Neonatal cardiac tamponade: what is the cause?

We present one case of neonatal cardiac tamponade due to percutaneous jugular venous catheterization, a rare and potentially fatal complication. In neonates with central venous catheters, the incidence of pericardial effusion [PCE] with tamponade is 0.5 - 2%. Perforation usually has a delayed course and results from endothelial injury, caused by the fluids, which leads to necrosis and thrombosis. This fluid then diffuses transmurally across the myocardium into the pericardium. Even if the catheter tip is placed properly and checked immediately after placement, it can migrate, an incidence which implies that the position of the catheter be checked at least twice a week after insertion

Childhood obesity and academic achievement among male students in public primary schools in Kuwait

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between childhood obesity and student academic performance in the classroom setting. A multi-stage cluster random sampling was used to select a representative sample of 1,213 fifth-grade students in male public schools. Height and weight were measured using a standard protocol. Overweight was defined as BMI>/=85th but<95[th] percentile, while obesity as>/=95th BMI percentile, using growth charts provided by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention [2000]. Data on each student's academic performance and sociodemographic factors were extracted from school records. Of the 1,213 students, 147 were absent on the day the survey was conducted. Therefore, the analysis was based on 1,066 students. Of the 1,066 students, 67 did not have previous school records because they were new in the school; hence the association between school performance and obesity was based on 999 students. The prevalence of obesity was 186 [17.4%, 95% CI: 15.2-19.9%] while the prevalence of overweight was 232 [21.8%, 95% CI: 19.3-24.4%]. There was no significant association between obesity and academic performance after adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Parental education was the most important predictor for high academic performance in the classroom setting. There is no association between obesity and academic performance in the classroom setting among boys in Kuwait. With the lack of evidence of a relationship between childhood obesity and academic performance, using high performance as a measure of success in prevention initiatives cannot be justified

Cardiac tamponade and pericardial effusion due to percutaneous jugular venous catheterization

We present one case of neonatal cardiac tamponade due to percutaneous jugular venous catheterization, a rare, butpotentially fatal complication. In neonates with central venous catheters the incidence of pericardial effusion [PCE] with tamponade is 0.5-2%. Perforation usually has a delayed course and results from eridothelial injury, caused by the fluids, which leads to necrosis and thrombosis. This fluid then diffuses transmurally across the myocardium into the pericardium. Even if the catheter tip is placed properly and checked immediately after placement, it can migrate, an incidence which implicates that the position of the catheter should be checked at least twice a week after insertion

Incidence and risk factors associated with the patency of ductus arteriosus in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome in Kuwait

Patent ductus arteriosus [PDA] is considered to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality among preterm infants. The aim of this study is to determine the incidence of PDA in ventilated preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome [RDS] and to evaluate the role of some antenatal risk factors on its occurrence in our population. The case records of the preterm infants of <34 weeks gestational age, who were ventilated for RDS at the neonatal intensive care unit of Maternity Hospital, Safat, Kuwait, between March 1998 and February 1999, were reviewed. Diagnosis of PDA was based on echocardiographic findings. The association between the risk factors chosen and the PDA was also evaluated. A total of 101 infants whose gestational ages ranged between 25-33 weeks, and birth weights between 685-1580 grams were included. Fifty-four had a significant PDA [53.4%]. Maternal diabetes and antepartum hemorrhage [APH], birth weights, gestational ages, multiplicity and gender of the infants were found to be related to the incidence of PDA. The incidence of PDA in our ventilated preterm infants with RDS is similar to those reported from other neonatal units outside Kuwait. There are some factors that may identify babies, who are prone to develop PDA, which need to be confirmed by further prospective studies using a larger population