Peter W. Reed

New White Matter Brain Injury After Infant Heart Surgery Is Associated With Diagnostic Group and the Use of Circulatory Arrest

Background— Abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging scans are common both before and after surgery for congenital heart disease in early infancy. The aim of this study was to prospectively investigate the nature, timing, and consequences of brain injury on magnetic resonance imaging in a cohort of young infants undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease both with and without cardiopulmonary bypass. Methods and Results— A total of 153 infants undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease at <8 weeks of age underwent serial magnetic resonance imaging scans before and after surgery and at 3 months of age, as well as neurodevelopmental assessment at 2 years of age. White matter injury (WMI) was the commonest type of injury both before and after surgery. It occurred in 20% of infants before surgery and was associated with a less mature brain. New WMI after surgery was present in 44% of infants and at similar rates after surgery with or without cardiopulmonary bypass. The most important association was diagnostic group (P<0.001). In infants having arch reconstruction, the use and duration of circulatory arrest were significantly associated with new WMI. New WMI was also associated with the duration of cardiopulmonary bypass, postoperative lactate level, brain maturity, and WMI before surgery. Brain immaturity but not brain injury was associated with impaired neurodevelopment at 2 years of age. Conclusions— New WMI is common after surgery for congenital heart disease and occurs at the same rate in infants undergoing surgery with and without cardiopulmonary bypass. New WMI is associated with diagnostic group and, in infants undergoing arch surgery, the use of circulatory arrest.

Increasing incidence and age at diagnosis among children with type 1 diabetes mellitus over a 20-year period in Auckland (New Zealand).

Background We aimed to evaluate the incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus in children <15 years of age (yr) in the Auckland region (New Zealand) over 20 years (1990–2009). Methods We performed a retrospective review of all patients <15 yr diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, from an unselected complete regional cohort. Results There were 884 new cases of type 1 diabetes, and age at diagnosis rose from 7.6 yr in 1990/1 to 8.9 yr in 2008/9 (r2 = 0.31, p = 0.009). There was a progressive increase in type 1 diabetes incidence among children <15 yr (p<0.0001), reaching 22.5 per 100,000 in 2009. However, the rise in incidence did not occur evenly among age groups, being 2.5-fold higher in older children (10–14 yr) than in the youngest group (0–4 yr). The incidence of new cases of type 1 diabetes was highest in New Zealand Europeans throughout the study period in all age groups (p<0.0001), but the rate of increase was similar in New Zealand Europeans and Non-Europeans. Type 1 diabetes incidence and average annual increase were similar in both sexes. There was no change in BMI SDS shortly after diagnosis, and no association between BMI SDS and age at diagnosis. Conclusions There has been a steady increase in type 1 diabetes incidence among children <15 yr in Auckland over 20 years. Contrary to other studies, age at diagnosis has increased and the greatest rise in incidence occurred in children 10–14 yr. There was little change in BMI SDS in this population, providing no support for the ‘accelerator hypothesis’.

The incidence, clinical features, and treatment of type 2 diabetes in children <15 yr in a population-based cohort from Auckland, New Zealand, 1995–2007.

The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing in adolescents in most western countries. The time‐course of glycemic control and impact of early treatment remain poorly understood.

Primary prevention of pediatric abusive head trauma: a cost audit and cost-utility analysis

OBJECTIVES To obtain comprehensive, reliable data on the direct cost of pediatric abusive head trauma in New Zealand, and to use this data to evaluate the possible cost-benefit of a national primary prevention program. METHODS A 5 year cohort of infants with abusive head trauma admitted to hospital in Auckland, New Zealand was reviewed. We determined the direct costs of hospital care (from hospital and Ministry of Health financial records), community rehabilitation (from the Accident Compensation Corporation), special education (from the Ministry of Education), investigation and child protection (from the Police and Child Protective Services), criminal trials (from the Police, prosecution and defence), punishment of offenders (from the Department of Corrections) and life-time care for moderate or severe disability (from the Accident Compensation Corporation). Analysis of the possible cost-utility of a national primary prevention program was undertaken, using the costs established in our cohort, recent New Zealand national data on the incidence of pediatric abusive head trauma, international data on quality of life after head trauma, and published international literature on prevention programs. RESULTS There were 52 cases of abusive head trauma in the sample. Hospital costs totaled

Early Markers of Glycaemic Control in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

NZ2,433,340, child protection

Risk factors for perioperative adverse events in children with myotonic dystrophy

NZ1,560,123, police investigation

Impact of insulin pumps on glycaemic control in a pump-naïve paediatric regional population.

NZ1,842,237, criminal trials

Abusive head trauma and accidental head injury: a 20-year comparative study of referrals to a hospital child protection team

NZ3,214,020, punishment of offenders

Primary school children: access to toilets

NZ4,411,852 and community rehabilitation

Subdural Hemorrhage and Hypoxia in Infants With Congenital Heart Disease

NZ2,895,848. Projected education costs for disabled survivors were