The ostrich syndrome: obstetrician gynecologists and human immunodeficiency virus exposure

Obstetrician-gynecologists and midwives as well as surgical and labor and delivery staff are at risk for contact with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but measures can be taken to reduce the risk of exposure and transmission. Physician denial of exposure is common. Prompt identification of exposure, including rapid testing of index patients of unknown HIV status, combined with prompt initiation of prophylactic medication, may reduce transmission by 81%.     

Appendicitis in cystic fibrosis.

Appendicitis is said to be uncommon and difficult to diagnose in cystic fibrosis. The clinical and radiological features in nine patients with cystic fibrosis who had appendicitis were studied. All but one of the patients had an appendiceal abscess at surgery. Four patients had a delay in diagnosis of greater than three days before the correct diagnosis was made. This delay may have been due to a more indolent presentation or because these patients were initially considered to have distal intestinal obstruction syndrome. Appendicitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis if a contrast enema demonstrates extrinsic compression of the caecum. Ultrasound, computed tomography, and gallium scans were found to be of limited help in our series.     

Clinical-physiologic correlations in acute asthma of childhood

Seventy-one patients who presented to the emergency room with acute asthma were evaluated to determine the relationship between common clinical signs and spirometric and transcutaneous arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) measurements. Prior to treatment, a physical examination was performed, a clinical score assigned, and pulmonary function and SaO2 were measured. Although forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and SaO2 had strong correlation with the overall clinical score (r2 = .47, .49 respectively), many patients with low clinical scores and apparent mild clinical disease had low FEV1 values (as low as 20% predicted). Of the individual components of the clinical score (ie, heart rate, respiratory rate, pulsus paradoxus, accessory muscle use, dyspnea, and wheezing), the degree of accessory muscle use correlated most closely with lung function followed by the degree of dyspnea and wheezing. Similarly, the degree of accessory muscle use correlated most closely with SaO2 followed by dyspnea and respiratory rate. Significant correlation (r2 = .59) was found between SaO2 and FEV1, although the range of SaO2 value for a given FEV1 was wide and some patients with low FEV1 values had normal SaO2 values. These results show that although clinically apparent severe disease and hypoxemia were always associated with low FEV1, their absence does not exclude the presence of airflow obstruction. It is concluded that for the optimal evaluation of acute asthma in children in the emergency room, clinical evaluation should be used in conjunction with objective laboratory measurements.     

Correlation of APACHE II score, drainage technique and outcome in postoperative intra-abdominal abscess

The APACHE II Score was used to stratify retrospectively severity of illness in 91 patients postoperatively undergoing drainage of intra-abdominal abscesses. The method of initial abscess drainage (percutaneous or operative) was selected by the attending physician. The two groups of patients, those whose initial drainage was performed percutaneously versus operatively were similar with respect to age, sex, abscess location and, most importantly, severity of illness as assessed by the APACHE II score calculated on the day of their abscess drainage. Over-all, the mortality rate was 29 per cent (26 of 91 patients). Only 1.7 per cent of the patients with an APACHE II score of less than 15 died compared with 78 per cent when APACHE II was equal to or more than 15 (p less than 0.0001). Only 8 per cent of patients with APACHE II equal to or more than 15 undergoing percutaneous drainage survived compared with 30 per cent of patients who underwent surgical drainage procedures. While chi-square analysis demonstrated independence between outcome and drainage technique, outcome was dependent upon severity of illness (p less than 0.0005). Paradoxically, despite the attractiveness of a percutaneous technique for abscess drainage in the most ill patients, in this series, a better, although not statistically improved, chance for survival was noted with surgical treatment. We recommend that an objective severity scoring system be used whenever assessing results of treatment of intraabdominal infection and that surgical treatment not be avoided because the patient is considered to be too ill.     

Severe acute asthma in a pediatric intensive care unit: six years' experience

The management of children with severe acute asthma who required admission to the intensive care (ICU) of this hospital during 1982 to 1988 was reviewed retrospectively. A total of 89 children were admitted to the ICU on 125 occasions. During the study period, 24% of the patients were admitted to the ICU on more than one occasion. Prior to admission to this hospital, patients had been symptomatic for a mean of 48 hours. Although all patients had received bronchodilators before admission to hospital, only 23% of patients had received oral corticosteroids. According to initial arterial blood gas values determined in the ICU, 77% of the patients had hypercapnia (PaCO2 greater than 45 mm Hg). The pharmacologic agents used in the ICU included nebulized beta 2-agonists (100% of admissions), theophylline (99%), steroids (94%), nebulized ipratropium bromide (10%), IV albuterol (38%), and IV isoproterenol (10%). Mechanical ventilation was necessary in 33% of admissions; the mean duration of ventilation was 32 hours. Ten patients had pneumothorax; in six cases, these were related to mechanical ventilation. Three of the patients who received mechanical ventilation died, representing a mortality of 7.5%. In each of these patients, sudden, severe asthma episodes had developed at home, resulting in respiratory arrest. They had evidence of hypoxic encephalopathy at the time of admission to the ICU and eventually were declared brain dead. It was concluded that delay in seeking medical care and underuse of oral corticosteroids at home may have contributed to the need for ICU admission.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Nebulized albuterol in acute bronchiolitis

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 40 infants between 6 weeks and 24 months of age who had a first episode of wheezing and other signs and symptoms of bronchiolitis were randomly assigned to receive either nebulized albuterol (0.15 mg/kg/dose) or placebo (saline solution) for two administrations 1 hour apart. The albuterol therapy resulted in a significantly greater improvement in the accessory muscle score (decreases 0.70 vs decreases 0.30; p = 0.03), oxygen saturation (increases 0.71% vs decreases 0.47%; p = 0.01) after one dose, and in the accessory muscle score (decreases 0.86 vs decreases 0.37; p = 0.02), respiratory rate (decreases 19.6% vs decreases 8.0%; p = 0.016), and oxygen saturation (increases 0.76% vs decreases 0.79%; p = 0.015) after two doses of the drug. The response to therapy was similar in infants younger and those older than 6 months of age. The heart rate rose slightly more in the albuterol group (increases 7.76 from baseline) versus the placebo group (decreases 6.79). There were no other side effects of the treatment. Of the 34 children from whom nasal specimens were obtained by swab for viral identification, 24 had positive test results (21 for respiratory syncytial virus, 1 for parainfluenza, 1 for paramyxovirus, and 1 for influenza A). We conclude that nebulized albuterol constitutes a safe and effective treatment of infants with bronchiolitis.     

Pulmonary function and clinical course in patients with cystic fibrosis after pulmonary colonization with Pseudomonas aeruginosa

To evaluate the relationship between Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization and the development of lung disease, we studied 895 patients who attended our cystic fibrosis clinic between 1975 and 1988. The prevalence of P. aeruginosa colonization was 82%. Patients who acquired P. aeruginosa in the first year of life had a similar 10-year survival rate (85%) to that in patients who were colonized between the ages of 1 and 7 years (87%), and to that in patients colonized after the age of 7 years (78%). One year before colonization, mean age, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity, and forced expiratory flow in the mid-expiratory phase were similar to those in a group of patients who remained free of P. aeruginosa. No significant change in pulmonary function variables could be demonstrated 1 year and 2 years after the colonization. The rate and duration of hospitalization did not increase in the years after P. aeruginosa colonization compared with the years before colonization. By the age of 7 years, the mean percentage of predicted FEV1 was lower by 10% in patients who were already colonized by P. aeruginosa compared with those who were not colonized (p less than 0.01). A similar reduction in FEV1 was observed at all ages from 7 to 35 years, but no precipitate rate of decline in FEV1 could be associated with P. aeruginosa colonization. We conclude that although P. aeruginosa colonization is associated with 10% lower lung function, it does not cause an immediate and rapid reduction, as has been previously reported. The clinical course and the pulmonary deterioration in cystic fibrosis after P. aeruginosa colonization is a gradual and variable process.     

Renal calcium handling in cystic fibrosis: lack of evidence for a primary renal defect.

Because cystic fibrosis (CF) epithelia have ion transport abnormalities that may in part be regulated by intracellular calcium metabolism, and the kidney is actively involved in both ion transport and calcium homeostasis, we have investigated renal calcium handling in CF. Twenty-four-hour urine collections were analyzed in 34 CF patients (age 5 to 35 years) and kidney ultrasound studies were performed in 17 CF patients (age 6 months to 23 years). Renal histologic findings at postmortem examination of 14 CF patients (age 4 months to 23 years) were compared with those of 12 patients (age 11 months to 17 years) with other chronic illnesses (6 congenital heart disease, 6 malignancy). In 30 of the 34 CF patients urinary calcium excretion was normal (less than 4 mg (0.1 mmol)/kg/24 hr). Four CF patients had hypercalciuria (calcium excretion 4.4 to 8.8 mg (0.11 to 0.22 mmol)/kg/24 hr). However, these patients had other possible explanations for hypercalciuria, such as immobilization (n = 2), increased dietary sodium load (n = 1), and glucocorticoid therapy (n = 1). None of the 17 patients examined by renal ultrasonography had nephrocalcinosis. Five CF patients had histologic evidence of sparse nephrocalcinosis at autopsy. However, 6 of 12 autopsy kidney specimens from patients with other chronic illnesses and similar preterminal events also showed nephrocalcinosis. The hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis in CF and other chronic debilitating diseases may be explained by factors known to affect calcium handling. Our evidence does not support a primary renal defect as the basis of hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis in CF.     

Controlled trial of nebulized albuterol in children younger than 2 years of age with acute asthma.

To determine the response to nebulized beta 2 agonist, 28 children younger than 2 years of age who visited the emergency department during an episode of acute asthma were studied. Each subject had a previous history of recurrent wheezing episodes. They were randomly assigned to receive two administrations of either nebulized albuterol (0.15 mg/kg per dose) or placebo (normal saline) with oxygen, 1 hour apart. After two nebulizations, the albuterol-treated patients had a greater improvement in clinical status (respiratory rate, degree of wheezing and accessory muscle use, total clinical score, and arterial oxygen saturation) than the placebo group. None of the patients in the albuterol group experienced a decrease of arterial oxygen saturation of greater than or equal to 2%. It is concluded that a trial of nebulized beta 2 agonists is warranted in the treatment of acute asthma in infants and young children.