Venobiliary fistula related to umbilical venous catheter in a newborn.

We present a case of venobiliary fistula due to umbilical venous catheter (UVC). UVC was inserted the day before surgery in a newborn who was scheduled for type IIIB jejunal atresia surgery. The UVC was superimposed on the liver. It was noted that the gastric drainage became chylous and increased to 790 and then 1977 mL daily. I.v. contrast tomography with 650 mL contrast showed that the opaque substance was dispersed around the catheter and a venobiliary fistula formed, with the administered fluid accumulating in the duodenum. Rapid improvement was seen in the clinical picture after the UVC was removed. Venobiliary fistula may develop in patients with UVC that is not placed appropriately, and can direct the fluid administered from the UVC to the gastrointestinal system through the choledochal duct. The importance of contrast computed tomography in the diagnosis of venobiliary fistula in the newborn is also emphasized.

The results of fetal echocardiography in a tertiary center and comparison of low- and high-risk pregnancies for fetal congenital heart defects.

OBJECTIVE: Fetal echocardiography (FE) is considered for fetal, maternal or hereditary reasons in pregnants with suspect of intrauterine heart disease (IUHD). However, in few studies it was reported that most of the fetuses with IUHD are in the low-risk group (suspicion of IUHD during 2nd trimester ultrasound, lack of good vision of the heart, self-referral). Our aim is to examine retrospectively the reasons for referral of pregnants, the results of FE, distribution of pregnants having fetuses with IUHD according to low- and high- risk factors and to evaluate reliability of FE. METHODS: Our study group consisted of 1395 fetuses and 1370 pregnants underwent FE between 1999 and 2006. These cases included self-referred women and the pregnants having previous child or family history of cardiac anomaly or referred by obstetricians. The prevalence of IUHDs in low- and high- risk pregnancies was compared by Chi-Square test. RESULTS: The low risk group included 453 patients and the remaining 917 women were in the high- risk group. Intrauterine heart diseases were detected in 152 (10.9%) of 1395 fetuses. The prevalence of IUHDs was 19% in the low- risk group and 7% in the high-risk group. Of the 152 fetuses 56.6% were in the low-risk group and 43.4% were in the high- risk group. The sensitivity of FE for diagnose of IUHDs was 97%, the specificity was 100%. CONCLUSION: Fetal echocardiography is highly reliable method for diagnosing of IUHDs. The most IUHDs occur in the low- risk group.

Influenza vaccine adverse event and effect on acceptability in pediatric residents.

Despite the demonstrated benefits of influenza vaccinations, the coverage is lower than expected among health-care personnel (HCP). In this study we surveyed the attitudes of pediatric residents regarding influenza immunization and adverse reactions. Forty-five female and 35 male pediatric residents with ages ranging from 24 to 28 years were vaccinated with an influenza vaccine on 2 days in the 3rd week of September 2005 by the same nurse. Among our resident, 27 (33.7%) thought the vaccine unnecessary; their vaccine coverage was only 12% in the previous year. Thirteen residents (16%) had soreness at the vaccination site; 7 (8%) had other local reactions that did not interfere with everyday activities, and 16 (20%) had any systemic side effects. The overall rate of side effects from the vaccination was 36.5% (n=29). Twenty of the 29 vaccinees who experienced side effects stated they did not want to receive the vaccine the following year because of the side effects, while 13% in the group without side effects stated the same thing, mainly because of the cost of vaccination. We would like to recommend an influenza vaccination campaign for HCP by employers, but first we must plan to take steps to improve the acceptability of the influenza vaccine among HCP.

Modified oral rehydration therapy in a case with cystic fibrosis.

Infants with cystic fibrosis can develop episodes of hyponatremic, hypochloremic dehydration with metabolic alkalosis, and management is difficult. In this paper, we present a nine-month-old case with cystic fibrosis with pseudo-Bartter syndrome, who was rehydrated with two types of modified oral rehydration solution. Intravenous rehydration was impossible due to inaccessibility of route. With this oral rehydration treatment, her purging rate decreased, and serum sodium levels improved and remained stable. In cases with impossible intravenous route, one of these modified rehydration solutions could be given.

Answer to hypotonia: a simple hemogram.

A 1-year-old boy with weight loss, decreased activity, and psychomotor regression is presented. He was subjected to an extremely detailed evaluation, including electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), until a simple hemogram in our center revealed that he had macrocytic anemia with megaloblastic changes in the bone marrow. His history revealed that he had been exclusively breast-fed by his vegetarian mother. Further investigations showed low serum vitamin B12 concentration, methylmalonic aciduria, and homocysteinemia, indicating that the macrocytic anemia was due to vitamin B12 deficiency. This boy represents a case of macrocytic anemia and hypotonia owing to vitamin B12 deficiency that developed because of exclusive breast-feeding by a vegetarian mother.