The burden of pneumococcal meningitis in Austrian children between 2001 and 2008.

UNLABELLED: The present study was conducted to evaluate the burden of pneumococcal meningitis in Austrian children between 2001 and 2008. Clinical outcome was retrospectively analyzed both on discharge and on follow-up investigations. This study was based on a prospective multicentre surveillance study on hospitalized invasive pneumococcal infections in Austrian children with a total annual "study population" of about 399,000 children aged below 5 years per year. Between 2001 and 2008, 74 cases of pneumococcal meningitis were identified in children aged below 5 years. The mean annual incidence rate for pneumococcal meningitis was 2.3 per 100,000 children in this age group. In 57/74 children (mean age on admission 14.5 ± 13.3 months), outcome data on hospital discharge were available: 5 deaths (8.8%), 20 children (35.1%) with sequelae and 32 children (56.1%) without sequelae were observed. Sequelae on discharge included motor impairment in 8 children (14.0%), hearing impairment in 9 children (15.8%) and/or other complications in 14 children (24.6%). In 7/8 children with motor deficits, matching cerebral lesions were identified by neuroimaging: cerebral infarction in five children, cerebral vasculitis and cerebral abscess in one child each. In 40/57 children, long-term outcome (18.9 ± 20.2 months after discharge) could be assessed: 1 child (2.5%) died 9 months after hospital discharge, 11 children (27.5%) had one or two long-term sequelae and 28 children (70.0%) had no sequelae. Long-term sequelae included motor impairment in three children (7.5%), hearing impairment in nine children (22.5%) and other deficits in two children (5.0%). CONCLUSION: Our study confirms that pneumococcal meningitis causes high mortality and severe long-term sequelae. On long-term follow-up, we observed improvements of motor impairment, but not of hearing impairment.

Malignant stroke in an adolescent with a homozygous MTHFR 677CT mutation and intake of hormonal contraceptives.

UNLABELLED: Severe stroke in children and adolescents with its devastating long term consequences remains a rare disorder with many open questions. Beside the well known risk factors such as infection or congenital and acquired heart disease, coagulation disorders have to be considered in the differential work up of the underlying aetiology. Here we report the case of an adolescent with a homozygote MTHFR 677CT mutation suffering a malignant stroke shortly after the start of oral contraceptives. CONCLUSION: Since prevention seems easily feasible, general screening for MTHFR mutations might be worthwhile in women before starting oral contraceptives.

Effects of a fast cable car ascent to an altitude of 2700 meters on EEG and ECG.

In the Eastern Alps, the Dachstein massif with a height of almost 3000 m is an ideal location for investigating the effects of changes in altitude on the human body. Within a few minutes, a cable car facilitates an ascent from 1702 to 2700 m above sea level, where the partial pressure of oxygen is about 550 mmHg (as compared to 760 mmHg at sea level). In this study, 10 healthy subjects performed a reaction time task at 990 m and 2700 m in altitude. The subjects were instructed to perform a right hand index finger movement as fast as possible after a green light flashed (repeated 50 times). The corresponding electrocardiogram (ECG) and the electroencephalogram (EEG) were recorded. From the ECG heart rate and heart rate variability measures in the time and frequency domain were calculated. An event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS) analysis was performed with the EEG data. Finally, the EEG activity and the ECG parameters were correlated. The study showed that with the fast ascent to 2700 m the heart rate increased and the heart rate variability measures decreased. The correlation analysis indicated a close relationship between the EEG activity and the heart rate and heart rate variability. Furthermore it was shown for the first time that the beta ERS in the 14-18 Hz frequency range (post-movement beta ERS) was significantly reduced at high altitude. Very interesting also is the loss of correlation between EEG activity and cardiovascular measures during finger movement at high altitude. The suppressed post-movement beta ERS at the altitude of 2700 m may be interpreted as results of an increased cortical excitability level when compared with the reference altitude at 990 m above sea level.

Contrasting behavior of beta event-related synchronization and somatosensory evoked potential after median nerve stimulation during finger manipulation in man.

Electrical median nerve stimulation during rest results in two cortical responses: the somatosensory evoked potential (SEP); and the induced beta oscillations (beta event-related synchronization (ERS)). Both types of responses were recorded with electroencephalography and studied during rest and motor behavior in eight normal subjects. During manipulation of a cube with the fingers of the right hand, the beta ERS around 20 Hz, induced by right hand median nerve stimulation, is significantly suppressed, whereas the long-latency SEP components are significantly enhanced. The results suggest that both phenomena can be interpreted as responses of different neuronal structures in sensorimotor areas.

Skin graft fixation in severe burns: use of topical negative pressure.

Over the last 50 years, the evolution of burn care has led to a significant decrease in mortality. The biggest impact on survival has been the change in the approach to burn surgery. Early excision and grafting has become a standard of care for the majority of patients with deep burns; the survival of a given patient suffering from major burns is invariably linked to the take rate and survival of skin grafts. The application of topical negative pressure (TNP) therapy devices has demonstrated improved graft take in comparison to conventional dressing methods alone. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of TNP therapy on skin graft fixation in large burns. In all patients, we applied TNP dressings covering a %TBSA of >25. The following parameters were recorded and documented using BurnCase 3D: age, gender, %TBSA, burn depth, hospital length-of-stay, Baux score, survival, as well as duration and incidence of TNP dressings. After a burn depth adapted wound debridement, coverage was simultaneously performed using split-thickness skin grafts, which were fixed with staples and covered with fatty gauzes and TNP foam. The TNP foam was again fixed with staples to prevent displacement and finally covered with the supplied transparent adhesive film. A continuous subatmospheric pressure between 75-120 mm Hg was applied (VAC®, KCI, Vienna, Austria). The first dressing change was performed on day 4. Thirty-six out of 37 patients, suffering from full thickness burns, were discharged with complete wound closure; only one patient succumbed to their injuries. The overall skin graft take rate was over 95%. In conclusion, we consider that split thickness skin graft fixation by TNP is an efficient method in major burns, notably in areas with irregular wound surfaces or subject to movement (e.g. joint proximity), and is worth considering for the treatment of aged patients.

Au cours des 50 dernières années, l'évolution des soins de brûlure a conduit à une diminution significative de la mortalité. Le plus grand impact sur la survie a été le changement dans l'approche de la chirurgie. L'excision précoce et la greffe sont devenues une norme de soins pour la majorité des patients atteints de brûlures profondes; la survie chez les grands brûlés est invariablement liée à la taux de prise et à la survie des greffes de peau. L'application de la pression négative topique (PNT) a démontré une amélioration dans la prise des greffes par rapport aux méthodes conventionnelles. Le but de cette étude était d'analyser l'impact du traitement de PNT sur la prise des greffes de peau dans les grandes brûlures. Chez tous les patients, nous avons appliqué des pansements PNT, couvrant à moins 25% de la SCT. Les paramètres suivants ont été enregistrés et documentés via "BurnCase 3D" : âge, sexe, % de la SCT, profondeur de brûlure, durée de séjour à l'hôpital, le score Baux, survie, ainsi que la durée et la fréquence des pansements PNT. Après le débridement des plaies, la couverture était simultanément réalisée à l'aide de greffes de peau de demi-épaisseur, qui ont été fixées avec des agrafes et couvertes de toiles gras et de mousse de PNT. La mousse PNT a été de nouveau fixée avec des agrafes pour empêcher le déplacement et finalement recouverte avec le film adhésif transparent. Une pression atmosphérique continue entre 75 à 120 mm Hg a été appliquée (VAC®, KCI, Vienne, Autriche). Le premier changement de pansement a été effectué pendant le quatrième jour. Trente-six des 37 patients, souffrant de brûlures au troisième degré, ont obtenu leur congé avec la fermeture complète de la plaie ; un seul patient a succombé à ses blessures. Le taux de la prise des greffes de peau était supérieur à 95%. La greffe de peau mince par PNT est une méthode efficace dans les grandes brûlures, notamment dans les zones avec des surfaces irrégulières et des zones soumises à un mouvement (par exemple, de proximité joint), et est à considérer pour le traitement des patients âgés.

[Pernio as cause of a blue toe syndrome]. / Pernio als Ursache eines Blue-toe-Syndroms.

The evaluation of a blue toe syndrome in children is a diagnostic challenge. The differential diagnosis includes pernio (chilblains) if all diagnostic tests are negative and a corresponding anamnesis is presented. In this report we illustrate the case of a 7 1/2- year-old girl who presented with two blue toes and discuss differential-diagnostic considerations.