Central nervous system abscesses and empyemas in England: epidemiological trends over five decades.

OBJECTIVES: To report on population-based epidemiological trends in central nervous system (CNS) abscesses and empyemas in England over five decades. METHODS: Trend analyses of age-sex-specific hospital admission and death rates using routinely collected English national hospital discharge records, mortality records, and annual population denominators from 1968 to 2019. RESULTS: Hospital admission rates for CNS abscesses and empyemas were stable in England until the late 1980s. In the last two decades of the study period (1999-2019), first-time admissions increased from 1.24 per 100,000 population in 1999 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-1.35) to 2.86 in 2019 (95% CI 2.72-3.01). Admission rates were highest among infants and older adults, and were higher for males than females. There were small but significant increases in annual mortality rates for CNS abscesses and empyemas over the last two decades of the study period after accounting for population ageing, but mortality remained low at around 0.1-0.2 per 100,000 population. Mortality increased with advancing age; deaths in childhood were extremely rare. Case fatality rates where a relevant diagnosis was recorded as either the underlying or contributing cause were 4.3% and 9.7% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The increase in CNS abscesses and empyemas in England might reflect improved case ascertainment, but the likelihood of a true rise in incidence should be considered.

Rapid intravenous rehydration of children with acute gastroenteritis and dehydration: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends rapid intravenous rehydration, using fluid volumes of 70-100mls/kg over 3-6 h, with some of the initial volume given rapidly as initial fluid boluses to treat hypovolaemic shock for children with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) and severe dehydration. The evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of rapid versus slower rehydration remains uncertain. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on 11th of May 2017 comparing different rates of intravenous fluid therapy in children with AGE and moderate or severe dehydration, using standard search terms. Two authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. Non-RCTs and non-English articles were excluded. The primary endpoint was mortality and secondary endpoints included adverse events (safety) and treatment efficacy. MAIN RESULTS: Of the 1390 studies initially identified, 18 were assessed for eligibility. Of these, 3 studies (n = 464) fulfilled a priori criteria for inclusion; most studied children with moderate dehydration and none were conducted in resource-poor settings. Volumes and rates of fluid replacement varied from 20 to 60 ml/kg given over 1-2 h (fast) versus 2-4 h (slow). There was substantial heterogeneity in methodology between the studies with only one adjudicated to be of high quality. There were no deaths in any study. Safety endpoints only identified oedema (n = 6) and dysnatraemia (n = 2). Pooled analysis showed no significant difference between the rapid and slow intravenous rehydration groups for the proportion of treatment failures (N = 468): pooled RR 1.30 (95% CI: 0.87, 1.93) and the readmission rates (N = 439): pooled RR 1.39 (95% CI: 0.68, 2.85). CONCLUSIONS: Despite wide implementation of WHO Plan C guideline for severe AGE, we found no clinical evaluation in resource-limited settings, and only limited evaluation of the rate and volume of rehydration in other parts of the world. Recent concerns over aggressive fluid expansion warrants further research to inform guidelines on rates of intravenous rehydration therapy for severe AGE.

ImmunoglobuliN in the Treatment of Encephalitis (IgNiTE): protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Infectious and immune-mediated encephalitides are important but under-recognised causes of morbidity and mortality in childhood, with a 7% death rate and up to 50% morbidity after prolonged follow-up. There is a theoretical basis for ameliorating the immune response with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), which is supported by empirical evidence of a beneficial response following its use in the treatment of viral and autoimmune encephalitis. In immune-mediated encephalitis, IVIG is often used after a delay (by weeks in some cases), while diagnosis is confirmed. Wider use of IVIG in infectious encephalitis and earlier use in immune-mediated encephalitis could improve outcomes for these conditions. We describe the protocol for the first ever randomised control trial of IVIG treatment for children with all-cause encephalitis. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: 308 children (6 months to 16 years) with a diagnosis of acute/subacute encephalitis will be recruited in ∼30 UK hospitals and randomised to receive 2 doses (1 g/kg/dose) of either IVIG or matching placebo, in addition to standard treatment. Recruitment will be over a 42-month period and follow-up of each participant will be for 12 months post randomisation. The primary outcome is 'good recovery' (score of 2 or lower on the Glasgow Outcome Score Extended-paediatric version), at 12 months after randomisation. Additional secondary neurological measures will be collected at 4-6 weeks after discharge from acute care and at 6 and 12 months after randomisation. Safety, radiological, other autoimmune and tertiary outcomes will also be assessed. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This trial has been approved by the UK National Research Ethics committee (South Central-Oxford A; REC 14/SC/1416). Current protocol: V4.0 (10/03/2016). The findings will be presented at national and international meetings and conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS: NCT02308982, EudraCT201400299735 and ISRCTN15791925; Pre-results.