Vasopressor use following traumatic injury - A single center retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: Vasopressors are not recommended by current trauma guidelines, but recent reports indicate that they are commonly used. We aimed to describe the early hemodynamic management of trauma patients outside densely populated urban centers. METHODS: We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study in a Canadian regional trauma center. All adult patients treated for traumatic injury in 2013 who died within 24 hours of admission or were transferred to the intensive care unit were included. A systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg, a mean arterial pressure <60 mmHg, the use of vasopressors or ≥2 L of intravenous fluids defined hemodynamic instability. Main outcome measures were use of intravenous fluids and vasopressors prior to surgical or endovascular management. RESULTS: Of 111 eligible patients, 63 met our criteria for hemodynamic instability. Of these, 60 (95%) had sustained blunt injury and 22 (35%) had concomitant severe traumatic brain injury. The subgroup of patients referred from a primary or secondary hospital (20 of 63, 32%) had significantly longer transport times (243 vs. 61 min, p<0.01). Vasopressors, used in 26 patients (41%), were independently associated with severe traumatic brain injury (odds ratio 10.2, 95% CI 2.7-38.5). CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort, most trauma patients had suffered multiple blunt injuries. Patients were likely to receive vasopressors during the early phase of trauma care, particularly if they exhibited signs of neurologic injury. While these results may be context-specific, determining the risk-benefit trade-offs of fluid resuscitation, vasopressors and permissive hypotension in specific patients subgroups constitutes a priority for trauma research going forwards.

Neurostimulation for fecal incontinence after correction of repair of imperforate anus.

We are reporting the case of a 32-year-old female who had suffered from fecal incontinence (FI). She was born with an imperforate anus and a recto-vaginal fistula; she underwent repair at 6 mo of age. At 29 years of age, she was still fecally incontinent despite extensive pelvic floor reeducation. A magnetic resonance imaging and an anal electromyography were performed. Because her symptoms were considered to be probably due to extra-sphincteric implantation of the neo-anus, a redo was performed of the recto-neo-anal intra-sphincteric anastomosis. A neurostimulator device was subsequently implanted for persistent incontinence. Solid and liquid FI resolved, and her quality of life improved markedly. Combining surgery to correct the position of the neo-anus within the anal sphincter complex and neurostimulation could thus become a new approach in cases of refractory FI for patients with imperforate anus as a newborn. Follow-up into adulthood after pediatric imperforate anus surgery should be recommended for adult patients with persistent FI.

Exploring residents' spontaneous collaborative skills in a simulated setting context: an exploratory study on CanMEDS collaborator role.

BACKGROUND: Collaboration is an important competence to be acquired by residents. Although improving residents' collaboration via interprofessional education has been investigated in many studies, little is known about the residents' spontaneous collaborative behavior. The purpose of this exploratory study was to describe how residents spontaneously collaborate. METHODS: Seven first-year residents (postgraduate year 1; three from family medicine and one each from ear, nose, and throat, obstetrics/gynecology, general surgery, and orthopedic surgery) participated in two collaborative meetings with actors performing the part of other health professionals (ie, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, nurse, or social worker). Both meetings were built around an issue or conflict with the patients' families reported by one professional. The residents were required to lead the meeting to collect proper information to reach a joint decision. Two team members analyzed the video recordings of the meetings using an emerging-theme qualitative methodology. RESULTS: Although the residents spontaneously knew how to successfully communicate with other professionals, they seemed to struggle with the patient-centered approach and the shared decision-making process. DISCUSSION: Even if the residents performed communication-wise in their collaborative role, they seemed to have perceived themselves as decision makers instead of collaborators in the joint decision process. The results of this study can inform future studies on learning strategies to improve behaviors that would more likely need attention in interprofessional education.

Gene expression profiling in necrotizing enterocolitis reveals pathways common to those reported in Crohn's disease.

BACKGROUND: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most frequent life-threatening gastrointestinal disease experienced by premature infants in neonatal intensive care units. The challenge for neonatologists is to detect early clinical manifestations of NEC. One strategy would be to identify specific markers that could be used as early diagnostic tools to identify preterm infants most at risk of developing NEC or in the event of a diagnostic dilemma of suspected disease. As a first step in this direction, we sought to determine the specific gene expression profile of NEC. METHODS: Deep sequencing (RNA-Seq) was used to establish the gene expression profiles in ileal samples obtained from preterm infants diagnosed with NEC and non-NEC conditions. Data were analyzed with Ingenuity Pathway Analysis and ToppCluster softwares. RESULTS: Data analysis indicated that the most significant functional pathways over-represented in NEC neonates were associated with immune functions, such as altered T and B cell signaling, B cell development, and the role of pattern recognition receptors for bacteria and viruses. Among the genes that were strongly modulated in neonates with NEC, we observed a significant degree of similarity when compared with those reported in Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. CONCLUSIONS: Gene expression profile analysis revealed a predominantly altered immune response in the intestine of NEC neonates. Moreover, comparative analysis between NEC and Crohn's disease gene expression repertoires revealed a surprisingly high degree of similarity between these two conditions suggesting a new avenue for identifying NEC biomarkers.

Incidental finding of synchronous bilateral ductal carcinoma in situ associated with gynecomastia in a 15-year-old obese boy: case report and review of the literature.

Carcinoma of the breast is rarely encountered in the male population and is even less prevalent in the pediatric male population. Studies have suggested an association between male breast carcinoma and gynecomastia, but conflicting results have been shown. Only 3 cases of carcinoma in situ associated with bilateral gynecomastia during puberty have been described in the literature. Here, we present the case of a 15-year-old boy with bilateral gynecomastia who was found to have synchronous bilateral ductal carcinoma in situ.

Mechanisms of active laryngeal closure during noninvasive intermittent positive pressure ventilation in nonsedated lambs.

The present study stems from our recent demonstration (Moreau-Bussiere F, Samson N, St-Hilaire M, Reix P, Lafond JR, Nsegbe E, Praud JP. J Appl Physiol 102: 2149-2157, 2007) that a progressive increase in nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (nIPPV) leads to active glottal closure in nonsedated, newborn lambs. The aim of the study was to determine whether the mechanisms involved in this glottal narrowing during nIPPV originate from upper airway receptors and/or from bronchopulmonary receptors. Two groups of newborn lambs were chronically instrumented for polysomnographic recording: the first group of five lambs underwent a two-step bilateral thoracic vagotomy using video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (bilateral vagotomy group), while the second group, composed of six lambs, underwent chronic laryngotracheal separation (isolated upper airway group). A few days later, polysomnographic recordings were performed to assess glottal muscle electromyography during step increases in nIPPV (volume control mode). Results show that active glottal narrowing does not develop when nIPPV is applied on the upper airways only, and that this narrowing is prevented by bilateral vagotomy when nIPPV is applied on intact airways. In conclusion, active glottal narrowing in response to increasing nIPPV originates from bronchopulmonary receptors.

Origins of the inhibiting effects of nasal CPAP on nonnutritive swallowing in newborn lambs.

The present study investigated the mechanism by which continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) suppresses nonnutritive swallowing (NNS) during quiet sleep (QS) in newborn lambs. Eighteen full-term lambs were chronically instrumented and evenly distributed into three separate groups to determine the extent to which modulation of NNS may be attributed to stimulation of upper airway and/or bronchopulmonary mechanoreceptors. Six lambs were tracheotomized, six other lambs underwent a two-step bilateral intrathoracic vagotomy, and the remaining six lambs underwent chronic laryngotracheal separation (isolated upper airway group). Forty-eight hours after surgery, each nonsedated lamb underwent polysomnographic recordings on three consecutive days. States of alertness, NNS and respiratory movements were recorded. Results demonstrate that a CPAP of 6 cmH(2)O inhibited NNS during QS while administered directly on the lower airways and that bivagotomy prevented this inhibition. However, application of CPAP on the upper airways only also inhibited NNS during QS. Finally, the application of a CPAP of 6 cmH(2)O had no systematic effect on NNS-breathing coordination (assessed by the respiratory phase preceding and following NNS). In conclusion, our results suggest that bronchopulmonary receptors are implicated in the inhibiting effects of nasal CPAP of 6 cmH(2)O on NNS in all our experimental conditions, whereas upper airway receptors are only implicated in certain conditions.

Pain management after tonsillectomy: morphine is not enough.

INTRODUCTION: Tonsillectomy is usually done as day surgery, transferring to the parents most of the postoperative care. They often feel alone and incompetent in front of a child in pain. We developed a guide to help parents for both the evaluation and the management of postoperative pain. OBJECTIVE: To improve pediatric posttonsillectomy pain management with the implementation of a parental guide and treatment algorithm. METHODS: Eighty children (5-17 years) were recruited in this randomized clinical trial. Parents and children were assigned to one of the research groups: control or experimental. All received an identical prescription for acetaminophen (15 mg/kg) and morphine (0.3 mg/kg), information about the medication, a visual analogue scale (VAS), and index cards to be filled at home. The experimental group also received a treatment algorithm associating pain scores with analgesics. RESULTS: Pain scores for the control group and the experimental group were 5.3 and 4.7 on the day of surgery, 4.0 and 3.6 the next day, 2.2 and 2.3 3 days later, and 1.6 and 1.4 1 week after the intervention, respectively. The side effects and the analgesics given were comparable for both groups. CONCLUSION: No significant difference was demonstrated for the studied parameters, probably because the majority of the parents followed the prescriptions well. The guide was much appreciated. The children understood the VAS easily and liked using it. The combination of acetaminophen-morphine needs to be revisited since pain remains problematic.

Lengthening technique for long gap esophageal atresia and early anastomosis.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The treatment of long gap esophageal atresia remains a major surgical challenge. Whereas many approaches have been used for this problem, none are ideal. The authors used a technique originally described by Dr John E. Foker and accomplished early repair in 3 infants with long gap atresia. METHODS: Three infants with esophageal atresia underwent thoracotomy shortly after birth and had a long gap preventing primary anastomosis. External traction sutures were placed on each esophageal pouch and exteriorized through the thoracic wall. The esophageal ends were approximated 1 to 2 mm daily by traction on the sutures. Anastomosis was performed when the 2 ends came together. RESULTS: Three infants were included (31, 34, 37 weeks gestation, weights 1.38 kg, 1.9 kg, and 2.3 kg, respectively). The esophageal gaps were 3, 5, and 4.5 cm, respectively. Definitive anastomosis was performed at 14, 17, and 10 days, respectively. Two patients had anastomotic leaks that were treated conservatively. One patient had an esophageal stenosis that required dilatation. CONCLUSIONS: This technique allowed rapid esophageal lengthening in these 3 cases and led to early repair of long gap esophageal atresia, avoiding the need for a prolonged hospitalization or eventual replacement as well as long-term swallowing difficulties.