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Background: Hypocalcemia is a frequently observed clinical and laboratory abnormality in neonates with risk factors such as prematurity, infant of diabetic mothers and perinatal asphyxia. Hypocalcemia can be asymptomatic or can cause apnoea, seizures, jitteriness, stridor, cardiac abnormalities. Clinically as calcium levels are maintained within narrow ranges. It is therefore imperative to measure and correct any deficit at the earliest. Unfortunately, total serum calcium level correlates poorly with ionized calcium level. Measurement of ionized calcium is both time consuming and expensive and therefore the need for more rapid, inexpensive and non-invasive method for screening at risk-neonates. Serum calcium levels are known to affect the duration of the QoTc interval. Therefore establishing a good correlation between serum/ionized calcium levels and QoTc will validate ECG as a reliable marker of hypocalcemia. Objective was to find correlation between QoTc interval and serum calcium levels in sick neonates.Methods: Total 730 infants were for serum total calcium and ionized calcium levels. Off these 142 infants with hypocalcemia, 29 infants were excluded based on exclusion criteria. The remaining 113 neonates were subjected to three cycles of ECG measurement before correction of calcium and were taken as cases. QoTc intervals were measured and were correlated with corresponding serum total calcium and ionized calcium levels.Results: In this study, a moderate negative or downhill correlation was found between total serum calcium QoT (r = -0.694 and p = <0.001) and QoTc (r = -0.680 and p = <0.001). The ionized calcium levels were found to have strong negative or downhill correlation with QoT (r = -0.837 and p = <0.001), QoTc (r = -0.819 and p = <0.001). All these correlations were found to be statistically significant with p<0.05.Conclusions: QoTc interval can be used as a surrogate marker for blood total or ionized calcium levels.
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Background: Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is one of the most common causes of neonatal respiratory failure and neonatal death. It is more common in preterm neonates but also been found in term and late preterm neonates. This study aims at studying the risk' factors for developing RDS in term neonates. Objectives was to study the maternal and perinatal risk factors for RDS in term neonates.Methods: This is a retrospective case control study conducted in neonatal intensive care unit of tertiary care centre. A total of 100 term neonates with RDS were taken as cases and 150 normal term neonates were taken as control. Data were collected from the hospital NICU records, maternal and neonatal history was taken. The ?2 tests or Fisher's exact text were used for one-way risk factor analysis. The effects of multiple factors on term neonatal RDS were analyzed using logistic regression analysis.Results: In our study RDS in term neonates' was significantly associated with following risk factors like selective cesarean section, male sex, SGA, oligohydramnios, MSAF, severe fetal distress, birth asphyxia, PROM, and maternal-fetal infection. Among the significant risk factors severe birth asphyxia, maternal-fetal infection, PROM, MSAF were showing positive association with RDS in full-term neonates.Conclusions: Several high-risk factors such as severe birth asphyxia, maternal-fetal infection, PROM, and MSAF were closely correlated with full-term neonatal RDS. Hence these could provide a significant reference for the diagnosis and treatment of term neonatal RDS.
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Background: Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) occurs in about 50% of preterm infants born at less than 30 weeks of gestational age. Surfactant therapy and mechanical ventilation have been the standard of care in the management of RDS. Objective of this study to compare the time required to achieve successful extubation criteria in Volume guarantee mode of ventilation to that with Time cycled pressure-limited mode of ventilation and the duration of mechanical ventilation between them in preterm neonates ventilated for respiratory distress syndrome.Method: The study was done at Neonatal intensive care unit, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Kochi, Kerala over a period of 2 years. Total of 37 inborn preterm neonates between 26 weeks to 32weeks with RDS requiring mechanical ventilation were included in 2-year study period with 18 babies in 1st year study period ventilated with SIPPV mode and 19 babies in 2nd year study period on SIPPV'VG mode of ventilation. Analysis was done using SPSS v. 16 software.Results: In the present study the neonates receiving SIPPV-VG ventilation had stable and equivalent gas exchange at significantly lower MAP and PIP compared to neonates receiving SIPPV -TCPL. Also, neonates receiving SIPPV-VG had achieved significantly faster extubation criteria than SIPPV-TCPL and hence lesser duration of ventilation.Conclusion: Our study concludes that Volume Guarantee ventilation achieves near stable tidal volume delivery by auto-weaning peak inspiratory pressures thereby promoting early extubation and hence reducing volutrauma and barotrauma in contrast to TCPL mode.
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Background: Dengue is a mosquito borne disease of significant morbidity and mortality. Dengue viral infection has been shown to be associated with electrolyte abnormalities and renal dysfunction. It is necessary to have a thorough understanding about electrolyte disturbances in Dengue, so as to predict, diagnose and treat them accordingly. The aim and objective of this study is to study electrolyte disturbances in dengue fever and its correlation with severity of dengue fever.Methods: This study was performed in a tertiary care centre in Bangalore , India. The study was a prosspective observational study. 200 Patients diagnosed with Dengue were enrolled for the study. Patients demographic data, clinical history, electrolyte values were recorded and analysed.Results: In our study majority of patients belonged to 5-12 years age group ie 47%. Fever was found to be the most common presentation in 196 patients (98%) followed by myalgia in 142 patients (71%), headache in 102 patients (51%), skin rash in 43 patients (21.5%). The mean value of serum sodium observed was 133.69 mEq/L and of serum potassium was 3.58 mEq/L and there was positive and significant correlation between difference in serum sodium and potassium levels with severity of dengue fever.Conclusions: Dyselectrolytemia is more common in dengue fever. Serum electrolytes testing early is very important in dengue patients during management so that if abnormalities are found, they can be appropriately managed as some of these abnormalities may lead to increased severity as well as mortality.
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Background: The incidence of meconium stained amniotic fluid is 8-20% among all deliveries. The Aspiration of meconium into the airway results in various short term and long term morbidities and mortality. Timely management of these neonates with meconium in amniotic fluid may prevent Meconium aspiration syndrome.Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted at Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore. All live Term neonates born between December 2016 and July 2018 with meconium in amniotic fluid were enrolled in the study. Details of the neonate was entered in the pre-designed Proforma. The objective of this study the outcome of MAS neonates and find factors associated with Meconium aspiration syndrome when compared with Meconium stained amniotic fluid neonates as a whole. These associated factors were presented as Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% Confidence Interval. Chi-square test was done where applicable and a p-value <0.05 was taken as significant.Results: Meconium aspiration syndrome was seen in 79 out of the 188 neonates born with meconium stained amniotic fluid.Conclusions: The morbidity and mortality in a neonate with Meconium stained amniotic fluid (MSAF) to develop meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) can be avoided with timely antenatal care. Meconium-stained babies should be aggressively managed to prevent complications like perinatal asphyxia and respiratory failure which may lead to the mortality. Those neonates with risk for adverse outcome should be managed with special focus on respiratory care with use of assisted ventilation and inhaled nitric oxide and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, where available.
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Background: In India acute respiratory infections are an important public health problem accounting for 15-30 % of under-five mortality. Early detection, timely intervention, standard management and a proper early referral service can reduce the mortality rate. The objective of this study was to study the sociodemographic and clinical profile of children admitted with pneumonia, to study its relation to the duration of stay at the hospital.Methods: The study was conducted in KIMS hospital, Bangalore from September 2016 to August 2017. Sociodemographic and clinical features of children aged from 2 months to 18 years of age were studied. A total of 92 children who fulfilled the inclusion criteria for community-acquired pneumonia were studied. The patient population comprises mainly of the low-income group from rural areas, urban slums, referred patients from surrounding rural areas, and other centres.Results: A total of 92 children were studied, 52 boys and 40 girls. 45% children were breastfed for <6 months, and 28% were incompletely immunized. Majority of children belonged to lower socioeconomic group. Passive smoking was present in 38 % of the patients and overcrowding was seen in 50% of children studied. There is a significant association between passive smoking, delayed hospital care, and length of stay.Conclusions: Present study concluded that ARI was more common in LES children and incompletely immunised children. And children who got early medical attention i.e. <4 days had a lesser duration of hospital stay i.e. <7 days.