Leptospirosis in a child with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Yesilbas O, Sevketoglu E, Kihtir HS, Hatipoglu N, Yildirim HM, Akyol MB, Aktay-Ayaz N, Gökçe I. Leptospirosis in a child with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Turk J Pediatr 2017; 59: 688-692. Leptospirosis is an infectious vasculitis, which can occur with different clinical features. While it is generally a subclinical and self-limited infection; kidney and liver dysfunction, pulmonary hemorrhage, thrombocytopenia, and cardiovascular collapse may occurr. A six-year-old boy presented with acute respiratory distress syndrome, shock, thrombocytopenia-associated multiple organ failure, and persistent high fever secondary to leptospirosis. Persistent high fever was resistant to intravenous immunoglobulin and pulse steroid therapy. He was successfully treated with plasmapheresis and hemofiltration with endotoxin-cytokine cleaning filter. In conclusion; leptospirosis may cause thrombocytopenia-associated multiple organ failure, persistent high fever, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Plasmapheresis and hemofiltration should be considered in cases of severe leptospirosis with multiorgan failure.

Pediatric Fulminant Leptospirosis Complicated by Pericardial Tamponade, Macrophage Activation Syndrome and Sclerosing Cholangitis.

BACKGROUND: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the genus Leptospira. Although it is usually asymptomatic and self-limited, severe potentially fatal illness accompanied by multi-organ failure may occur. CASE REPORT: Here we report an unusual case of severe leptospirosis successfully treated with continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVHF) and therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). The patient presented with pericardial tamponade, renal failure and macrophage activation syndrome, and later suffered prolonged jaundice and sclerosing cholangitis during hospitalization in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). To the best of our knowledge, sclerosing cholangitis due to leptospirosis has not been reported in the literature. CONCLUSION: Leptospirosis should be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis of sepsis and septic shock with fever, thrombocytopenia, jaundice and renal failure. TPE and CVVHF should start early after the diagnosis of leptospirosis with multiorgan failure.

Single-pass albumin dialysis in a child aged six months with phenobarbital poisoning.

A girl aged six months was hospitalized because of resistant seizures and was discharged with phenobarbital and carbamazepine therapy. She was admitted to a state hospital with symptoms of inability to waken and difficulty in breathing. It was learned that phenobarbital had been used incorrectly and the patient was sent to our pediatric intensive care unit because of severe phenobarbital overdose. The decision was taken for hemodialysis. Single-pass albumin dialysis was planned because phenobarbital can bind to high levels of plasma protein. The process was undertaken with 1% albumin-containing dialysate, which was prepared manually. After 6 hours of dialysis, the phenobarbital blood level measured 62 mcg/mL (>140 mcg/mL on admission) and the patient's clinical findings were markedly regressed. There are no case reports about phenobarbital overdose treated with single-pass albumin dialysis in the literature. We conclude that single-pass albumin dialysis may be a useful treatment, especially with intoxications of drugs that bind protein at high levels.

Evaluation of forensic cases admitted to pediatric intensive care unit.

AIM: This study aimed to determine the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of pediatric forensic cases to contribute to the literature and to preventive health care services. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Pediatric forensic cases hospitalized in our pediatric intensive care unit below the age of 17 years were reviewed retrospectively (January 2009-June 2014) . The patients were evaluated in two groups as physical traumas (Group A) and poisonings (Group B). The patients' age, gender, complaints at presentation, time of presentation and referral (season, time) and, mortality rates were determined. Cases of physical trauma (Group A) were classified as traffic accidents, falling down from height, falling of device, drowning, electric shock, burns and child abuse. Poisonings (Group B) were classified as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, other chemicals and unknown drug poisonings. RESULTS: Two hundred twenthy cases were included. The mean age was 5.1+3.1 years. One hundred fifteen (%52.5) of the cases were male and 105 (%47.5) were female. Group A consisted of 62 patients and Group B consisted of 158 patients. The patients presented most frequently in summer months. The most common reason for presentation was falling down from height (12.7%) in Group A and accidental drug poisoning (most frequently antidepressants) in Group B. The mortality rate was 5%. CONCLUSION: Forensic cases in the pediatric population (physical trauma and poisoning) are preventable health problems. Especially, preventive approach to improve the environment for falling down from height must be a priority. Increasing the awareness of families and the community on this issue, in summer months during which forensic cases are observed most frequently can contribute to a reduction in the number of cases.

Cerebral infarction and femoral venous thrombosis detected in a patient with diabetic ketoacidosis and heterozygous factor V Leiden G1691A and PAI-1 4G/5G mutations.

Cerebral infarction is one of the serious neurological complications of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Especially in patients who are genetically prone to thrombosis, cerebral infarction may develop due to inflammation, dehydration, and hyperviscocity secondary to DKA. A 6-year-old child with DKA is diagnosed with cerebral infarction after respiratory insufficiency, convulsion, and altered level of consciousness. Femoral and external iliac venous thrombosis also developed in a few hours after central femoral catheter had been inserted. Heterozygous type of factor V Leiden and PAI-14G/5G mutation were detected. In patients with DKA, cerebral infarction may be suspected other than cerebral edema when altered level of consciousness, convulsion, and respiratory insufficiency develop and once cerebral infarction occurs the patients should also be evaluated for factor V Leiden and PAI-14G/5G mutation analysis in addition to the other prothrombotic risk factors.