Browsing by Subject "Paediatric Medicine"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Abdominal surgery in very low birth weight neonates in a developing world neonatal unit- Short term outcomes and risk factors for mortality
    (2021) Allie, Nazneen; Joolay, Yaseen
    Background The surgical infant requires care in specialized neonatal units. Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants are a group particularly vulnerable to the risks and outcomes associated with preterm birth. There is an increased number of abdominal emergencies seen, attributed to improved survival in this birthweight category. Objectives To describe the short-term survival to discharge in VLBW infants following abdominal surgery at a South African public tertiary hospital and to examine the utility of common scoring systems for prognostication. Methods A retrospective study of VLBW infants with abdominal surgery was conducted in patients admitted to the neonatal unit at Groote Schuur Hospital between 2012 and 2016. CRIB and SNAPPE scores were calculated for patients where sufficient data was available. Results Fifty-two patients were included. The mean gestational age (GA) and birthweight (BW) were 29.5 weeks (SD 2.1) and 1102g (SD 197.8) respectively. Necrotizing enterocolitis was the most common (50%) surgical emergency. The leading postoperative complication was sepsis (37%). Fourty-two (81%) infants survived to discharge, the mean age at presentation 21 days (SD 21.1) with a mean hospital stay of 74 days in survivors vs 52 days in the non-survivors (p=0.06). There was no statistically significant difference in SNAPPE scores between survivors and non-survivors. Conclusion Abdominal emergencies have a high mortality and adds to the overall length of stay in VLBW infants. Neonatal scoring systems have proven to be useful adjuncts in predicting neonatal mortality, further study is warranted in infants who deteriorate due to surgical abdominal complications.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    A comparison of standard C-reactive protein laboratory measurement to point of care C-reactive protein test in a neonatal intensive care unit setting
    (2016) Prince, Kim Didi; Joolay, Yaseen
    Background: Laboratory biomarkers are important adjuncts to clinical data in diagnosing neonatal sepsis. Available diagnostic tests often provide results 6 to 48 hours later. A bedside C-reactive protein (CRP) test may be able to exclude or diagnose sepsis within minutes. Objectives: The objectives were to validate the Alere AfinionTM point of care test (POCT) CRP in a tertiary neonatal unit against the gold standard CRP assay in use by the National Health Laboratory service and to determine the difference in time to obtaining a result between the two systems. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted between February 2015 and June 2015. Neonates who were clinically indicated to undergo CRP testing were simultaneously tested using the POCT and laboratory assays. The sensitivities, specificities and predictive values for the POCT, with the laboratory test as the reference test were determined. The time to results between the two tests was compared. Results: There were 139 measured CRP sample pairs from patients with suspected or proven neonatal sepsis. Using 10 mg/L as the cutoff value for both CRP tests, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 97.4%, 99%, 97.4% and 99% respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.99 (p<0.001). The time to point of care result was 4 minutes. Laboratory results were registered at a mean of 4.7 hours but only checked after a mean of 6.8 hours. Conclusions: The POCT CRP and laboratory CRP test have excellent correlation in neonates and may be a useful, quick, reliable method to rationalise antibiotic usage, reduce costs and allow for earlier patient discharge.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Klebsiella pneumoniae bloodstream infections in hospitalised children at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital : 2006 - 2011
    (2015) Buys, Heloise; Eley, Brian
    Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) is a significant paediatric bloodstream pathogen in children. There is little data about KP in South African children. The focus for the present study was to address this knowledge gap. Methods: This study addressed a retrospective case notes review on bloodstream Klebsiella pneumoniae infections at a children's hospital in Cape Town, South Africa 2006-2011 using conventional descriptive and comparative statistical methods. Results: Of 410 hospitalised children with laboratory confirmed KP bloodstream infection (KPBSI), 339 (83%) were presumed extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing isolates. The median age (interquartile range, IQR) was 5.0 (2-16) months, 212 (51.7%) were male, 82 (20%) were HIV-infected, and 241 (58.8%) were moderately or severely underweight. The infection was nosocomial or healthcare-associated in 389 (95%) children and community-acquired in 21 (5%) children. Significant risk factors for the acquisition of ESBL-KP bloodstream infection included cephalosporin exposure in the preceding 12 months prior to the KPBSI p=<0.0001: aRR 1.25 (95% CI: 1.15-1.36); and those who had intravenous infusions for more than 3 days prior to the KPBSI, p=0.004: aRR 1.18 (95% CI: 1.05-1.31).
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Sodium and potassium disturbances in childhood diarrhoea
    (2006) Pillay, Victoria
    Includes bibliographical references.