Is a semi-elemental diet better than a polymeric diet after congenital heart surgery?

A retrospective observational study has been set up in order to compare feeding tolerance and energy delivery in children fed with a semi-elemental diet or a polymeric diet after congenital heart surgery. The study took place in the intensive care unit of a tertiary children's hospital. One hundred children were included: 56 received a semi-elemental diet and 44 received a polymeric diet. Patients were aged between 2 days and 6 years. Data from patients were obtained from medical files between February 2014 and May 2016. The feeding protocol was changed in March 2015 when a semi-elemental diet was substituted for the polymeric diet. Primary outcome was the feeding tolerance. Feeding intolerance occurs if the patient has more than two episodes of emesis or more than four liquid stools per day. Feeding tolerance in the semi-elemental and polymeric diet groups was comparable: emesis occurred in 14.3% versus 6.8% of patients, respectively (p = 0.338); diarrhea occurred in 3.6% versus 4.5% (p = 1000); post-pyloric feeding was necessary in 14% versus 9% (p = 0.542). Energy delivery was also comparable in the two groups: on postoperative day 2, the semi-elemental diet group reached 50% of the caloric target versus 52% in the polymeric diet group (p = 0.283); on day 5, 76% versus 85% (p = 0.429); and on day 10, 105% versus 125% (p = 0.397). Energy delivery was insufficient on postoperative days 2 and 5, but nutritional goals were achieved by day 10. No patient developed necrotizing enterocolitis in our population.Conclusion: the present study suggests that the feeding tolerance to a semi-elemental or a polymeric diet is similar after CHS.What is Known:•Nutrition can modify prognosis in PICU•Different types of diet have been tested in children with intestinal disorders or with congenital heart disease. None of these diets have shown to be superior in terms of feeding tolerance.What is New:•Semi elemental and polymeric diets seem to have the same feeding tolerance in PICU after cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease.

Diabetic ketoacidosis in children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus: Role of demographic, clinical, and biochemical features along with genetic and immunological markers as risk factors. A 20-year experience in a tertiary Belgian center.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Little is known about the association between genetic and immunological markers and the risk for DKA at onset of T1D. The aim of this study was to create a model foreseeing the onset of DKA in newly diagnosed patients. METHODS: This retrospective study included 532 T1D children (aged <18 years at diagnosis) recruited in our hospital, from 1995 to 2014. DKA and its severity were defined according to the criteria of ISPAD. Genetic risk categories for developing T1D were defined according to the Belgian Diabetes Registry. Multivariate statistical analyses were applied to investigate risk factors related to DKA at diagnosis. RESULTS: Overall 42% of patients presented DKA at diagnosis. This study outlined the major risk of DKA at diagnosis for younger children (<3 years) and for those belonging to ethnic minorities. Children carrying neutral genotypes had a 1.5-fold increased risk of DKA at diagnosis than those with susceptible or protective genotypes, a paradoxical observation not previously reported. Only solitary positive IA-2A increased the risk of DKA at diagnosis. The proposed model could help to predict the probability of DKA in 70% of newly diagnosed cases. CONCLUSIONS: This was the first reported implication of IA-2A positivity and neutral genotypes predisposing to DKA at diagnosis regardless of its severity. Earlier diagnosis through genetic and immunological screening of high-risk children could decrease DKA incidence at diabetes onset.

Severe Staphylococcus aureus infections in children: Case reports and management of positive Panton-Valentine leucocidin cases.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a well-known bacterium associated with carriage and responsible for different types of infections. The Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL) is a key virulence factor causing tissue necrosis. PVL can, however, be present in both benign and life-threatening infections. Case reports and management: We present three pediatric severe infections occurring over a period of only three weeks, in February 2021, and caused by genetically unrelated methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus producing PVL in a tertiary children's hospital in Belgium. The first one presented with necrotizing pneumonia, the second one with a neck abscess extended to the mediastinum, and the last one had sacral osteomyelitis complicated by endocarditis. The management of these infections is mostly based on expert opinions. The most appropriate treatment seems to be the combination of early surgical drainage of infected collections with an antibiotic regimen associating two antibiotics; beta-lactams and either clindamycin or linezolid. Human immunoglobulins also appear to be useful as adjunctive therapy. Conclusion: PVL-producing Staphylococcus aureus is associated with life-threatening infections in children. Prompt management is needed including surgery and appropriate antibiotic regimens.

Acquired Zinc Deficiency Mimicking Acrodermatitis Enteropathica in a Breast-Fed Premature Infant.

We present a case of a transient acquired zinc deficiency in a breast-fed, 4-month-old-male prematurely born infant, with acrodermatitis enteropathica-like symptoms such as crusted, eroded, erythemato-squamous eruption in periorificial and acral patterns. The laboratory investigations showed low zinc levels in the infant's and the mother's serum and in the mother's milk; genetic analysis did not show any mutation in the SLC39A4 gene, involved in acrodermatitis enteropathica. Acquired zinc deficiency is often found in premature infants because of their increased requirement, the low serum and milk zinc levels in breastfeeding women being also an important risk factor, as in this case. A prompt zinc supplementation is essential for the good prognosis of the disease.

Central Sleep Apnea Syndrome Can Complicate Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder: A Case Report.

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder is a rare, relapsing autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. Various initial presentations can delay diagnosis and treatment. A 14-year-old girl was admitted to the emergency department owing to respiratory insufficiency. Repeated history-taking and neuroimaging revealed an area postrema syndrome. A diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder with positive aquaporin-4 antibodies has finally been established. The patient improved significantly with immunosuppressive therapy. However, her 3-year follow-up still showed sleep-disordered breathing requiring nocturnal bilevel positive airway pressure therapy. We report an original case of NMOSD leading to persistent central sleep apnea syndrome.

Irritability, Poor Feeding and Respiratory Alkalosis in Newborns: Think about Metabolic Emergencies. A Brief Summary of Hyperammonemia Management.

The urea cycle is a series of metabolic reactions that convert ammonia into urea in order to eliminate it from the body. Urea cycle disorders are characterized by hyperammonemia, which can cause irreversible damages in central nervous system. We report a series of three newborns presenting irritability, poor feeding and tachypnea. Their first gas analysis revealed respiratory alkalosis. Hyperammonemia was confirmed, and three different enzymatic blocks in the urea cycle were diagnosed. Immediate treatment consisted in the removal of ammonia by reduction of the catabolic state, dietary adjustments, use of nitrogen scavenging agents and ultimately hemodiafiltration. Hyperammonemia is a medical emergency whose treatment should not be delayed. This report aims to highlight the importance of suspecting urea cycle disorders in newborns with aspecific signs of hyperammonemia and respiratory alkalosis, and to sum up the broad lines of hyperammonemia management.

Rhabdomyolysis and Acute Kidney Injury as Leading COVID-19 Presentation in an Adolescent.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the virus responsible of the current COVID-19 pandemic, has limited impact in the pediatric population. Children are often asymptomatic or present mild flu-like symptoms. We report the case of a COVID-19-infected adolescent presenting severe rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury without any fever or respiratory symptoms.

Shoshin Beriberi and Severe Accidental Hypothermia as Causes of Heart Failure in a 6-Year-Old Child: A Case Report and Brief Review of Literature.

Severe accidental hypothermia has been demonstrated to affect ventricular systolic and diastolic functions, and rewarming might be responsible of cardiovascular collapse. Until now, there have been only a few reports on severe accidental hypothermia, none of which involved children. Herein, we describe here a rare case of heart failure in a 6-year-old boy admitted to the emergency unit owing to severe hypothermia and malnutrition. After he was warmed up (core temperature of 27.2°C at admission), he developed cardiac arrest, requiring vasoactive amines administration, and veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Malnutrition and refeeding syndrome might have caused the thiamine deficiency, commonly known as beriberi, which contributed to heart failure as well. He showed remarkable improvement in heart failure symptoms after thiamine supplementation. High-dose supplementation per os (500 mg/day) after reconstitution of an adequate electrolyte balance enabled the patient to recover completely within 2 weeks, even if a mild diastolic cardiac dysfunction persisted longer. In conclusion, we describe an original pediatric case of heart failure due to overlap of severe accidental hypothermia with rewarming, malnutrition, and refeeding syndrome with thiamine deficiency, which are rare independent causes of cardiac dysfunction. The possibility of beriberi as a cause of heart failure and adequate thiamine supplementation should be considered in all high-risk patients, especially those with malnutrition. Refeeding syndrome requires careful management, including gradual electrolyte imbalance correction and administration of a thiamine loading dose to prevent or correct refeeding-induced thiamine deficiency.