Neurological Resilience in Patients With Anorexia Nervosa Following Prolonged Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric disorder with metabolic abnormalities. Prolonged cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is predicted to result in death and poor neurological outcomes. This report describes the case of a patient with AN who had an unexpectedly favorable outcome after prolonged CPR. A 12-year-old female with AN presented to the emergency department, requiring intubation due to worsening consciousness and respiratory distress. Refractory hypotension led to cardiac arrest. After 135 minutes of CPR, venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (EMCO) was started, and the patient was treated for post-resuscitation management, refeeding syndrome, and sepsis. The cardiac function gradually improved, the patient was weaned from EMCO eight days after admission, and the patient was extubated 30 days after admission. The patient maintained a good central nervous system function. AN patients tend to be youngsters and have a lower metabolism, which may be associated with a favorable neurological prognosis after prolonged CPR.

Changes in severity of pediatric suicide attempts before and after coronavirus disease 2019.

BACKGROUND: The recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and school closures were reported to have negatively impacted the mental health of children and adolescents. This study aimed to examine the change in the number and severity of pediatric suicide attempts before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This study enrolled 54 patients (26 vs. 28 patients before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively) under 19 years of age who were transported to the emergency department as a result of suicide attempts between April 2017 and December 2021. The primary outcome includes the rate of serious suicide attempts (SSAs). RESULTS: The SSA rates were 19% (5/26) and 43% (12/28) before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively (p = 0.62). The average number of transported suicide attempts per month almost doubled (0.72 vs. 1.33, respectively) and suicide attempts as a percentage of all ambulance transportations of individuals under 19 years old increased significantly from 0.95% (26/2729)to 1.98% (28/1414) (p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic increased the severity of pediatric suicide attempts but not to a statistically significant degree. Social preventive support and early psychological intervention are therefore needed currently and in the future.

Superiority of OxyMaskTM with less carbon dioxide rebreathing in children.

Despite the growing importance of oxygen-delivery devices worldwide, there are only a few reports of physiological data on various oxygen masks in children. The possibility of carbon dioxide (CO2) rebreathing has been a prevalent concern with the use of oxygen-delivery devices. OxyMask KidTM (Southmedic Inc. Canada; hereafter OxyMask) is expected to reduce CO2 rebreathing even at low oxygen flow rates because of its structural features. Biological data using OxyMask in children have not been well investigated. Measured respiratory parameters of OxyMask with those of a simple oxygen mask in healthy children were compared. Ten subjects were enrolled, with a median age of 5.4 years. All subjects used both OxyMask and a simple oxygen mask. The fraction of inspiratory oxygen (FIO2), partial pressure of inspiratory CO2 (PICO2), and partial pressure of end-tidal CO2 were measured using a sidestream gas-sampling monitor in all subjects. The oxygen flow rate was set at 1, 3, 5, and 10 L/min. FIO2 levels were higher with OxyMask than those with the simple oxygen mask at 3 L/min of oxygen. PICO2 levels were significantly lower with OxyMask than those with the simple oxygen mask (1.5 mmHg vs. 3.7 mmHg at 1 L/min, P = 0.005; 1.0 mmHg vs. 2.7 mmHg at 3 L/min, P = 0.005, respectively), whereas PICO2 levels were higher at low oxygen flow rates with both masks.Conclusion: Our results showed that higher FIO2 and less CO2 rebreathing were achieved with OxyMask than those with a simple oxygen mask at low flow rates of oxygen in healthy children. What is Known: • OxyMask is expected to reduce carbon dioxide rebreathing even at low oxygen flow rates because of its structural features. • Efficacy has been demonstrated in experimental models and adult data, but clinical data on the use of the OxyMask in children are limited. What is New: • Higher fraction of inspiratory oxygen and lesser carbon dioxide rebreathing were achieved with OxyMask than with a simple oxygen mask at low flow rates of oxygen in healthy children.

Prolonged incubation period in neonatal Pasteurella multocida meningitis and bacteremia.

Pasteurella multocida, often found as part of the human oral flora and in finger/toenails, also exists in many animals, especially cats, dogs, and pigs. Although rare, pasteurella infection in neonates can cause serious systemic disease, such as meningitis. In this article, a 23-day-old girl presented with decreased appetite and irritability for >2 days. Eighteen days previously her pet cat had jumped onto the left side of her head while she was sleeping. On laboratory data C-reactive protein was high, and on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis leukocyte count was extremely high, with low glucose and high protein. P. multocida grew out of the blood and CSF cultures, and she was successfully treated with antibiotics for 3 weeks. Although pasteurellosis rarely occurs, it can sometimes lead to life-threatening situations, so parents should exercise caution when having pets around their children.