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Biomedical subjects

Egidio Barbi

Publications and source records attributed to Egidio Barbi.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

Osteonecrosis of the hip after short courses of oral and inhaled steroids in a child with an increased number of glucocorticoid receptors.

We report an unusual case of osteonecrosis of the femoral head associated with recurrent myopathy and bone abnormalities in a two-year-old girl, in whom symptoms occurred after a ten-day course of oral betamethasone for infectious wheezy bronchitis, and eventually recurred and were worsened by topical treatment; a hypersensitivity to glucocorticoids is hypothesised.

Betamethasone↗

Primary pulmonary Hodgkin's disease and tuberculosis in an 11-year-old boy: case report and review of the literature.

Tuberculosis (TB) has been described in association with different malignancies including Hodgkin's disease. However, the association with primary pulmonary Hodgkin's disease (PPHD) is hardly reported in literature and in teenage is quite exceptional. We report a case of an 11 years old boy in whom the diagnosis of tuberculosis preceded and delayed the diagnosis of PPHL.

Child↗

Diagnostic challenge of hyper-IgD syndrome in four children with inflammatory gastrointestinal complaints.

OBJECTIVE: Hyper-IgD syndrome (HIDS) is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by recurrent fever, lymphadenopathy, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, headache, arthralgia and skin rash. Abdominal symptomatology may mimic inflammatory bowel disease. We report on four patients with HIDS who had been previously investigated for Crohn's disease (CD). The levels of IgD were measured in a series of patients with CD to evaluate the specificity of this assay in the differential diagnosis between the two conditions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Diagnosis of HIDS was based on clinical criteria as well as immunological or genetic data. IgD levels were measured in the four subjects affected by HIDS, in 59 patients with CD and in a group of 160 healthy controls. RESULT: All patients underwent a variety of gastroenterological investigations because inflammatory bowel disease was suspected. Ultrasonography was pathologic in all the patients, showing enlargement of mesenteric lymph nodes. Abdominal leucocyte scintigraphy displayed diffuse signals of mild to moderate degree. IgD and IgA levels were elevated in three out of four patients. No difference in IgD values was found in CD patients as compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Gastrointestinal complaints associated with recurrent fever and mesenteric adenopathy warrant genetic investigation for HIDS, in order to avoid unnecessary invasive investigations and treatment.

Child↗

Comparison of three sites to check the pulse and count heart rate in hypotensive infants.

BACKGROUND: Current international guidelines state that heart rate counted at the brachial pulse must be absent or <60 b x min(-1) to diagnose cardiac arrest. Some data suggest that this site may not be the best to check cardiac activity. Hypotension is a likely real scenario of the need for chest compressions in infants. We compared the performance of three sites of pulse palpation (brachial, carotid, and femoral) for detecting and counting heartbeat in hypotensive infants. METHODS: In an operating theater of a pediatric teaching hospital in Italy, we studied 40 anesthetized hypotensive infants just prior to surgery, checked by two doctors and two nurses by a cross-sectional, repeated-measures study design. Each examiner, blind to the monitoring data of the patient, was asked to find the infant's arterial pulse within 10 s and count heart rate for 15 s. During each examination, the order of the three sites was randomized. RESULTS: Among successful detections, femoral pulse palpation resulted as the most successful, rapid, and accurate site to detect and count heart rate in hypotensive infants. CONCLUSIONS: Femoral palpation proved to be the best site for detecting heartbeat and counting heart rate in hypotensive infants. These findings challenge the current guidelines. More data are needed, but the current standard of brachial pulse assessment is debatable.

Aging↗

Tremors and chorea induced by trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole in a child with Pneumocystis pneumonia.

A 1.5-year-old girl developed high frequency tremors and chorea after receiving a dose of 120 mg/kg/d trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) for the treatment of Pneumocystis pneumonia. The child was human immunodeficiency virus-negative but immunocompromised because of prolonged immunosuppressive therapy. These symptoms disappeared 3 days after TMP-SMX was discontinued. Pediatricians should be aware of tremors and chorea among the potential adverse effects of high doses of TMP-SMX.

Anti-Infective Agents↗

Attitudes of children with leukemia toward repeated deep sedations with propofol.

Procedural sedation is generally recommended for children requiring repeated painful diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. A child with leukemia undergoes an average of 20 procedures such as lumbar puncture and bone marrow aspiration through the course of illness. No data are currently available about the psychological impact of repeated sedations on children. The objective of this study was to evaluate the attitudes of patients with leukemia toward repeated deep sedations using propofol. A questionnaire addressing sedation-related distress was given to 30 children with leukemia. Procedure-related distress was evaluated using the Amended Observational Scale of Behavioural Distress. Another questionnaire concerning the same issues was given to an historical group of 39 children who had undergone painful procedures without sedation in previous years. Fear and distress were significantly reduced in the sedation group compared with the historical one. Fear of sedation was reported by 17% of children of this group. Distressed behavior was observed in 27%. In conclusion, sedation-related distress was observed in a subgroup of patients; in these cases, specific strategies could be considered to reduce sedation-related distress.

Adolescent↗

Deep sedation with propofol by nonanesthesiologists: a prospective pediatric experience.

BACKGROUND: The need to perform procedural sedation for children has increased in recent years, and so has the experience of nonanesthesiologists in this field. The use of propofol increases the success of satisfactory deep sedation, but it can produce rapid and profound decreases in level of consciousness and cardiorespiratory function. Data are needed to assess the safety of this drug outside an anesthesiology setting. OBJECTIVE: To assess safety and efficacy of procedural sedation with propofol in a pediatric ward of a tertiary-care pediatric teaching hospital with trained personnel and monitoring facilities. METHODS: Patients admitted to the hospital who needed invasive procedures underwent procedural sedation by the pediatric sedation unit with intravenous propofol. A training protocol was developed to educate nurses and residents. RESULTS: We performed 1059 procedures. Sedation was achieved in all procedures, and all but 1 were successfully performed. No patient required intubation. Transient desaturation resolving spontaneously occurred in 134 (12.7%) of 1059 patients. Major desaturation requiring a short course of ventilation occurred in 4 (0.8%) of 483 patients undergoing upper endoscopies, in 1 (0.3%) of 287 patients undergoing painful procedures, and in none of the 289 patients undergoing colonoscopies. Laryngospasm occurred in 10 (2.1%) of 483 patients undergoing upper endoscopies. CONCLUSIONS: In this experience, the use of propofol with concurrent oxygen administration allowed sedations in children with no significant complications for colonoscopies and painful procedures. Complications in the group of upper endoscopies appear too high for recommending propofol in a sedation unit with residents in attendance. This protocol of procedural sedation by nonanesthesiologists allowed a significant increase in the number of procedures performed with sedation and saved anesthesiology resources.

Adolescent↗