Pediatric poisoning from trimedoxime (TMB4) and atropine automatic injectors

OBJECTIVE: To describe the effects of combined trimedoxime (TMB4) and atropine poisoning from automatic injectors (AI) in children. STUDY DESIGN: Data was collected from two sources: calls to the Israel Poison Information Center (IPIC) during a 1-year period and a cohort of children who presented to pediatric emergency departments (EDs) after unintentional injection of an AI. Demographic data and data regarding the type of AI, site and time of injection, and the clinical manifestations were abstracted. RESULTS: Data were available for 142 patients. The median age was 8.5 years (range 1.25-18 years). The dose of atropine and TMB4 was higher than the recommended dose for age in 22 (15.5%) cases. There were few side effects attributable to atropine: dilated pupils (26.7%), dryness of mucous membranes (24.6%), and tachycardia (22.5%). Compared with children injected with an age-appropriate dose, children injected with an AI that contained a dose that exceeds the recommended one were more likely to be symptomatic ( P = .029). There were no side effects characteristic to oximes, and no specific medical intervention was required. CONCLUSIONS: Unintentional pediatric atropine and TMB4 injection, even an adult dose in a small child, does not cause significant side effects.     

Successful outcome of severe Amanita phalloides poisoning in children

Amanita phalloides intoxication can lead to FHF with high mortality, especially in children. There is still ongoing discussion about the optimal treatment and decision criteria for emergency liver transplantation (LTx). Here, we summarize our experience with outcomes in five children. Five children with severe A. phalloides intoxication were treated at our tertiary center from 1995 to 2010 and studied retrospectively with respect to clinical and laboratory aspects that might help to decide between LTx or conservative therapy only. The findings are discussed with regard to recommended treatment and transplantation criteria for adults. All patients survived, of whom two of five received emergency LTx. Three patients survived with conservative treatment consisting of intravenous silibinin, NAC, detoxification measures, and intensive care. Indications for LTx in two children were progressive brain edema and cardiovascular failure. Children with FHF due to A. phalloides intoxication should be considered early for emergency LTx but should be monitored closely for the necessity of definite LTx. Early detoxification with active charcoal as well as silibinin and NAC seems to improve the outcome. Late recovery of liver function after day 4 post‐ingestion is possible.     

Accidental poisoning in the first three years of life

ABSTRACT. The incidence of accidental poisoning was examined prospectively in a birth cohort of 1124 children.
Nineteen percent of children had at least one incident of poisoning or suspected poisoning by the age of three years.
No medical treatment was sought for 33.5% of poisoning incidents and of those poisonings for which treatment was sought, only two cases required management beyond observation, induced vomiting or gastric lavage.
The most frequent sources of poisoning were medicines, household cleansers and petrochemicals.
Poisoning occurred more frequently in children of young mothers; children who entered single parent families at birth; children whose mothers reported a large number of problems with the child; children from homes reporting a large number of life events and stresses; children from homes where parental separation had occurred; children from families who made multiple changes of residence and in children whose mothers had been prescribed tranquillisers and/or antidepressant medication. Logistic regression analysis showed that the strongest predictors of poisoning were the mother's reports of problems with her child and the mother's use of tranquillisers and/or antidepressant medication.     

Clonidine poisoning in children: a recent experience

OBJECTIVES: To identify cases of clonidine poisoning presenting to a tertiary paediatric hospital and to investigate trends in presentation, outcome and prevention. Furthermore, any public health implications of the use of clonidine in children are to be explored. METHODS: Cases of clonidine poisoning presenting to Royal Children's Hospital were reviewed over the period from 1997 to 2001 (inclusive), with significant data obtained from coded medical records. RESULTS: Twenty-four cases of clonidine poisoning were identified over the 5-year period. Nine patients ingested their own medication, which was prescribed for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Clonidine was prescribed for a child in 16 cases (67%). Impaired conscious state and bradycardia were the most common presenting features. Activated charcoal was given in 14 cases and volume expansion in six. There were 12 children (50%) who required admission to intensive care for monitoring, including three who received mechanical ventilation. The average length of stay was 25.7 h with no long-term complications. CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest series of clonidine poisoning in children recorded in Australia, with morbidity considerable. Emphasis needs to be placed on educating parents of clonidine's dangers in overdose to their own children as well as others.     

Plant poisoning : A hospital-based study in Sri Lanka

This is a prospective hospital based study of 148 cases of plant poisoning seen by the author during a 12 year period. All cases were accidental. There were 2 deaths. Some measures to reduce the incidence of plant poisoning in Sri Lanka are listed.     

小儿急性中毒的特点和诊治进展

儿童急性中毒的发生与周围环境密切相关.我国儿童急性中毒以农药、药物和灭鼠药为主,主要因误服误食所致,重症急性中毒的病死率仍较高.加强对药物和上述毒物的管理,可以从源头减少中毒机会.对疑似中毒的患儿,除详细询问病史和查体外,多数情况下毒物鉴定是明确有元中毒和病情严重程度最直接、客观的方法.及时诊断、合理使用解毒药物、普及血液净化治疗技术、重视支持疗法是成功救治的关键.准确而全面的临床流行病学资料有助于对地区性、年龄阶段性及不同性别的中毒起到警示作用.     

儿童急性中毒影响因素及治疗研究进展

急性中毒在儿童各年龄段均可发生,威胁儿童的生命健康.在发达国家,儿童中毒有完善的中毒监测网络,可以准确地反映儿童中毒的相关因素,对中毒做出及时迅速的干预和救治.我国儿童中毒的病死率高,缺乏完善的监测网络.本文就儿童急性中毒的相关因素及治疗做一综述.     

Mushroom poisoning in children: liver MDCT findings in three cases

Wild mushroom poisoning occurs quite frequently in Turkey, usually during late summer and autumn when climatic conditions favour fungal growth. We report the MDCT findings of the liver in three children after mushroom poisoning. In all three patients, precontrast MDCT findings showed diffuse reduction of hepatic attenuation compared with the spleen. Contrast-enhanced MDCT images showed homogeneous contrast enhancement of the liver. All three patients recovered after medical treatment. A follow-up precontrast MDCT examination was performed in one patient in whom the density of the liver parenchyma had returned to normal.     

586例急性中毒住院患儿临床特征分析

目的对急性中毒住院患儿的临床特征进行分析,为儿童急性中毒的预防和治疗提供参考。方法回顾性分析重庆医科大学附属儿童医院2006年1月至2015年12月出院并确诊为中毒的586例住院患儿的临床资料。结果 586例患儿中,男354例,女232例;年龄24 d至15.8岁;婴幼儿和学龄前期患儿450例(76.8%);农村患儿463例(79.0%);意外中毒551例(94.0%)。药物、农药、鼠药中毒分别221例(37.7%)、167例(28.5%)和175例(29.9%)。中毒物质在城市和农村患儿的分布差异有统计学意义(P0.01),其中城市中毒患儿以药物为主要中毒物质,农村患儿中农药中毒所占比例最高。药物、农药、鼠药中毒患儿的主要临床表现差异有统计学意义(P0.01),分别以神经系统、消化系统、循环系统症状为主;不同物质中毒患儿治疗总有效率差异无统计学意义。结论儿童急性中毒主要发生在婴幼儿和学龄前儿童;多发生在农村;多为意外中毒;药物中毒是造成急性中毒的主要原因;不同物质所致中毒患儿主要的临床表现不同,但临床治疗的总有效率无明显差异。     

Lessons learned on lead poisoning in children: One‐hundred years on from Turner's declaration

There is significant emerging evidence showing life‐long negative health, intellectual and socio‐behavioural impacts as a result of childhood blood lead concentrations well below the widely used intervention level of 10 µg/dL. This issue raises serious health concerns for children in several Australian smelting and mining towns. Routine educational and home cleanliness advice to wet mop floors rather than to use a brush and pan to reduce lead exposure risks have been shown to have limited efficacy. This paper argues, as advocated 100 years ago by Queensland doctor Alfred Jefferis Turner, that childhood lead poisoning can only be mitigated via primary prevention and reduction of contaminants at source. Given that the effects of lead exposure are irreversible, there is a strong argument for the application of the precautionary principle to dealing with childhood lead exposure. There is a clear need to improve regulatory controls and emissions management to reduce environmental lead exposure risks.     

Identifying clinical practice guidelines for the supportive care of children with cancer: A report from the Children's Oncology Group

Providing evidence‐based supportive care for children with cancer has the potential to optimize treatment outcomes and improve quality of life. The Children's Oncology Group (COG) Supportive Care Guidelines Subcommittee conducted a systematic review to identify current supportive care clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) relevant to childhood cancer or pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Only 22 papers met the 2011 Institute of Medicine criteria to be considered a CPG. The results highlight the paucity of CPGs available to pediatric oncology healthcare professionals and the pressing need to create CPGs using current methodological standards.     

Combined therapy in children and adolescents with classical Hodgkin's lymphoma: A report from the SFCE on MDH-03 national guidelines

Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) in children and adolescents is highly curable, but children are at risk of long-term toxicity. The MDH-03 guidelines were established in order to decrease the burden of treatment in good-responder patients, and this report should be considered a step toward further optimization of treatment within large collaborative trials. We report the therapy and long-term outcomes of 417 children and adolescents treated according to the national guidelines, which were applied between 2003 and 2007 in France. The patients were stratified into three groups according to disease extension. Chemotherapy consisted of four cycles of VBVP (vinblastine, bleomycin, VP16, prednisone) in localized stages (G1/95 pts/23%), four cycles of COPP/ABV (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, prednisone, adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine) cycles in intermediate stages (G2/184 pts/44%) and three cycles of OPPA (vincristine, procarbazine, prednisone, adriamycin) plus three cycles of COPP in advanced stages (G3/138 pts/33%). Radiation therapy of the involved field was given to 97% of the patients, with the dose limited to 20 Gy in good responders (88%). With a median follow-up of 6.6 years, the 5-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were 86.7% (83.1–89.7%) and 97% (94.5–98.1%), respectively. EFS and OS for G1, G2, and G3 were 98% and 100%, 81% and 97%, and 87% and 95%, respectively. Low-risk patients treated without alkylating agents and anthracycline had excellent outcomes and a low expected incidence of late effects. Intensification with a third OPPA cycle in high-risk group patients, including stage IV patients, allowed for very good outcomes, without increased toxicity.     

Initial management of suspected poisoning in children and young people

The child or young person with suspected poisoning is a relatively common emergency presentation in paediatrics. The toxic agent is frequently known, though on occasion a significant amount of detective work is required. Fortunately, poisoning causing significant harm is rare, but the possibility is ever present. The cornerstone of assessment and management is good medical and nursing care, combined with early recourse to specialist advice when the risk or presence of significant harm is identified. An overview of the approach to these clinical situations is outlined with practical examples provided to illustrate this for common poisons.     

An unknow risk group of lead poisoning: The gypsy children

The differences in average blood lead levels (PbB) between iron-deficient children of both gypsy and Caucasian origin were determined. PbB were assayed in 89 irondeficient children (Group ID): 25 gypsies and 64 Caucasians. Two sub-groups were established: sub-group ID1, 57 iron-deficent children without anaemia (11 gypsies, 46 Caucasians), and sub-group ID2, 32 children with iron deficiency anaemia (14 gypsies; 18 Caucasians). Group IS composed of 41 iron-sufficient children (11 gypsies and 30 Caucasians) served as controls. Blood counts, red-cell indices, serum iron concentrations, serum ferritin, and PbB were determined for the intire study population. The average PbB for gypsy and Caucasian iron-deficient children, were 14.25 and 7.25 g/dl (P<0.001) respectively. The prevalerence of iron-deficient children with toxic PbB (>20g/dl) was higher in gypsies (24%) than in Caucasians (1.5%) (P<0.001). A difference in average PbB between the two ethnic groups was also seen in children with normal iron metabolism (average PbB, 10.23 vs 5.65 g/dl for gypsies and Caucasians, respectively,P<0.001).Conclusion Gypsy children should be considered as a population group at risk of lead poisoning in our environment.