Complications associated with central venous catheters inserted in critically ill neonates

OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence and spectrum of complications associated with central venous catheter (CVC) placement in the critically ill infant. DESIGN: A prospective study of all babies hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) from January 1989 to December 1989. Potential risk factors associated with infection were evaluated by a case-control comparison. SETTING: Conducted at a university-affiliated, tertiary care community hospital. PATIENTS: Neonates requiring intensive care and a central venous catheter. Controls consisted of noninfected babies. RESULTS: Of 263 critically ill neonates, only 13 (4.9%) required a CVC insertion. Seventeen CVCs were placed in these 13 neonates for a total duration of 600 days (median, 32 days/cannula). Fifteen (88%) of these cannulas had one or more complications during its catheter life including dislodgement or leakage (53%), occlusion or thrombosis (47%), infections (29%), or minor bleeding (12%). Five babies (29%) developed 6 episodes of bloodstream infection including 3 sporadic cases due to Staphylococcus epidermidis and a cluster of fungemia due to Malassezia furfur associated with lipid emulsion therapy. Infants with a CVC-associated infection were a younger gestational age (24 weeks versus 32 weeks, p = .04) and weighed less at birth (580 g versus 1285 g, p = .02). The overall rate of bloodstream infection was one episode per 100 days of catheter use. CONCLUSIONS: CVCs may be lifesaving to a critically ill neonate, but complications occur frequently. Use must be restricted to infants in whom alternate delivery routes of intravenous therapy or support are otherwise unavailable.     

Resting and total energy expenditure in patients with ischemic heart disease.

Total energy expenditure (TEE) was measured by doubly labeled water in 13 preoperative patients undergoing elective coronary artery surgery and compared to resting energy expenditure (REE) measured by indirect calorimetry (IC) calculated from the Harris-Benedict (HB) formula or from formulas based on midarm circumference and arm muscle circumference. Mean REE measured by IC and calculated from the HB, midarm circumference, arm muscle circumference formulas were 62, 75, 62, and 69%, respectively, of TEE measured by doubly labeled water. REE measured by IC correlated significantly with that predicted by the HB (p = 0.006) but not the anthropometric formulas. The relationship between REE derived from anthropometric predictive formulas and REE measured by IC is altered in ischemic heart disease.     

Serious respiratory consequences of detergent ingestions in children

After ingesting or inhaling laundry detergent powder, eight children required hospital admission. The predominant symptoms were stridor, drooling, and respiratory distress. All but one patient underwent endoscopy of the airways and the esophagus, five children were admitted to the intensive care unit, and four children required endotracheal intubation. Laundry detergent ingestions are generally considered to have minor consequences, and there exists a paucity of literature on the subject. Evidence of significant morbidity incurred because of ingestion or inhalation of sodium carbonate-containing laundry detergent powder is presented, together with a review of the existing literature.     

Transplantability of human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas in athymic nude mice

Tumor material from 91 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck was transplanted subcutaneously in athymic nude mice. In the first (man to mouse) passage, the calculated mean probability of tumor take in a single mouse was 11%. The probability of growth in the first passage was significantly better for moderately and poorly differentiated tumors than for well-differentiated tumors. Also, the implantation of lymph node material resulted in a significantly better tumor take rate than material taken from a primary tumor. Transplantability was not dependent on the following characteristics: localization, T or N stage of the tumor, or the sex of the patients. Once growth was established, all variables studied had no influence on the probability of growth in the subsequent mouse passages. A relationship between tumor growth in nude mice and patient prognosis could not be found. When transplanting head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in nude mice, it has to be recognized that some tumor characteristics will influence the success of tumor growth.