Reducing infections among women undergoing cesarean section in Colombia by means of continuous quality improvement methods.

BACKGROUND: Improving obstetric care in resource-limited countries is a major international health priority. OBJECTIVE: To reduce infection rates after cesarean section by optimizing systems of obstetric care for low-income women in Colombia by means of quality improvement methods. METHODS: Multidisciplinary teams in 2 hospitals used simple methods to improve their systems for prescribing and administering perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis. Process indicators were the percentage of women in whom prophylaxis was administered and the percentage of these women in whom it was administered in a timely fashion. The outcome indicator was the surgical site infection rate. RESULTS: Before improvement, prophylaxis was administered to 71% of women in hospital A; 24% received prophylaxis in a timely fashion. Corresponding figures in hospital B were 36% and 50%. Systems improvements included implementing protocols to administer prophylaxis to all women and increasing the availability of the antibiotic in the operating room. These improvements were associated with increases in overall and timely administration of prophylaxis (P<.001) in both hospitals by time series analysis, with adjustment for volume and case mix. After improvement, overall and timely administration of prophylaxis was 95% and 96% in hospital A and 89% and 96% in hospital B. In hospital A, the surgical site infection rate decreased immediately after the improvements (P<.001). In hospital B, the infection rate began a downward trend before the improvements that continued after their implementation (P =.04). CONCLUSION: Simple quality improvement methods can be used to optimize obstetric services and improve outcomes of care in resource-limited settings.

Follow-up studies on children with severe dietary chloride deficiency during infancy.

Ten children who had severe dietary chloride deficiency during early infancy have grown normally during their first 4 to 5 years. With the exception of one child who did not get into the sitting position alone until he was 9 1/2 months of age, the patients reached the usual developmental milestones of the first 2 years during the expected age intervals. Developmental and psychological testing indicates that all of the children have at least average ability. However, three children have shown behavior patterns that may interfere with successful school performance. Serum creatinine and urea nitrogen concentrations appear to be normal as does renal concentrating capacity. During a 4-year follow-up, one child has shown persistent and a second intermittent microscopic hematuria.

The dietary chloride deficiency syndrome.

Chronic depletion of body chloride developed in a group of infants ingesting a diet consisting almost exclusively of chloride deficient Neo-Mull-Soy. Ten of the 12 infants were on this diet three to five months before loss of appetite, failure to thrive, muscle weakness, and lethargy led to a diagnostic evaluation. The outstanding laboratory features were severe hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis, low urinary chloride concentrations (< 10 mEq/liter), and erythrocyturia. There was marked decrease in weight for age in all 12 infants. Head circumference for age had decreased in five of six and length for age in five of ten infants for whom earlier measurements were available. The biochemical abnormalities reverted to normal following dietary supplementation with either sodium or potassium chloride. Appetite, affect, and muscle strength improved, and weight gain resumed. Head circumference for age has moved toward the percentile level present prior to starting Neo-Mull-Soy in all instances. With one exception, length measurements show a similar pattern. The erythrocyturia has decreased or vanished. Chloride deficiency led to contraction of the extracellular volume and the substitution of poorly reabsorbable anions for readily reabsorbable chloride. These alterations caused development of the negative hydrogen ion and potassium balances which led to the hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis.

Urinary lactic acid dehydrogenase activity and the site of urinary tract infections.

A report that elevated urinary lactic acid dehydrogenase (LDH) isoenzyme 5 activity is a reliable tool for separating patients with upper from those with lower urinary tract infections (UTIs) led us to study urinary LDH enzyme activity in girls having bladder washout studies to localize the site of infection. Urinary LDH isoenzyme 5 activity in 64 instances of lower UTI was 16.1 +/- 3.3%, a value not significantly different than that of 18.2 +/- 12.6% found in 26 instances of upper tract infection (t = 0.8726, P = 0.1928). The data show that LDH isoenzyme 5 activity is of no value for localization of the site of a UTI. The data of these studies also showed that urinary LDH enzyme activity clearly separates girls with UTIs from those without infections, but it is unlikely that this finding will be of value in diagnosis or management.

The impact of extreme prematurity and congenital anomalies on the interpretation of international comparisons of infant mortality.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the potential impact that different definitions of live births and practice patterns have on infant mortality rates in England and Wales, France, Japan, and the United States. METHODS: United States data were obtained from the 1986 linked national birth-infant death cohort, and those for the other countries came from either published sources or directly from the Ministries of Health. RESULTS: In 1986 in the United States, infants weighing less than 1 kg accounted for 36% of deaths (32% white and 46% black); 32% resulted from fatal congenital anomalies. These rates were much higher in both categories than in England and Wales in 1990 (24 and 22%, respectively), France in 1990 (15 and 25%, respectively), and Japan in 1991 (9% for infants weighing less than 1 kg, percentage of fatal congenital anomalies unknown). These cases are more likely to be excluded from infant mortality statistics in their countries than in the United States. CONCLUSIONS: In 1990, the United States infant mortality rate was 9.2 per 1000 live births, ranking the United States 19th internationally. However, infant mortality provides a poor comparative measure of reproductive outcome because there are enormous regional and international differences in clinical practices and in the way live births are classified. Future international and state comparisons of reproductive health should standardize the definition of a live birth and fatal congenital anomaly, and use weight-specific fetal-infant mortality ratios and perinatal statistics.

Multimodality approach to treatment of carcinoma of the esophagus.

We conducted a combined treatment pilot project in 17 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus. Thirteen of the patients initially had stage I or II disease, and four had stage III disease. Each patient received three cycles of chemotherapy consisting of a high dose of cisplatin (100 mg/sq m), followed by continuous infusion of fluorouracil (1,000 mg/sq m/day for five days). Thirteen patients had a favorable response to the chemotherapy, and ten of the 11 responding patients with stage I or II disease were offered surgical resection. Total thoracic esophagectomies and cervical gastroesophagostomies were done in the six patients who accepted the surgical recommendation. Pathologically, five patients had stage I disease, and one had stage III disease (even in this patient the local tumor was confined within the wall of the esophagus). All six patients were alive, without evidence of disease, four to 34 months after diagnosis. Two patients with stage II disease had tumor progression, as did two of the four patients with stage III disease. Three of the nonresponding patients died of their disease two to seven months after diagnosis. The eight remaining patients, three of whom received irradiation after chemotherapy, were alive, but with evidence of persistent disease, one to seven months after entrance into the study.

Correlates of pregnancy oestrogen, progesterone and sex hormone-binding globulin in the USA and China.

The objective of this study is to examine perinatal correlates of oestradiol (E2), oestriol (E3), progesterone and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) among pregnant women in the USA and China. Three hundred and four Caucasian women in Boston and 335 Chinese women in Shanghai were studied. Levels of E2, E3, progesterone and SHBG were measured in maternal blood at weeks 16 and 27 of gestation, and correlated with maternal, gestational and perinatal characteristics. Height, weight and body mass index (BMI) before pregnancy is inversely associated with E2 and SHBG, whereas E3 is inversely associated with height and progesterone is inversely associated with weight and BMI. A previous live birth is associated with lower E2 and SHBG in the index pregnancy. Total gestation duration is inversely associated with E2, E3 and progesterone, whereas weight gain during pregnancy is inversely associated with progesterone and SHBG. In the US, pregnancies with female fetuses are characterized by significantly reduced progesterone. Pregnancy hormones are associated with several maternal, gestational and neonatal characteristics.

Urinary tract infections. Old and new concepts.

The recommendations for evaluation and management of pediatric patients with UTIs are summarized in Table 5. These recommendations were designed to minimize the risk of kidney damage in children with UTIs based on current perceptions of the pathogenesis of renal injury. The children at greatest risk for kidney damage are the infants and young children with febrile UTIs in whom effective treatment is delayed, those with gross VUR, and those with anatomic or neurogenic urinary tract obstruction. These recommendations likely will be modified as more is learned about the pathogenesis of renal injury associated with UTIs, as new therapeutic approaches are developed, and as imaging technology improves.

Peritoneal dialysis in the neonatal period: outcome data.

Scant information exists on the prognosis of infants with renal failure who receive peritoneal dialysis in the first month of life. We reviewed the outcome of 23 such patients 1 year after the onset of renal failure. Diagnoses included acute tubular necrosis (11 infants), renal dysplasia (5), obstructive uropathy (4), polycystic kidney disease (1), renal vein thrombosis (1), and renal artery thrombosis (1). Seven of the eleven patients with acute tubular necrosis had had cardiac surgery. At 1 year, eight (35%) of the patients had died, six (26%) had a full recovery, seven (30%) were receiving long-term dialysis awaiting a transplant, and two (9%) had chronic renal failure. Effective dialysis, characterized by the reversal of metabolic disturbances or attainment of fluid balance, was accomplished in all patients. The mean duration of dialysis was 4.5 months (range, 0.1 to 12 months). The most common complications of dialysis were peritonitis and catheter exit site infection. Despite the provision of supplemental calories via nasogastric tube, the majority of patients receiving long-term dialysis showed impaired growth and mild developmental abnormalities. Peritoneal dialysis is an effective means of renal replacement therapy in the neonatal period; however, the morbidity and mortality rate for this population remains high.

Symptomatic peritoneal calcification in a child: treatment with tidal peritoneal dialysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ability of tidal peritoneal dialysis to decrease the pain and frequency of hemoperitoneum associated with peritoneal calcification. DESIGN: Prospective case evaluation. SETTING: The Home Peritoneal Dialysis Unit, Children's Mercy Hospital. PATIENT: Seven-year old male with diffuse peritoneal calcifications, daily abdominal pain, and recurrent hemoperitoneum. INTERVENTION: Tidal peritoneal dialysis was conducted with an initial fill volume of 45 mL/kg and a tidal inflow volume of 23 mL/kg. The patient also maintained a daytime pass volume of 45 mL/kg. Duration of treatment was 7 months. RESULTS: The patient's abdominal pain resolved 2 days after initiating tidal peritoneal dialysis. No episodes of hemoperitoneum or abdominal pain have occurred for 7 months. CONCLUSION: Tidal peritoneal dialysis is a unique approach to the achievement of symptomatic relief in the patient with peritoneal calcification.

Nutritional and behavioural aspects of nasogastric tube feeding in infants receiving chronic peritoneal dialysis.

Eight infants initiated chronic peritoneal dialysis and received nasogastric tube feedings during their first month of life. In each case, the nasogastric tube feedings were initiated because of poor oral intake and the desire to avert the development of an aversive feeding interaction between parent and child. The nutritional regimen was designed to allow normal or catch up weight gain appropriate for height age. The caloric and protein intake of the infants averaged 98.5 +/- 10.2 kcal/kg/day and 2.7 gm/kg/day, respectively, during the first year of life. Between 25% and 100% of the formula intake was provided by the nasogastric route. Group standard deviation score for height was -1.74 +/- 0.7 at one year. Five of the infants received behavioral therapy because of persistent food refusal. Therapy consisted of reinforcing prompted food acceptance and ignoring food refusal. This approach was conducted by a multidisciplinary team and successfully converted the non-oral feeder to a total oral feeding regimen in each case.

The long-term consequences of urinary tract infections: a historic and contemporary perspective.

The long-term adverse consequences of UTI in childhood are hypertension, impaired renal function, end-stage renal disease, and complications during pregnancy. These adverse effects of UTIs are a result of renal parenchymal damage. Currently, these complications are unusual among patients in industrialized countries, unless kidney damage is present at birth. VUR, the most common abnormality encountered in infants and young children with UTIs, is not a diagnostic entity, but reflects a spectrum of underlying conditions. There may be nonobstructive VUR with no other urinary tract abnormality. VUR may be associated with voiding dysfunction and frequent UTIs. It may be present with bladder outlet obstruction, hydronephrosis, and intrauterine renal damage. Children with intrauterine renal damage are those most likely to develop hypertension and those at greatest risk for progression to end-stage renal disease. Acquired renal injury as a cause of adverse long-term consequences due to UTI is much less common than it was early in this century, probably as a result of improved health care.

Primary nocturnal enuresis: current concepts about an old problem.

In summary, all children and families who present with nocturnal enuresis should be offered education, reassurance, and ongoing support as a premier component of any treatment regimen. At the same time, the family should be informed about all the treatment options that exist with a goal of tailoring the specific treatment to the individual patient. In most cases, this approach will lead to child, family, and physician satisfaction.

The kidney in systemic disease: Part II--Autoimmune and vascular disorders.

The long-term outlook for the pediatric patient with lupus nephritis has improved dramatically over the past several decades. In 1968, Meislin and Rothfield compared childhood with adult SLE and found the prognosis to be worse when disease onset was at the age of 15 years or younger. Children with renal disease had only a 42% 5-year survival rate vs. an 82% survival rate in adults. Caeiro et al. found the 10-year survival rate in childhood to be only 48%. However, more recent data have demonstrated comparable results for patients of all ages. Ten-year patient survival rates have improved to 69% to 85% as a result of better immunosuppressive therapy, more effective antibiotics, and improved control of hypertension. Despite this overall improvement, severe renal disease continues to complicate the course of 20% to 35% of patients with SLE originating in childhood and demands further investigation of newer therapeutic measures.

A seven year experience with kidney transplantation for pediatric end stage renal disease.

Renal transplantation for pediatric end stage renal disease (ESRD) is a preferred option in dealing with these chronically ill patients. The pediatric renal transplant program at University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine was begun in 1986 at St. Luke's Hospital and subsequently shifted to the Children's Mercy Hospital as experience was accumulated. To date 35 transplants have been performed in 31 recipients. Fifty-one per cent of the patients transplanted were adolescents (older than 13 years) and 91% of the patients were older than 4 years. Sixteen of the 35 transplants were from living related donors and 19 patients received their kidneys from cadaveric donors. Immunosuppression consisted of corticosteroids, azathioprine, cyclosporine and antilymphoblast globulin. No patients died following transplantation with a functioning kidney. Allograft survival with living related transplants at one year and three years was 91% and 86% respectively. Cadaveric allograft survival at one year and three years was 78% and 46% respectively. Most kidneys were lost due to either acute or chronic rejection although there were three patients who lost their kidney due to primary nonfunction, including one child age 23 months. The growth pattern of all but the youngest children (< or = 2 years) following transplantation showed no evidence of accelerated growth. Results in this early series of pediatric renal transplant patients is encouraging from the standpoint of patient and allograft survival and even though accelerated growth is not seen in the older children, it seems to offer a better quality of life for children with end stage renal disease.