Causes of Child Mortality (1 to 4 Years of Age) From 1983 to 2012 in the Republic of Korea: National Vital Data / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES: Child mortality remains a critical problem even in developed countries due to low fertility. To plan effective interventions, investigation into the trends and causes of child mortality is necessary. Therefore, we analyzed these trends and causes of child deaths over the last 30 years in Korea. METHODS: Causes of death data were obtained from a nationwide vital registration managed by the Korean Statistical Information Service. The mortality rate among all children aged between one and four years and the causes of deaths were reviewed. Data from 1983-2012 and 1993-2012 were analyzed separately because the proportion of unspecified causes of death during 1983-1992 varied substantially from that during 1993-2012. RESULTS: The child (1-4 years) mortality rates substantially decreased during the past three decades. The trend analysis revealed that all the five major causes of death (infectious, neoplastic, neurologic, congenital, and external origins) have decreased significantly. However, the sex ratio of child mortality (boys to girls) slightly increased during the last 30 years. External causes of death remain the most frequent origin of child mortality, and the proportion of mortality due to child assault has significantly increased (from 1.02 in 1983 to 1.38 in 2012). CONCLUSIONS: In Korea, the major causes and rate of child mortality have changed and the sex ratio of child mortality has slightly increased since the early 1980s. Child mortality, especially due to preventable causes, requires public health intervention.

Sobrevida e complicações em idosos com doenças neurológicas em nutrição enteral / Occurrence of complications and survival rates in elderly with neurological disorders undergoing enteral nutrition therapy

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a sobrevida e complicações de pacientes idosos com doenças neurológicas em uso de nutrição enteral (NE). MÉTODOS: Avaliaram-se pacientes acima de 60 anos acompanhados pelo serviço de atenção domiciliar de um plano de saúde de Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil. A avaliação ocorreu no domicílio após a alta hospitalar com NE, após três e seis meses e ao término do estudo. Foram realizadas avaliação nutricional, coleta de dados em prontuários e entrevistas com familiares ou cuidadores. RESULTADOS: Foram avaliados 79 pacientes, idade 82,9 ± 10,4 anos, 49,4% com demência e 50,6% com outros diagnósticos neurológicos, 100% com elevado grau de dependência avaliada pelo índice de Katz. A maioria dos pacientes (91,2%) apresentou complicações (pneumonia, perda da sonda, diarreia, constipação, vômito, extravasamento periostomia, obstrução da sonda, refluxo e miíase). Pneumonia foi a mais frequente, ocorrendo em 55,9%. A mortalidade foi de 15,2% aos três meses, 22,8% aos 6 meses e 43% ao término do estudo. A mediana de sobrevida após iniciada a NE foi de 364 dias. Não se observaram diferenças entre mortalidade e diagnóstico neurológico, vias de acesso de NE e complicações. A sobrevida foi menor em pacientes com estado nutricional inadequado e albumina < 3,5 mg/dL. CONCLUSÃO: A população acompanhada apresentou elevada taxa de complicações e óbito ao término do estudo. Os diagnósticos de demência, vias de acesso de NE e complicações não influenciaram a sobrevida. Entretanto, estado nutricional inadequado, de acordo com a avaliação clínica, e albumina inferior a 3,5 mg/dL influenciaram significativamente a sobrevida.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the occurrence of complications, as well as the survival rates, in elderly people having neurological diseases and undergoing enteral nutrition therapy (ENT). METHODS: Patients aged over 60 years, assisted by a home medical service from a healthcare plan in the city of Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil, were thoroughly evaluated. The mentioned evaluation occurred at their homes after hospital discharge with enteral nutrition (EN) after a three-month period, a six-month period, and at the end of the study. A nutritional assessment was performed along with data collection performed on the patients' electronic medical records, and interviews performed with patients' family members and caregivers. RESULTS: Seventy-nine patients aged 82.9 ± 10.4 years old were evaluated; of these, 49.4% presented dementia, and 50.6% presented other neurological diagnoses. 100% of patients presented a high dependence level, assessed by the Katz index. The majority of patients (91.2%) presented some complications such as: pneumonia, catheter loss, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, fluid leakage, periostotomy, tube obstruction, reflux, and myiasis. Pneumonia was the most frequent complication, occurring in 55.9% of cases. The mortality rates were 15.2% at a three-month period, 22.8% at a six-month period, and 43% at the end of study. The median survival after starting EN was 364 days. Differences among the mortality rate and neurological diagnosis, EN routes of access, and complications were not observed. The survival rate was lower in patients having inadequate nutritional status and albumin levels < 3.5 mg/dL. Conclusion: The population followed presented a high rate of complications and death at the end of the study. Diagnosis of dementia, EN routes of access, as well as complications, did not influence the survival rates. However, inadequate nutritional status according to the clinical assessment and albumin levels lower than 3.5 mg/dL significantly influenced the survival rates.

Verification of Validity of MPM II for Neurological Patients in Intensive Care Units

PURPOSE: Mortality Provability Model (MPM) II is a model for predicting mortality probability of patients admitted to ICU. This study was done to test the validity of MPM II for critically ill neurological patients and to determine applicability of MPM II in predicting mortality of neurological ICU patients. METHODS: Data were collected from medical records of 187 neurological patients over 18 yr of age who were admitted to the ICU of C University Hospital during the period from January 2008 to May 2009. Collected data were analyzed through chi2 test, t-test, Mann-Whiteny test, goodness of fit test, and ROC curve. RESULTS: As to mortality according to patients' general and clinically related characteristics, mortality was statistically significantly different for ICU stay, hospital stay, APACHE III score, APACHE predicted death rate, GCS, endotracheal intubation, and central venous catheter. Results of Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test were MPM II0 (chi2=0.02, p=.989), MPM II24 (chi2=0.99 p=.805), MPM II48 (chi2=0.91, p=.822), and MPM II72 (chi2=1.57, p=.457), and results of the discrimination test using the ROC curve were MPM II0, .726 (p<.001), MPM II24, .764 (p<.001), MPM II48, .762 (p<.001), and MPM II72, .809 (p<.001). CONCLUSION: MPM II was found to be a valid mortality prediction model for neurological ICU patients.

Polioencefalomalacia em bovinos: epidemiologia, sinais clínicos e distribuição das lesões no encéfalo / Bovine polioencephalomalacia: epidemiology, clinical signs and distribution of lesions in the brain

Trinta e um casos de polioencefalomalacia (PEM) diagnosticados de 1999-2008 em bovinos do Sul (13 casos) e Centro-Oeste (18 casos) brasileiros foram estudados. As taxas de morbidade (0,04 por cento-6,66 por cento), mortalidade (0,04 por cento-6,66 por cento) e letalidade (50 por cento-100 por cento) foram semelhantes em ambas as regiões estudadas. Não houve uma associação clara entre os casos de PEM e a idade, sexo dos bovinos e sazonalidade. Os casos ocorreram principalmente em bovinos criados de forma extensiva em pastagem. Na Região Sul a doença afetou principalmente bovinos jovens (um ano de idade ou menos), enquanto que principalmente bovinos mais velhos (3 anos de idade ou mais) foram afetados no Centro-Oeste. Os sinais clínicos mais frequentemente observados incluíram cegueira, incoordenação, andar em círculos, opistótono, decúbito e movimentos de pedalagem. A evolução do quadro clínico variou de 12 horas a 8 dias (media 3 dias e meio). Em 11 encéfalos não foram observadas alterações macroscópicas; as principais alterações macroscópicas nos outros casos incluíam congestão com tumefação e achatamento das circunvoluções, amolecimento e amarelamento do córtex telencefálico, focos de hemorragia no tronco encefálico, cerebelo e telencéfalo e herniação cerebelar. As principais alterações histológicas ocorreram no córtex dos lobos telencefálicos occipital, parietal e frontal; no entanto, lesões menos acentuadas e menos frequentemente observadas ocorreram no hipocampo, núcleos da base, tálamo, mesencéfalo e cerebelo. O tipo de lesão microscópica cortical era consistente em todos os casos e incluía necrose neuronal (neurônio vermelho) laminar segmentar, espongiose, tumefação do núcleo das células endoteliais, astrócitos Alzheimer tipo II e infiltração por células gitter. Em 20 por cento dos casos havia um leve infiltrado celular linfo-histiocitário e em 13 por cento dos casos havia leve infiltrado de neutrófilos e eosinófilos. Adicionalmente, ...

Thirty one cases of polioencephalomalacia (PEM) diagnosed from 1999-2008 in cattle from the Southern (13 cases) and Midwestern (18 cases) Brazil were studied. Morbidity (0.04 percent-6.66 percent), mortality (0.04 percent-6.66 percent), and lethality (50 percent-100 percent) rates were similar in both regions studied. There was no clear association between PEM cases and age, sex or seasonality. Cases occurred mainly in cattle raised at pasture; in the Southern the disease affected mainly young cattle (one-year old or less) while mainly older cattle (three-year-old or older) were affected in the Midwest. Clinical signs more frequently observed included blindness, incoordination, circling, opisthotonus, recumbence and peddling movements. Clinical course varied from 12 hours to 8 days (average three days and a half). In 11 cases no gross changes were observed in the brain. Main gross findings in the brain of remaining cases included congestion with swelling and flattening of gyri, softening and yellow discoloration of cerebral cortex, hemorrhagic foci in the brain stem, cerebellum and telencephalon, and cerebellar herniation. The main histopathological changes were in the cortex of occipital, parietal and frontal telencephalic lobes; however less prominent and less frequently found lesions occurred in the hippocampus, basal nuclei, thalamus, midbrain, and cerebellum. The type of microscopic cortical lesions was consistent in all cases and included segmentar laminar neuronal necrosis (red neurons), spongiosis, swollen of vascular endothelial nuclei, Alzheimer type II astrocytes and infiltration of gitter cells. In 20 percent of the cases there was mild lymphohistiocytic cellular infiltrate and in 13 percent of the cases there was mild infiltrate by neutrophils and eosinophils. Additionally, mild to moderate necro-hemorrhagic lesions were observed in 49 percent of the cases in the basal nuclei, in 39 percent of the cases in brain stem and...

Neurological disorders in rural Africa - a systematic approach

Background/Objectives Empirical knowledge suggests that neurological disorders are common in sub-Saharan Africa. However; to date prevalence studies are scarce.The aims of our study were to assess the hospital-based prevalence of neurological disorders in a rural African setting and to describe the pattern of disease by using a systematic approach. Methods The study was conducted at the Haydom Lutheran Hospital in northern Tanzania; Manyara region. Over a period of eight months all patients admitted to hospital were seen prospectively in consecutive order by a neurologist (ASW). Results Out of 8676 admissions 740 patients (8.5) were given a neurological diagnosis. The most frequent neurological disorders were seizures (26.6) and infectious diseases (18.1). The overall mortality of neurological disease was 21. Cases were grouped according to diagnostic certainty. We suggest three major categories for neurological disorders (group 1 = no diagnostic uncertainties; group 2 = minor diagnostic uncertainties; group 3 = major diagnostic uncertainties) with implications regarding therapy and prognosis.Conclusions The above data emphasizes that neurological disease contributes substantially to morbidity and mortality in a rural African hospital. Based on the observed pattern of neurological disorders we suggest a systematic approach

Mortalidad hospitalaria en el Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía "Manuel Velasco Suárez" (1995-2001) / Hospital Mortality at the Manuel Velasco Suárez National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery (1995-2001)

Determinar las causas de muerte en cualquier institución de salud contribuye a la toma de decisiones encaminadas a mejorar los servicios de salud, así como para conocer el perfil de la población que acude a recibir atención médica. Objetivo: analizar la mortalidad hospitalaria y su tendencia durante el periodo de 1995-2001 en el Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía "Manuel Velasco Suárez" (INNN-MVS). Material y métodos: se utilizó la base de datos con la que cuenta el Departamento de Epidemiología del INNN-MVS, que se encuentra codificada de acuerdo a la Clasificación Internacional de Enfermedades décima versión (CIÉ-10). Se calcularon las diferentes tasas de mortalidad y se determinó su tendencia a través del período de siete años. Resultados: las principales causas de mortalidad durante el periodo de estudio fueron las hemorragias intraencefálicas y las subaracnoideas. En general se encontró una tendencia a la disminución en las principales causas de mortalidad. Conclusiones: la tendencia a la disminución concuerda con el incremento en la esperanza de vida de nuestra población, situación que se ha presentado por el progreso en los conocimientos médicos y a las nuevas técnicas diagnósticas y terapéuticas con las que cuenta una institución de tercer nivel de salud, como lo es el INNN-MVS.

To improve health policies directed toward ameliorating quality and also to characterize the profile of patients who attend medical centers, it is necessary to determine causes of mortality in any healthcare organization. Objective: To analyze time-trend hospital mortality at the Manuel Velasco Suárez National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery (MVS-NINN) between 1995 and 2001. Methods: Data were taken from database of morbidity and mortality of MVS-NINN. All cases were coded by the International Classification of Disease (10th edition). We calculated specific rates of mortality and time-trends during a 7-year-period. Results: When main causes of mortality were included in these analyzes, rates of hospital mortality at MVS-NINN showed a non-significant tendency to decrease during this period. Conclusions: Decline of mortality time-trend is generally in accordance with increasing life expectancy of Mexican population; this increase is due to progress in medical knowledge and to new technological and therapeutic advances, especially in the third level institutions such as this institute.

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in Trinidad and Tobago

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube placement is rapidly becoming the preferred method of gastrostomy tube placement. We describe our experience with this procedure in nine patients. The main complications were minor and due to local infection. This report demonstrates the simplicity and safety of this technique

Complicaciones neurológicas de la endocarditis infecciosa / Neurologic complications of inefective endocarditis

Se revisan las complicaciones neurológicas de 131 episodios de endocarditis infecciosa (EI) y la influencia de algunos factores considerados de riesgo en su presentación, tales como la presencia de vegetaciones detectadas por ecocardiografía, tipo y localización de la válvula infectada, germen aislado y pronóstico en este grupo de pacientes. Se encontraron complicaciones al sistema nervioso central (SNC) en 28 (21.3 por ciento) casos. Cuatro fueron excluidos por ausencia de estudios de nerodiagnóstico. En 21 pacientes la patología cardiaca subyacente fue valvulopatía y en los 3 restantes cardiopatía congénita. En 11 pacientes se demostró endocarditis de válvula nativa, y en 10 pacientes de válvula protésica. Los gérmenes causales más frecuentes fueron Estreptococo viridans en 8 casos, y Estafilococo aureus en 7. Las complicaciones encontradas con mayor frecuencia fueron las cerebrovasculares (70.8 por ciento), con incidencia de embolia y hemorragia cerebral del 62.5 por ciento y 8.3 por ciento, respectivamente. Doce de 18 pacientes con vegetaciones demostradas mediante ecocardiografía desarrollaron embolia cerebral. La mortalidad en el grupo de pacientes con complicaciones del SNC fue del 29 por ciento en contra de 27 por ciento en el grupo de pacientes sin complicaciones neurológicas. Dos de 9 pacientes, que fueron sometidos a recambio valvular después de desarrollar complicaciones neurológicas, murieron. Concluimos que no existe diferencia en la incidencia de complicaciones al SNC entre los grupos de infección de válvula mitral o aórtica o de válvula nativa vs protésica y que la cirugía cardiaca no incrementa la mortalidad en este grupo de pacientes

Analise clinica e prognostica da sindrome de disfuncao organica multipla / Clinical analysis and prognosis of multiple organ failure

Os autores realizaram, no periodo de 1 ano, a incidencia e letalidade de SDOM, identificando os sistemas e associacoes organicas mais comuns, alem de comparar a sensibilidade, especificidade e valor predito positivo dos escores PRISM, TISS e Regra dos 60 na previsao de letalidade da mesma populacao. A incidencia de SDOM mostrou-se elevada com acometimento de 60 por cento dos pacientes e letalidade de 46 por cento. Os sistemas organicos que mostraram maior correlacao com tal gravidade foram o neurologico e o hematologico. O escore PRISM revelou a maior sensibilidade (80 por cento) na analise da letalidade, sendo metodo pratico e objetivo na avaliacao prognostica de criancas criticamente enfermas.

Mortalidad por causas neurológicas en el área metropolitana (República Argentina): un avance en su conocimiento, aspectos metodológicos y resultados / Neurological mortality in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires, Argentina

La práctica asistencial nos lleva a sospechar la importancia de la patología neurológica en el proceso enfermedad-muerte. El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo identificar ese impacto en el perfil de morbimortalidad en nuestro medio, lo cual permitirá orientar medidas preventivas. Para el análisis se utilizaron los tabulados de mortalidad del área metropolitana (Capital Federal y Gran Buenos Aires), 1985, donde se concentra el 33 por ciento de la población del país. De los 17 capítulos de causas que se agrupan en la CIE (9oR), el VI corresponde a las enfermedades del SN y órganos de los sentidos. Para el logro de los objetivos fue necesario incorporar causas incluídas en otros capítulos. Del capítulo XVII (accidentes y envenenamientos) no se pudieron reconocer y recuperar los traumatismos de cráneo, dado que se consignan por el origen de la lesión. El total de causas neurológicas representó el 14 por ciento de las defunciones del área durante 1985. Si solo se hubiera incluído el capítulo VI no superaría el 1 por ciento de la mortalidad. De cada 10 personas que fallecieron por motivos neurológicos, en 8 fue por enfermedad cerebrovascular. Más del 60 por ciento de las muertes analizadas ocurrieron en mayores de 65 años. Este análisis reveló: 1) que la importancia de la mortalidad por causas neurológicas excede ampliamente a lo referido en su capítulo de la CIE; 2) la escasa especificación de diagnósticos neurológicos en el certificado de defunción; 3) que las enfermedades cerebrovasculares continúan siendo la principal causa de muerte neurológica; y 4) que las muertes por causa neurológica se concentran en edades avanzadas