Evaluación de la proteína C reactiva como marcador de infección en pacientes pediátricos posquirúrgicos

Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Cirugía. Fecha de lectura: 15 de Diciembre del 200

Transient bladder and fecal incontinence following epidural blood patch

Epidural blood patch (EBP) is the currently accepted treatment of choice for postdural puncture headache because of its high initial success rates and infrequent complications. Many authors recommended a small volume (10-20 mL) of blood to be delivered for an effective EBP. Here, we report an obstetric patient who developed a transient bladder and fecal incontinence after 19 mL of blood EBP at L 1 -L 2 level. Since the magnetic resonance image did not demonstrate any definitive spinal cord lesion, the exact mechanism remains unclear. We suggest that accumulation of blood performed at L 1 to L 2 level in a closed relationship with the sacral cord, may have trigger a significant pressure elevation of the epidural space at this level, resulting in a temporal spinal cord-related injury in the sacral cord

Evaluation of a Mapleson D CPAP system for weaning of mechanical ventilation in pediatric patients

Background: Over the last years, we have used a flow-inflating bag circuit with a nasotracheal or nasopharyngeal tube as an interface to deliver effective CPAP support in infants (“Mapleson D CPAP system”). The primary goal of this study was to assess the usefulness of the “Mapleson D CPAP system” for weaning of mechanical ventilation (MV) in infants who received MV over 24 h. Materials and Methods: All infants who received MV for more than 24 h in the last year were enrolled in the study. Demographic data included age, gender, weight, and admission diagnosis. Heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation were measured during MV, 2 h after the nasotracheal Mapleson D CPAP system and 2 h after extubation. Patients were classified into two groups: patients MV more than 48 h, and patients with MV fewer than 48 h. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 50 children were enrolled in the study, with a median age was 34 ± 45 months (range, 1-59 months) and median weight was 11.98 ± 9.31 kg (range, 1-48 kg). Median duration of MV was 480 h (range, 2-570). There were no significant differences in PaO 2 , PaCO 2 , and pH among MV, 2 h after the nasotracheal Mapleson D CPAP system and 2 h after extubation and spontaneous ventilation with the nasopharyngeal Mapleson D CPAP system or with nasal prongs. The overall extubation failure rate was 26% (n = 13). Weight and age were significantly associated with extubation failure (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The Mapleson D CPAP system, in our opinion, is a useful and safe alternative to more complex and expensive noninvasive CPAP and BiPAP weaning from MV in infants