The prevalence of pain at home and its consequences in children following two types of short stay surgery: a multicenter observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The potential for pain at home in children following day case surgery has long been recognized. Pain has also been associated with behavioral disturbances and sleep disruption in children following surgery and may also impact negatively on recovery, parental and patient satisfaction, family life, healthcare use, and have an economic cost. AIM: To investigate the prevalence of pain at home, and its consequences, in children following two types of short stay surgery across eight pediatric centers in the UK in an observational cohort study. Reporting of the study was done in adherence with STROBE guidelines. METHOD: Two hundred and forty-one children undergoing either Tonsillectomy with or without Adenoidectomy (T's ± A's) or Orchidopexy surgery (either by Open or Laparoscopic) were recruited. Data collection was via three structured telephone interviews [Day (D) 2, 7 and 14] conducted from a clinical research facility. The normal clinical practices of the centers involved in the study were not altered in any way. Outcomes studied were (i) Pain incidence and severity; (ii) Associated consequences-incidence of psychological disturbances, unplanned use of healthcare services, and social/economic cost to families; and (iii) Comparative pain and associated outcomes for two types of surgery (T's ± A's vs Orchidopexy). RESULTS: The incidence of pain following both operative models was high though it differed between the two groups. In the T's ± A's group, the incidence of pain was high throughout the study period (D2 90.1%, D3-7 88.1%, D8-14 61.8%). The Orchidopexy group demonstrated a similar pattern, though with decreased rates (D2 70.4%, D3-7 34.7%, D8-14 17.1%). Both groups showed similar patterns for the rates of behavioral disturbances (T's & A's: D2 76%, D3-7 73%, D8-14 30% and Orchidopexy: D2 37%, D3-7 20%, D8-14 10%). Seventy percent of the families reported unplanned healthcare use with pain the primary reason in 79% of these. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of pain at home, and its potential associated consequences, is high following short stay surgery in children in the UK. In both groups, high incidences were seen for longer periods than is commonly perceived. These findings were consistent between the centers involved suggesting that this is a significant national healthcare issue with potential short- and long-term consequences for the child, their family, and health services.

Diagnosis, management and post-mortem findings of a human case of rabies imported into the United Kingdom from India: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Human rabies infection continues to be a significant public health burden globally, and is occasionally imported to high income settings where the Milwaukee Protocol for intensive care management has recently been employed, with limited success in improving survival. Access to molecular diagnostics, pre- and post-mortem, and documentation of pathophysiological responses while using the Milwaukee protocol, can add useful insights for the future of rabies management. CASE PRESENTATION: A 58-year-old British Asian woman was referred to a regional general hospital in the UK with hydrophobia, anxiety and confusion nine weeks after receiving a dog bite in North West India. Nuchal skin biopsy, saliva, and a skin biopsy from the site of the dog bite wound, taken on the day of admission, all demonstrated the presence of rabies virus RNA. Within 48 hours sequence analysis of viral RNA confirmed the diagnosis and demonstrated that the virus was a strain closely related to canine rabies viruses circulating in South Asia. Her condition deteriorated rapidly with increased agitation and autonomic dysfunction. She was heavily sedated and intubated on the day after admission, treated according to a modified Milwaukee protocol, and remained stable until she developed heart block and profound acidosis and died on the eighth day. Analysis of autopsy samples showed a complete absence of rabies neutralizing antibody in cerebrospinal fluid and serum, and corresponding high levels of virus antigen and nucleic acid in brain and cerebrospinal fluid. Quantitative PCR showed virus was also distributed widely in peripheral tissues despite mild or undetectable histopathological changes. Vagus nerve branches in the heart showed neuritis, a probable Negri body but no demonstrable rabies antigen. CONCLUSION: Rapid molecular diagnosis and strain typing is helpful in the management of human rabies infection. Post-mortem findings such as vagal neuritis highlight clinically important effects on the cardiovascular system which are typical for the clinical course of rabies in humans. Management guided by the Milwaukee protocol is feasible within well-resourced intensive care units, but its role in improving outcome for canine-derived rabies remains theoretical.

Corticosteroids in adult respiratory distress syndrome - an inconvenient truth?

OBJECTIVES: Recent studies have demonstrated mortality benefits from corticosteroid use in COVID-19 patients requiring respiratory support. However, clinical practice may warrant the use of corticosteroids outside the context of a clinical trial. Such data are rarely, if ever, reported. We explored the use of corticosteroids for adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) indications in patients with non-COVID ARDS. METHODS: We retrospectively studied patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS, admitted to our intensive care unit (ICU) between January 2018 and March 2020. KEY FINDINGS: Of the 91 patients with ARDS identified, 80% were treated with a corticosteroid during their ICU admission. Of these, 73 (82%) had corticosteroids administered for reasons other than ARDS. CONCLUSIONS: Corticosteroid use for non-ARDS indications is commonplace in ARDS patients in our ICU. The use of corticosteroids outside a randomisation process in randomised clinical trials may be more common than appreciated and needs to be routinely reported.