Supraventricular tachycardia after withdrawal of prolonged dexmedetomidine infusion in a paediatric patient without heart disease.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Dexmedetomidine (DEX) has been reported to be safe in paediatric patients. CASE DESCRIPTION: We present the case of a girl without heart disease admitted at our PICU due to an influenza A acute respiratory distress syndrome, who suffered a paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) twelve hours after DEX progressive withdrawal was completed. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: This is the first report of PSVT as an adverse reaction to DEX in a paediatric patient without heart disease.

Pneumonia and purulent pericarditis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae: an uncommon association in the antibiotic era.

Bacterial pericarditis in children has become a rare entity in the modern antibiotic era. The most common pathogen is Staphylococcus aureus, being Streptococcus pneumoniae an exceptional cause. We present 2 children, who were diagnosed of pneumonia complicated with a pleural effusion that developed a purulent pericarditis with signs of cardiac tamponade. One of them had received 4 doses of the 7-valent conjugated pneumococcal vaccine. Systemic antibiotics and pericardial and pleural drainages were used. Pneumococcal antigens were positive in pleural and pericardial fluids in both cases, and S. pneumoniae was isolated from pleural effusion in one of them. Both children fully recovered, and none of them developed constrictive pericarditis, although 1 case presented a transient secondary left ventricular dysfunction. Routine immunization with 10- and 13-valent vaccines including a wider range of serotypes should further decrease the already low incidence.

[First report of invasive fungal disease by Candida fabianii in a non-neonatal paediatric patient]. / Primer caso de infección fúngica invasora por Candida fabianii en un paciente pediátrico no neonatal.

BACKGROUND: Invasive fungal diseases have increased in recent years. Candida species are the most common aetiology. Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Candida tropicalis, Candida glabrata and Candida krusei are the cause of most of them. The aim of this work is to describe the first isolation of Candida fabianii in the blood of a non-neonatal paediatric patient. CASE REPORT: A 2 year-old male with short bowel syndrome, severe malnutrition, and hypophosphataemic rickets deficiency was admitted to paediatric intensive care due to a respiratory tract infection and suspicion of an intestinal pseudo-obstruction. He received several cycles of broad-spectrum antibiotics for several infections due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. After the surgical correction of the intestinal disorder he suffered a new episode of sepsis where yeasts were isolated by culture. The species identification was performed by means of mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF system, Bruker Daltonic). The identity of the isolate was C.fabianii (anamorph)/Pichia fabianii (teleomorph) with a score of 2.149. Antifungal treatment with caspofungin was prescribed, with good progress of the patient. CONCLUSIONS: Molecular techniques are important for the identification of these species, although mass spectrometry offered a reliable and rapid diagnosis. Treatment with caspofungin was effective.

Severe pneumonia by Mycoplasma as an adverse event of everolimus therapy in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex.

BACKGROUND: Epilepsy is one of the most common symptoms in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC), appearing mainly in the first year of life and often resistant to therapy. Several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of everolimus but its safety in children has not yet been well reported. We present two cases of severe pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma in two children receiving everolimus for epilepsy secondary to TSC. STUDY CASES: Both patients were admitted to the PICU for severe pneumonia with pleural effusion. One of them needed support with high concentration of oxygen and broad spectrum antibiotics and the other developed a septic shock with acute respiratory distress needing mechanical ventilation, vasoactive drugs, pleural drainage and broad-spectrum antibiotics. Everolimus was discontinued and in both patients Mycoplasma pneumoniae was identified by PCR. Both patients were discharged without sequelae. CONCLUSION: Everolimus therapy for epilepsy in the context of TCS could be associated, as in these two cases, with severe bacterial infection by Mycoplasma.

Primer caso de infección fúngica invasora por Candida fabianii en un paciente pediátrico no neonatal / First report of invasive fungal disease by Candida fabianii in a non-neonatal paediatric patient

Antecedentes. Las enfermedades fúngicas invasoras se han incrementado en los últimos años, y las de especies del género Candida son las de etiología más común. Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Candida tropicalis, Candida glabrata y Candida krusei son las responsables de la mayoría de las infecciones fúngicas. El objetivo de este trabajo es describir el primer aislamiento en sangre de Candida fabianii en un paciente pediátrico no neonatal. Caso clínico. Varón de 2 años de edad con síndrome de intestino corto, malnutrición severa y raquitismo hipofosfatémico carencial, que ingresó en la unidad de cuidados intensivos pediátricos por una infección respiratoria de vías bajas y sospecha de pseudoobstrucción intestinal. Precisó varios ciclos de antibioterapia de amplio espectro por infecciones por Pseudomonas aeruginosa y Escherichia coli. Tras la corrección quirúrgica de su patología intestinal comenzó con un nuevo episodio de sepsis, del que se aislaron levaduras por cultivo. La identificación se realizó mediante espectrometría de masas por el sistema MALDI-TOF (Bruker Daltonic). El resultado obtenido fue el de C. fabianii (anamorfo)/Pichia fabianii (teleomorfo), con un score de 2,149. Se inició un tratamiento antifúngico con caspofungina, con buena evolución del paciente. Conclusiones. Es importante realizar técnicas de biología molecular para la identificación de este tipo de especies, aunque la espectrometría de masas ofreció un diagnóstico fiable y rápido. El tratamiento con caspofungina fue eficaz (AU)

Background. Invasive fungal diseases have increased in recent years. Candida species are the most common aetiology. Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Candida tropicalis, Candida glabrata and Candida krusei are the cause of most of them. The aim of this work is to describe the first isolation of Candida fabianii in the blood of a non-neonatal paediatric patient. Case report. A 2 year-old male with short bowel syndrome, severe malnutrition, and hypophosphataemic rickets deficiency was admitted to paediatric intensive care due to a respiratory tract infection and suspicion of an intestinal pseudo-obstruction. He received several cycles of broad-spectrum antibiotics for several infections due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. After the surgical correction of the intestinal disorder he suffered a new episode of sepsis where yeasts were isolated by culture. The species identification was performed by means of mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF system, Bruker Daltonic). The identity of the isolate was C. fabianii (anamorph)/Pichia fabianii (teleomorph) with a score of 2.149. Antifungal treatment with caspofungin was prescribed, with good progress of the patient. Conclusions. Molecular techniques are important for the identification of these species, although mass spectrometry offered a reliable and rapid diagnosis. Treatment with caspofungin was effective (AU)