Five years experience with continuous extracorporeal renal support in paediatric intensive care.

Continuous arterio-venous haemofiltration (CAVH) and continuous veno-venous haemofiltration (CVVH) were used as renal support in 52 critically ill infants and children with acute renal failure. The majority of the patients were on mechanical ventilation (90%) and needed vasopressor support (85%). Uraemia was satisfactorily controlled with both treatment modes. Post-treatment serum urea levels were not different between survivors (94 +/- 8.8 mg/dl) and non-survivors (99.5 +/- 8.8 mg/dl). There were significant differences between survivors and non-survivors in the mean arterial pressure (64.7 +/- 3.8 vs 48.0 +/- 2.2 mmHg, p less than 0.001), the number of organ system failures (2.9 +/- 0.16 vs 3.8 +/- 0.21, p less than 0.025), and the severity of illness assessed by the acute physiologic score for children (APSC 19.4 +/- 1.9 vs 26.3 +/- 1.9, p less than 0.01). The overall mortality was 48%. The mortality in the CVVH group (65%) was higher than in the CAVH group (40%). Death was significantly related to sepsis (p less than 0.005) and multiple system organ failure (p less than 0.005). A major complication during CAVH was one femoral artery thrombosis after 12 days of treatment. Technical problems were only observed during CVVH. CAVH and CVVH are safe and effective methods of continuous renal support for critically ill paediatric patients with multiple system organ failure. CAVH is simpler, needs no specially trained staff and seems to the ideal renal replacement system for critically ill infants.

Late-onset miliary pneumonitis after near drowning.

We report a 7-year-old pediatric patient with an apparently self-limiting, subacute miliary pneumonitis that occurred 6 weeks after a near-drowning accident in shallow, muddy water. After biopsy, histological examination revealed aspirated foreign bodies (algae and pollen grains) in the affected lung areas and a foreign body reaction in the form of a granulomatous inflammation. The lack of any detectable infectious agents suggested a causative role of these aspirated algae and pollen grains in the development of lung disease.

Controlled mechanical hypoventilation in a paediatric burn patient as treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome.

The paediatric patient we are describing suffered a scald injury covering 83 per cent of the total body surface area (TBSA). This injury was complicated by Klebsiella pneumoniae septicaemia resulting in multiorgan failure (MOF). Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), gastrointestinal insufficiency, hepathopathy and wound conversion to full thickness posed the main problems. The boy was ventilated with pressure-controlled mechanical ventilation. The concept of permissive hypercapnia (PHC) resulted in a complete resolution of ARDS within 4 weeks. From our experience, further lung injury among infants and children suffering from severe ARDS can be avoided by using controlled mechanical hypoventilation. It is a simple and safe technique that allows adequate oxygenation.

Procel burn cover used as a total body dressing in burns.

A 26-month-old boy sustained a scald injury covering 83 per cent of his total body surface area (TBSA). He also developed sepsis and multiorgan failure (MOF). Locally he was treated with Procel burn cover and silver sulphadiazine cream (SSD) for 23 days. By using Procel, the dressing-change time was shortened significantly. Procel burn cover controlled core and skin temperature more effectively compared to conventional dressing, and the staff acceptance increased because of its easy and fast use. Based on our observation, this material can be used successfully as a total body dressing with children with extensive partial thickness burns or temporarily in full thickness burns until wound excision can be performed.

Prospective evaluation of clinical scoring systems in infants and children with cardiopulmonary insufficiency after cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To document severity of illness and to evaluate the predictive value of clinical scoring systems in infants and children with cardiopulmonary insufficiency after cardiac surgery. DESIGN: Prospective study with follow up to hospital discharge. SETTING: A multidisciplinary pediatric ICU in a University Hospital. PATIENTS: Between 1/1989 and 4/1992 441 infants and children with congenital heart disease underwent open heart surgery. 128 of these patients developed postoperative cardiopulmonary insufficiency and were entered into this study. METHODS: Data relevant to the Acute Physiologic Score for Children (APSC), Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM), Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System (TISS) and Organ System Failure (OSF) score were collected in all patients during the first 4 days of postoperative intensive care. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 1.5 +/- 0.2 years. The mean duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU care was 6.2 +/- 0.6 and 8.1 +/- 0.7 days, respectively. On the first postoperative day the mean APSC and PRISM scores of survivors and nonsurvivors were 13.9 +/- 1.3 vs 24.5 +/- 1.3 (p < 0.001) and 6.1 +/- 0.5 vs 19.6 +/- 1.9 (p < 0.001), respectively. The mean TISS and OSF scores of survivors and nonsurvivors were 46 +/- 0.8 vs 57.8 +/- 1.4 (p < 0.001), and 2.2 +/- 0.2 vs 3.4 +/- 0.2 (p < 0.001), respectively. The overall hospital mortality rate was 9.9%, the hospital mortality rate of patients with postoperative cardiopulmonary insufficiency 34%. Patients with an APSC score < 10 and a PRISM score < 5 had a survival rate of 100%, whereas patients with an APSC score > 30 and a PRISM score > 25 had a mortality rate of 100%. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for APSC, PRISM and TISS was 0.847, 0.826 and 0.793, respectively. CONCLUSION: APSC, PRISM and TISS describe accurately severity of illness in infants and children with cardiopulmonary insufficiency after cardiac surgery and all scores identify those patients at increased risk for mortality.

Arteriovenous hemofiltration in children with multiple organ system failure.

In the last year nine critically ill children with multiple organ system failure (MOSF) were treated by continuous arteriovenous hemofiltration (CAVH). The mean number of organ systems involved was five per patient (range 4 to 7). Mean duration of hemofiltration was 136 hours (range 10 to 432 h.). Mean ultrafiltration rates of 6.4 +/- 3.0 ml/m2 b.s./min achieved mean serum creatinine levels of 2.39 +/- 1.49 mg/dl. Hypervolemia and pulmonary edema were corrected rapidly by CAVH. Total parenteral nutrition with a mean caloric intake of 62 +/- 15 kcal/kg b.w./day was provided throughout the hemofiltration period. In addition high ultrafiltration rates allowed delivery of large amounts of i.v. medications. CAVH is an ideal extracorporeal renal replacement system to control azotemia, fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base status in critically ill children. It carries the potential to improve survival rate in children with MOSF.

[The occurrence of nappy rash at a children's hospital and its treatment with Canesten (author's transl)]. / Zum Vorkommen von Windeldermatitiden an einer Kinderklinik und deren Behandlung mit Canesten-Creme.

An unselected, mycologically-controlled trial was conducted at the University Children's Hospital of Graz on the treatment of nappy rash by the topical application of Canesten (clotrimazole), a broad-spectrum mycotic in the form of a 1% cream. 56 children, ranging in age from 3 weeks to 41/2 years, were treated for thrush, principally located in the genital area. Only some of the children were admitted primarily on account of the oral and/or perianal moniliasis. The majority of the children were hospitalized for some other reason and thrush was diagnosed as an accompanying condition. Candida albicans proved to be the most frequent pathogenic organism. The results of therapy were judged according to mycological and clinical criteria. The mycological findings became negative in 54 out of the 56 children. Clinical improvement was apparent in all cases between the 5th and 10th day of therapy; complete recovery occurred between the 5th and 25th day, depending on the extent and localization of the moniliasis. One child showed improvement in, but not recovery from the disease, because therapy was interrupted on premature discharge from hospital. Therapy was unsuccessful in the remaining child, although slight improvement occurred. Tolerance was good in all patients on application of Canesten cream thrice daily.

[Disseminated intravascular coagulation in Reye's syndrome (author's transl)]. / Disseminierte intravasale Gerinnung beim Reye-Syndrom

A five-month-old infant with Reye's syndrome developed disseminated intravascular coagulation, which was successfully controlled by heparin. A fatal outcome could not, however, be averted. The pathogenetic role of disseminated intravascular coagulation in Reye's syndrome is discussed.

[Recurrent purulent meningitis in traumatic lesions of the ethmoid (author's transl)]. / Rekurrierende Meningitis purulenta bei traumatischer Siebbeinläsion.

A report is presented of two cases of recurrent meningitis (mainly pneumococcal meningitis with different serotypes). The different possible causes of recurrent meningitis are discussed. The key to diagnosis in recurrent meningitis caused by forgotten traumatic fracture of the ethmoid bone is X-ray investigation including tomography of this region. The prognosis is poor in infancy, but improves with increasing age of the child and is dependent on early diagnosis of the underlying causative process.

[External ventricular drainage: a possible method of treating cerebrospinal shunt infections and ventriculitis (author's transl)]. / Die externe Ventrikeldrainage: Behandlungsmöglichkeit von zerebrospinalen Shuntinfektionen und Ventrikulitis.

Infectious complications of hydrocephalus shunts are serious problems. A possible method of treating such infections is by external ventricular drainage (EVD). 20 patients - 17 with infected shunts, 3 with neonatal meningitis, ventriculitis and subsequent hydrocephalus - were treated by EVD and the results are presented in this report. The advantages of the procedure are control of the intraventricular pressure to bring it within normal limits and the possibility of intraventricular antibiotic instillation to supplement systemic therapy. Furthermore, the optimal operation time for the definitive shunt can be assessed by EVD once the infection has been overcome.

[Tasks and organization of a pediatric intensive care unit]. / Aufgaben und Organisation einer pädiatrischen Intensivstation (PIPS).

Paediatric intensive care medicine mainly involves infants during the neonatal period and, in particular, premature babies. 70% of the children on assisted ventilation at the paediatric hospital of Graz University in 1985 and 1986 were neonates. Older children needing mechanical ventilation comprised only 1.6% of the total number of patients at our paediatric hospital. Paediatric intensive care units are therefore almost exclusively neonatal care units. Otherwise when serving the needs of children beyond the neonatal period these units are mostly required by paediatric subspecialities (i.e. cardiology, burns unit etc.). In view of the small number of patients in this group a high-standard paediatric intensive care unit should be multidisciplinary and preferentially attached to a university hospital rather than a regional hospital so as to maximise experience in the management of these children and ensure optimal care.

[Combined propyphenazone and codeine poisoning in childhood (analysis of 6 patients with Spasmoplus poisoning)]. / Kombinierte Prophyphenazon- und Codeinvergiftung im Kindesalter (Analyse von 6 Patienten mit Spasmoplus-Vergiftung).

The case histories are presented of 6 patients with accidental poisoning by Spasmoplus suppositories. The main toxic constituents are codeine and the pyrazolone derivative, propyphenazone. All patients had symptoms of codeine intoxication with somnolence, miosis and oedema, 2 patients had also symptoms of prophyphenazone intoxication with hypotension, coma and convulsions. 1 patient died during the acute stage in a state of shock, with arrhythmia, and asystole.

[Spinal fluid lysozyme levels in childhood meningitis (author's transl)]. / Liquorlysozymspiegel bei Meningitis im Kindesalter.

Lysozyme was determined with a turbidimetric assay in blood and cerebrospinal fluid. There were 17 children without CNS-disease, 30 patients with viral meningitis, 5 patients with encephalitis, 3 with symphatetic meningitis, 3 with Guillain Barré syndrome, 25 children with bacterial meningitis, 1 patient with tuberculous meningitis and two with intracranial tumors. The lysozyme level was below 0.5 microgram Hl/ml in patients without CNS-disease, in viral and symphatetic meningitis, Guillain Barré syndrome and encephalitis. Elevated lysozyme levels were found in bacterial meningitis, in the one case with tuberculous meningitis and in brain tumors (Ependymoma and Medulloblastoma). In our opinion the lysozyme level is a valuable aid in the differentiation of viral meningitis to bacterial meningitis.

[Risk factors in suppurative meningitis in children (author's transl)]. / Risikofaktoren bei eitriger Meningitis im Kindesalter.

Retrospective studies of the case histories of 237 children suffering from bacterial meningitis at the department of pediatrics, university of Graz, show the significant difference between cured, deceased and children with permanent sequels. The risk factors for the fatal outcome of meningitis were: age (less than 1 year), bacteria (pneumococcus), concomitant disease (pneumonia), low initial white cell count in the blood (less than or equal to 5000/cmm) as well as in cerebrospinal fluid (less than or equal to 4000/cmm), high cerebrospinal fluid protein (greater than or equal to 336 mg%) and a high bacterial inoculum (greater than or equal to 10(7) CFU/cmm). With all these risk factors at the time of diagnosis of purulent meningitis the chance for recovery is poor.

[Influenzae type B infections. Quick identification by countercurrent-immuno-electrophoresis (author's transl)]. / Hämophilus influenzae Typ B-Erkrankungen. Rasche Identifikation durch Counter-Immunelektrophorese.

Countercurrent immunoelectrophoresis (CIE) was performed in 16 patients with Haemophilus influenzae type b infection. Compared with the conventional methods CIE is a more accurate and rapid diagnostic tool. Even in patients already receiving antibiotics bacterial antigen can be detected by CIE in a high percentage. The methods are uncomplicated, inexpensive and possible to perform in any laboratory.

[Results of nasotracheal intubation in acute epiglottitis (author's transl)]. / Ergebnisse nasotrachealer Intubation bei akuter Epiglottitis.

20 of 34 patients with acute epiglottitis were treated with nasotracheal intubation. One patient died because of pneumonia, one patient was clinically dead when he arrived at hospital. After successful reanimation she died some hours later. All other patients left the hospital without any symptoms after an average stay of 12 days. The average duration of nasotracheal intubation was 39 hours. Nasotracheal intubation and adequate antibiotic therapy offer the most effective and secure approach to acute epiglottitis. A protocol for diagnostic and therapeutic regimen is presented.