Secondary maternal-fetal consequences to electrical injury: A literature review.

Electrical injuries can occur in pregnant women but currently their incidence is not completely known. Notwithstanding, those represent clinical important events such maternal and fetal death, which can be avoided if properly managed. The objective of this paper is to describe the results of electrical injury (high and low voltage), in pregnant women in scientific reports. A systematic search was performed with keywords "electrical injuries", "lightning injuries", "lightning strike", "pregnant women" and "pregnancy", using the databases: MedLine, Scielo, Lilacs, Clinical key, Web of Science, Scopus, Springer, Science Direct, Embase and Medic Latina. Filters like language, time, design and availability of text were not used. Descriptive analyses were carried out for variables such as maternal-fetal consequences, voltage and type of exposure, based on the reports identified. From the total 74 cases identified, 71.1% survived after the exposition. From the total live-births 28.6% did not show any alteration, 7.1% presented maceration and burns, while 64.3% had another outcome. Electric injury leads to fetal compromise and death in exposed pregnant women, mainly in the first hours after the injury. However, monitoring should be continued for the risk of complications such as placenta abruption, oligohydramnios and fetal distress. It is possible an underreporting of these events.

Congenital and Neonatal Chikungunya in Colombia.

In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), chikungunya (CHIK) viral infection has emerged as a significant arboviral disease. This rapidly expanding vector-borne viral illness is associated with a substantial burden of disease in terms of acute illness and also in terms of long-term sequelae. In addition, this viral pathogen has the ability to impact different populations including pregnant women and newborns. Despite the growing threat of this arboviral infection to the region, there are insufficient reports or studies attempting to delineate the clinical and epidemiological features of congenital and neonatal cases of CHIK in LAC. In this study, we present a case of congenital CHIK and a case of neonatal CHIK infection identified in Santander, Colombia. We discuss the potential neurological impact and sequelae of CHIK infection acquired during the neonatal period. There is an urgent need for further epidemiological and clinical studies to better understand the impact of CHIK in endemic areas in LAC.

Value of routine postextubation chest X-ray on prognosis for neonates.

AIM: The postextubation chest X-ray (CXR) is frequently taken in neonates who have undergone mechanical ventilation (MV); however, this is not an evidence-based practice. The aim of this paper was to assess the utility of routine post-extubation CXR on the prognosis for neonates who have undergone MV. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study comparing two periods of time. During the first period, the routine postextubation CXR was performed in neonates; during the second period, postextubation CXR was performed only in infants with any sign of clinical deterioration. Patients were continuously followed up to identify complications such as need for reintubation, length of hospital stay, and death. RESULTS: Twenty-nine vs. 33 patients were compared in the first and second periods, respectively. Throughout follow-up one patient died (in the routine CXR period) and there were 17 reintubations: 8 in the routine CXR group and 9 in the selective CXR group (P=1). However, in a multivariate Cox model (adjusted for birth weight, nasal continuous positive airway pressure [CPAP], bronchopulmonary dysplasia and duration of MV), the routine CXR was associated with an acceleration of discharge after extubation (Hazard Ratio: 1.86, 95% CI: 1.02-3.38). On the other hand, birthweight, nasal-CPAP and duration of MV were strong predictors of hospital stay after extubation. CONCLUSION: Although it may help accelerate hospital discharge, the utility of routine CXR on prognosis is uncertain. Consequently, it is required to conduct studies of greater magnitude in order to assess the relevance of this procedure.