Elevated C-reactive protein and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in children with chronic liver disease and ascites.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to compare laboratory indices of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) and noninfected ascites in children with chronic liver disease and to determine the infectious agents involved in SBP. METHODS: The medical records of 90 children with chronic liver disease and ascites studied between January 2005 and August 2011 were reviewed for laboratory data of diagnostic significance in SBP. Standard laboratory tests included blood cell count, coagulation indices, liver and renal function tests, C-reactive protein (CRP), serum sodium concentration, serum albumin, and serum cultures. Ascitic fluid obtained from 152 paracentesis procedures was assayed for cytology, Gram stains, neutrophil counts, and bacteriological cultures. RESULTS: The SBP group manifested significantly lower albumin levels and elevated CRP levels, prothrombin times, international normalized ratios, and leukocyte number (P<0.05 in each case). CRP was shown to be an independent variable in the prediction of SBP. Values of serum creatinine, sodium concentration, urea, total bilirubin and differential leukocyte shift were comparable in SBP and noninfected ascites. Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most prevalent infectious agent in the ascitic fluid (44%). CONCLUSIONS: CRP may be useful in early detection and monitoring of SBP in children with liver disease.

Role of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit during the COVID-19 Pandemia: recommendations from the neonatology discipline.

On 11th March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 a pandemic. The Obstetrics and Neonatology disciplines needed to be revised to suit the institutional need to expand intensive care beds to care for confirmed or suspected patients with COVID-19 in the state of São Paulo, following the recommendations of the Institutional Crisis Committee. Three different actions were needed: the structuring of teams and advanced medical post to attend COVID-19-free patients and those with suspect or confirmed COVID-19; elaborating the protocols from the delivery room throughout hospitalization. Some special considerations about breastfeeding and rooming-in were needed. The third action was the drafting of a protocol to admit infants from other hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 as the unit never admitted outpatients before.

Using the Manchester triage system for refusing nonurgent patients in the emergency department: A 30-day outcome study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the long-term outcomes and satisfaction of nonurgent patients who seek care in the emergency department (ED) and are diverted to primary health services (PHS). METHODS: Data were collected from 264 nonurgent patients diverted from the ED of a tertiary public university hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. The nonurgent patient definition was performed by Manchester triage system version II (MTS-II) associated to medical interview in the triage service. Satisfaction levels were evaluated by telephone interviews. The outcomes were assessed within 30 days after the ED visit. RESULTS: Based on the MTS-II, 56.4 percent of the diverted patients were classified as green, 34.3 percent as blue, and 9.3 percent as white. Only one patient required a hospital admission and no deaths were registered within 30 days after ED diversion. After diversion, the majority of patients searched for PHS (62.7 percent), 14.4 percent sought out other EDs, and 22.9 percent did not seek out any other health services. Regarding patient satisfaction, 61.9 percent evaluated the triage team as fair, good, or very good. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that diverting nonurgent patients from the ED to PHS may be carried out in a hierarchic system like the Brazilian public healthcare system. The MTS-II can be a useful triage system to support physician in the diverting process. In addition, patient satisfaction with the refusing was reasonable. Future studies should be designed to evaluate patient safety outcomes in a larger sample and in different healthcare systems.