Successful treatment of vancomycin-resistant enterococcus ventriculitis in a child.

UNLABELLED: Enterococci are an uncommon cause of CNS infection. A 20 month-old boy, diagnosed with hydrocephalus with ventriculoperitoneal shunt and history of lengthy hospitalization and use of wide spectrum antibiotics, was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit diagnosed with ventriculitis. On the 14th day of empirical antibiotic therapy (vancomycin and meropenem) the child presented fever while the CSF sample culture evidenced vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium. The patient received intravenous linezolid achieving cerebrospinal fluid sterilization. CONCLUSION: Intravenous linezolid appears to be a safe and effective therapy for vancomycin-resistant enterococcus ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection.

Successful treatment of vancomycin-resistant enterococcus ventriculitis in a child

Enterococci are an uncommon cause of CNS infection. A 20 month-old boy, diagnosed with hydrocephalus with ventriculoperitoneal shunt and history of lengthy hospitalization and use of wide spectrum antibiotics, was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit diagnosed with ventriculitis. On the 14th day of empirical antibiotic therapy (vancomycin and meropenem) the child presented fever while the CSF sample culture evidenced vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium. The patient received intravenous linezolid achieving cerebrospinal fluid sterilization. Conclusion: Intravenous linezolid appears to be a safe and effective therapy for vancomycin-resistant enterococcus ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection.

Negative-pressure pulmonary edema: a rare complication of upper airway obstruction in children.

UNLABELLED: Negative-pressure pulmonary edema is a rare but life-threatening complication of upper airway obstruction. Because negative-pressure pulmonary edema may occur in a large spectrum of pathologies associated with upper airway obstruction, awareness of this condition is crucial during daily clinical practice. We report a case of negative-pressure pulmonary edema during anesthetic recovery to highlight this condition. CASE: A 2-year-old boy was scheduled for orchidopexy under general anesthesia. Shortly after an uneventful operation, the patient presented airway obstruction. Serious oxygen desaturation and bradycardia ensued, during inefficient attempts at positive-pressure ventilation. After emergency intubation, copious pink secretions emerged from the airway. Pulmonary edema was confirmed by clinical examination, pulse oximetry, and chest radiography. The finding of pulmonary edema was resolved within 24 hours after mechanical ventilation and positive end-expiratory pressure. The child suffered no sequelae. This report highlights the clinical features of negative-pressure pulmonary edema and serves as a reminder to the pediatrician who must be able to recognize and initiate treatment for conditions that are uncommon but life-threatening.

Blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome

The blue rubber nevus syndrome consists of multiple venous malformations in the skin and gastrointestinal tract associated with intestinal hemorrhage and iron deficiency anemia. Other organs may be involved. The causes of this syndrome are unknown. Its most common presentation is in the form of sporadic cases, but dominant autosomal inheritance has been described. It is a condition that affects both sexes equally, and its occurrence is rare in the black race. We present a case of this syndrome diagnosed in a 11-year-old patient. He had severe anemia and a venous swelling on the trunk. Similar lesions were found in the stomach, bowel, and on his foot. We emphasize the main clinical aspects: intestine, eyes, nasopharynx, parotids, lungs, liver, spleen, heart, brain, pleura, peritoneum, pericardium, skeletal muscles, bladder, and penis lesions, systemic complications that may occur to these patients which are thrombosis and calcification, as well as consumptive coagulopathy and thrombocytopenia that may occur within the nevi.