, as well as controls never exposed to M. leprae or M. leprae endemic areas. Both soluble and particulate fractions of M. leprae were found to suppress proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. The extent of suppression was inversely related to the proliferative response of the donors mononuclear cells to M. leprae. Evidence indicates that M. leprae contains both stimulatory and suppressive molecules for T cells. One such suppressive antigen, Lipoarabinomannan (LAM)-B of M. leprae, also suppressed the proliferative response of tuberculoid patients. Suppression was also observed with the LAM-B of M. tuberculosis. The suppressive effects observed were not due to the toxicity of the antigen. Some of the suppressive activity was mediated by T8+ suppressor cells and was expressed in both lepromatous and tuberculoid patients. We suggest that previous sensitization to M. leprae and other cross-reactive mycobacterial antigens determines the sensitivity of T cells to the suppressive effects of M. leprae antigens.