Daniela Carla de Souza

Availability of pediatric and neonatal intensive care units in the city of São Paulo

OBJECTIVE To describe the health care service provided in pediatric intensive care units in the city of São Paulo, by identifying and describing the units and analyzing their geographic distribution. METHODS A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out during a two-year period (August 2000 to July 2002). Data were collected through questionnaires answered by medical directors of each pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit. RESULTS São Paulo is served by 107 pediatric and neonatal intensive care units, of which 85 (79.4%) completed and returned the questionnaire. We found a very unequal distribution of units as there were more units in places with the least pediatric population. Regarding to pediatric intensive care units specialization, 7% were pediatric, 41.2% were neonatal and 51.7% were mixed (pediatric and neonatal). Regarding hospital funds, 15.3% were associated with philanthropic institutions, 37.6% were private and 47% were public. A total of 1,067 beds were identified, of which 969 were active. The ratio bed/patient aged 0-14 was 1/2,728, varying from 1/604 at health districts-I to 1/6,812 at health districts-III. The units reported an average of 11.7 beds (2 to 60). The neonatal intensive care unit had a median of 16.9 beds per unit and pediatric intensive care units a median of 8.5 beds/unit. CONCLUSION In São Paulo, we found an uneven distribution of pediatric and neonatal intensive care units among the health districts. There was also an uneven distribution between public and private units, and neonatal and pediatric ones. The current report is the first step in the effort to improve the quality of medical assistance in pediatric and neonatal intensive care units in São Paulo.

Avaliação clínica de reabsorção radicular externa em dentes desvitalizados submetidos ao clareamento

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the presence of external resorption in non-vital teeth submitted to bleaching. The evaluated patients had at least one non-vital tooth, which had been bleached between 1986 and 1996. All teeth were submitted to bleaching with hydrogen peroxide and sodium perborate, as described by Busato et al.5,6. From 193 patients recalled for clinical and radiographic evaluation of bleached teeth, only 43 attended (54 teeth). The average time elapsed after bleaching was 3.5 years. The results revealed that none of the examined teeth had any degree of external cervical resorption.

Septic Shock, Necrotizing Pneumonitis, and Meningoencephalitis Caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae in a Child: A Case Report

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is an important causative agent of respiratory infection in childhood. Although the infection caused by M. pneumoniae is classically described as benign, severe and life-threatening pulmonary and extrapulmonary complications can occur. This study describes the first case of septic shock related to M. pneumoniae in a child with necrotizing pneumonitis, severe encephalitis, and multiple organs involvement, with a favorable outcome after lobectomy and systemic corticosteroids

The Epidemiology of Sepsis in Childhood.

Background: Sepsis, or systemic inflammatory response to infection, is a major childhood disease and a common cause of death in children. Despite its importance, a global perspective on the epidemiology and mortality of pediatric sepsis across the world is still lacking. Methods: A non-systematic review of the medical articles published in Medline from 2005 to 2015. Results: Studies suggest that there has been a rise in the number of pediatric sepsis cases along the last two decades, which may relate to the increased survival of preterm and low birth-weight infants and children with severe chronic conditions. Children living in low-income countries represent a vulnerable population for sepsis. Despite several initiatives to improve the diagnosis and early treatment of pediatric sepsis, the mortality resulting from pediatric sepsis remains high, ranging from 5% to 40%. Poor outcomes, however, do not seem to be related to the limitation of resources but to the delay in the recognition and early treatment of sepsis. Conclusions: Educational efforts aiming to increase the awareness on sepsis by the general public and the adherence to the treatment guidelines by healthcare providers may result in significant improvements in sepsis survival. The global attention to pediatric sepsis, however, can only be achieved with the standardization of the definitions and the use of simple and sensitive diagnostic criteria that incorporate the differences in the necessities among different settings and the availability of local resources.

Epidemiology of Sepsis in Children Admitted to Picus in South America

Objectives: To report the prevalence of sepsis within the first 24 hours at admission and the PICU sepsis-related mortality among critically ill children admitted to PICU in South America. Design: A prospective multicenter cohort study. Setting: Twenty-one PICU, located in five South America countries. Patients: All children from 29 days to 17 years old admitted to the participating PICU between June 2011 and September 2011. Clinical, demographic, and laboratory data were registered within the first 24 hours at admission. Outcomes were registered upon PICU discharge or death. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Of the 1,090 patients included in this study, 464 had sepsis. The prevalence of sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock were 42.6%, 25.9%, and 19.8%, respectively. The median age of sepsis patients was 11.6 months (interquartile range, 3.2–48.7) and 43% had one or more prior chronic condition. The prevalence of sepsis was higher in infants (50.4%) and lower in adolescents (1.9%). Sepsis-related mortality was 14.2% and was consistently higher with increased disease severity: 4.4% for sepsis, 12.3% for severe sepsis, and 23.1% for septic shock. Twenty-five percent of deaths occurred within the first 24 hours at PICU admission. Multivariate analysis showed that higher Pediatric Risk of Mortality and Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction scores, the presence of two or more chronic conditions, and admission from pediatric wards were independently associated with death. Conclusions: We observed high prevalence of sepsis and sepsis-related mortality among this sample of children admitted to PICU in South America. Mortality was associated with greater severity of illness at admission and potentially associated with late PICU referral.

Comparison between an upper airway obstruction score and airway endoscopy to detect airway injury associated with endotracheal intubation in children

OBJECTIVE To compare an upper airway obstruction score vs. airway endoscopy to detect moderate or severe airway injury associated with endotracheal intubation in children. METHODS Prospective study. Airway endoscopy and clinical evaluation were performed after extubation. Airway injuries identified on endoscopy or according to the upper airway obstruction score were classified as minor, moderate or severe. The obstruction score was assessed in terms of sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and likelihood ratio to detect moderate or severe injuries. RESULTS Among 215 patient, endoscopy was normal in 10.2%. Minor lesions were diagnosed in 54.9% of the patients, followed by moderate (24.2%) and severe (10.7%) lesions. In 163 patients with upper airway obstruction, the score classified injuries as minor in 23.3%, moderate in 41.4% and severe in 11.2%. A score > or = 4 had a sensitivity of 73.3% (95% CI: 67.4-79.2) to detect moderate or severe injuries and a specificity of 58.6% (95% CI: 52.0-65.2) to exclude patients without moderate or severe lesions. The positive predictive value of a score > or = 4 was 48.7% (95% CI: 42.0-55.4). In patients with a score < or = 3 the chance of not presenting moderate or severe injuries was 80.4% (95% CI: 75.1-85.7). The probability of a patient with moderate or severe injuries to present a score > or = 4 was 73.3% compared to patients without those injuries (41.4%) (1.8 fold higher). CONCLUSIONS The score reliably ruled out moderate or severe airway injury in patients with minor upper airway distress. On the other hand, scores > or = 4 presented a low specificity. Clinical evaluation can be useful to rule out patients with minor airway injuries.