The Use of Echocardiography for Pediatric Patients Presenting with Syncope.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the frequency, yield, and cost of echocardiograms meeting "rarely appropriate" criteria. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective, single-center study of pediatric patients presenting with syncope. Patients were categorized according to the appropriate use criteria and based upon location of care (emergency department only, primary care setting only, or referred to a pediatric cardiologist). Multivariable regression was used to determine factors associated with performance of a "rarely appropriate" echocardiogram. Costs were calculated using fair market values from the Healthcare Bluebook. RESULTS: The cohort included 637 patients presenting with syncope during the 1-year study. Echocardiograms were ordered for 127 of 637 (20.1%) including 0 of 328 emergency department patients, 1 of 66 (1.5%) primary care setting patients, and 127 of 243 (52.3%) patients evaluated by a pediatric cardiologist. Use of echocardiography by pediatric cardiologists was categorized as "appropriate" in 92 of 127 (72.4%), "maybe appropriate" in 6 of 127 (4.7%), and "rarely appropriate" in 29 of 127 (22.8%). Abnormal findings were seen in 6 of 127 (4.7%) echocardiograms but in none of the "rarely appropriate" studies. In multivariable analysis, female sex and younger age were the only factors associated with performance of a "rarely appropriate" echocardiogram. "Rarely appropriate" echocardiograms cost an estimated $16 704.00 ($576.00 per patient) in the 1-year study. CONCLUSIONS: "Rarely appropriate" echocardiograms performed for syncope do not contribute management changing diagnostic information. However, they burden patients with additional cost and perhaps contribute to increased need for follow-up.

Ventilación mecánica invasiva como tratamiento de la insuficiencia respiratoria aguda en pacientes infectados por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana / Invasive mechanical ventilation as a treatment of Severe respiratory insufficiency in patients infected by the immunodeficiency virus human

Objetivo: Conocer la prevalencia y las características epidemiológicas de los pacientes infectados por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana que requirieron ventilación mecánica invasiva más de 12 horas para tratar la insuficiencia respiratoria aguda en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos de un Hospital General de Agudos. Asimismo, se realizó un análisis comparativo entre los pacientes con el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana y aquellos sin el virus. Materiales y Métodos: Estudio descriptivo, prospectivo y longitudinal llevado a cabo entre el 1 de agosto de 2012 y el 31 de julio de 2014. Se incluyeron adultos con ventilación mecánica invasiva por más de 12 horas debido a insuficiencia respiratoria aguda. Se realizó un análisis multivariado de regresión logística para identificar la asociación entre muerte en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos y virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana. Resultados: Ingresaron 344 pacientes en la Unidad, el 46,80% requirió ventilación mecánica invasiva por insuficiencia respiratoria aguda, con una prevalencia del virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana del 12,42%. Los pacientes infectados tenían una media de la edad de 39.42 ± 11.58 vs. 49.37 ± 20.54. En un análisis multivariado, se observó que los pacientes infectados corrían un mayor de riesgo de morir en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos que los no infectados (OR: 5,125; IC95% 1,725-15,226; p = 0,003). Conclusión: Los pacientes con el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana que recibieron ventilación mecánica invasiva más de 12 horas para tratar la insuficiencia respiratoria aguda tuvieron un riesgo cinco veces más alto de morir en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos que los no infectados. (AU)

Objective: To know the prevalence and epidemiological characteristics of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus requiring invasive mechanical ventilation for more than 12 hours as a treatment for acute respiratory failure at the Intensive Care Unit of a General Acute Care Hospital in Buenos Aires City. A comparative analysis was also performed between subjects with human immunodeficiency virus and those not infected. Materials and Methods: Descriptive, prospective and longitudinal study conducted between August 1st, 2012 and July 31st, 2014. Adults with invasive mechanical ventilation for more than 12 hours due to acute respiratory failure were included. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the association between mortality in the Intensive Care Unit and human immunodeficiency virus. Results: A total of 344 patients were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, 46.80% of them required invasive mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure, with a prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus of 12.42%. The average age of infected patients was 39.42 ± 11.58 vs. 49.37 ± 20.54. In a multivariate analysis it was observed that patients with human immunodeficiency virus had more risk of death in the Intensive Care Unit than those not infected (OR: 5.12%, CI95% 1.72-15.22; P=0.003). Conclusion: The risk of death of subjects with human immunodeficiency virus who received invasive mechanical ventilation for more than 12 hours as a treatment for acute respiratory failure was five-fold higher than that of those uninfected patients.(AU)

Serotype-specific immunoglobulin G antibody responses to pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in children with sickle cell anemia: effects of continued penicillin prophylaxis.

OBJECTIVES: (1) To determine serotype-specific IgG antibody responses to reimmunization with pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine at age 5 years in children with sickle cell anemia and (2) to determine whether continued penicillin prophylaxis had any adverse effects on these responses. STUDY DESIGN: Children with sickle cell anemia, who had been treated with prophylactic penicillin for at least 2 years before their fifth birthday, were randomly selected at age 5 years to continue penicillin prophylaxis or to receive placebo treatment. These children had been immunized once or twice in early childhood with pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine and were reimmunized at the time of randomization. RESULTS: Serotype-specific IgG antibody responses to reimmunization varied according to pneumococcal serotype but in general were mediocre or poor; the poorest response was to serotype 6B. The antibody responses were similar in subjects with continued penicillin prophylaxis or placebo treatment, and in subjects who received one or two pneumococcal vaccinations before reimmunization. The occurrence of pneumococcal bacteremia was associated with low IgG antibody concentrations to the infecting serotype. CONCLUSIONS: Reimmunization of children with sickle cell anemia who received pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine at age 5 years induces limited production of serotype-specific IgG antibodies, regardless of previous pneumococcal vaccine history. Continued penicillin prophylaxis does not interfere with serotype-specific IgG antibody responses to reimmunization.

Selenium content of Brazil nuts from two geographic locations in Brazil.

Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa) natively contain very high concentrations of selenium. Since dietary selenium, including Brazil nuts, have been associated with protection against tumor development in laboratory animal studies, it was of interest to determine the selenium content of the nuts from different nut-growing regions of Brazil. In the work reported, 162 nuts from each of two regions (Acre-Rondonia and Manaus-Belem) were individually analyzed for selenium. The average +/- standard deviation and range of selenium concentrations in ppm, fresh weight for nuts from Acre-Rondonia and Manaus-Belem regions were, respectively, 3.06 +/- 4.01 (0.03-31.7) and 36.0 +/- 50.0 (1.25-512.0). The toxicology of Brazil nut consumption is discussed.

Cervicomedullary compression in young patients with achondroplasia: value of comprehensive neurologic and respiratory evaluation.

We studied prospectively 26 young patients with achondroplasia to test two hypotheses: that respiratory problems may be the result of occult spinal cord compression, and that achondroplastic patients with cord compression might have occult respiratory abnormalities. Respiratory abnormalities were present in 85%, the majority caused by a primary problem of the pulmonary system, such as small thoracic cage or obstructed airway. Three patients had hypoxemia, recurrent cyanotic spells, and episodes of respiratory distress explainable only by cervicomedullary cord compression; in each patient, respiratory problems were alleviated by decompressive surgery. Another six patients with cervicomedullary compression had, in addition, at least one primary pulmonary cause of respiratory problems. After decompressive surgery the respiratory problems improved in three and were unchanged in three. Reconstructed sagittal CT images proved the most sensitive technique for detecting craniocervical stenosis as a cause of cervicomedullary cord compression, although some degree of stenosis was present in nearly all of the patients.