Acute psychosis in propionic acidemia: 2 case reports.

Propionic acidemia is an inborn deficiency of propionyl-coenzyme A (CoA) carboxylase activity, which leads to mitochondrial accumulation of propionyl-CoA and its by-products. Neurologic complications are frequent, but only a few cases presenting with psychiatric symptoms have been reported so far. We report 2 cases of children with chronic psychiatric symptoms who presented with an acute psychotic episode as teenagers. Both patients had hallucinations, panic and grossly disorganized behavior, for several weeks to several months. They had signs of moderate metabolic decompensation at the beginning of the episode, although the psychiatric symptoms lasted longer than the metabolic imbalance. We propose that these episodes were at least partially imputable to propionic acidemia. Such episodes require psychiatric examination and antipsychotic treatment, which may have to be adapted in case of cardiomyopathy or long QT syndrome.

[Taking care of teenagers hospitalized after a suicidal gesture or a suicidal threat]. / Prise en charge des adolescents hospitalisés à la suite d'un geste suicidaire ou d'une menace suicidaire.

Teenagers' suicidal gestures are a major problem of public health and it is important to understand its meaning. A global taking care of teenagers hospitalized after a suicide attempt or a suicidal threat by the pediatric teams and by the team of child psychiatry, having links with each department, is essential in the Necker - Enfants Malades hospital in Paris. The protocole of care has been recently strengthened by the integration of a deep psychological checkup with the projective tests Rorschach and Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) during the hospitalization, a psychological follow-up from a distance of the suicidal gesture and a second psychological checkup one year later in order to observe the evolution of the psychic functioning. The projective tests offer a special way to express the own intimate problematic while respecting the subject's need to remain hidden. These tests, analyzed with a psychodynamic interpretation, help the clinician to precise the psychic diagnosis, which is very important for the future therapeutic orientation, and offer to the patient a medium to express the hidden meaning of his gesture. To consider suicidal gesture not only as a dead end of identificatory process but also as an attempt to start up again this process may favor a therapeutic mobilization of psychic resources. Self-attack may signify a struggle against melancholy, the prospect of death appearing less frightening than those of madness. Suicidal gesture may express a transitory developmental breakdown but identificatory process may be revived if the suffering of the teenager may be listened, contented, elaborated and linked to meaning.

[Withholding or withdrawing life saving treatment in pediatric intensive care unit: GFRUP guidelines]. / Limitations et arrêts de traitements actifs en réanimation pédiatrique: recommandations du GFRUP.

Several recent French studies have revealed that 40% of death in pediatric intensive care units are associated with withdrawal or limitation of life saving treatments. Because such decisions are common, the Groupe francophone de réanimation et urgences pédiatriques (GFRUP) has decided to publish recommendations in order to help paediatricians dealing with those difficult issues and to improve their decisions. In a first part of the document the ethical principles that imply those guidelines are recalled, followed by definitions of the terms currently employed. The second part contains guidelines regarding decision making process, the way it is applied and organisation of relatives as well as paramedical and medical staff support when the death of a child occurs.

Symptoms of anxiety and depression in family members of intensive care unit patients: ethical hypothesis regarding decision-making capacity.

OBJECTIVE: Anxiety and depression may have a major impact on a person's ability to make decisions. Characterization of symptoms that reflect anxiety and depression in family members visiting intensive care patients should be of major relevance to the ethics of involving family members in decision-making, particularly about end-of-life issues. DESIGN: Prospective multicenter study. SETTING: Forty-three French intensive care units (37 adult and six pediatric); each unit included 15 patients admitted for longer than 2 days. PATIENTS: Six hundred thirty-seven patients and 920 family members. INTERVENTIONS: Intensive care unit characteristics and data on the patient and family members were collected. Family members completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to allow evaluation of the prevalence and potential factors associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of 920 Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale questionnaires that were completed by family members, all items were completed in 836 questionnaires, which formed the basis for this study. The prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression in family members was 69.1% and 35.4%, respectively. Symptoms of anxiety or depression were present in 72.7% of family members and 84% of spouses. Factors associated with symptoms of anxiety in a multivariate model included patient-related factors (absence of chronic disease), family-related factors (spouse, female gender, desire for professional psychological help, help being received by general practitioner), and caregiver-related factors (absence of regular physician and nurse meetings, absence of a room used only for meetings with family members). The multivariate model also identified three groups of factors associated with symptoms of depression: patient-related (age), family-related (spouse, female gender, not of French descent), and caregiver-related (no waiting room, perceived contradictions in the information provided by caregivers). CONCLUSIONS: More than two-thirds of family members visiting patients in the intensive care unit suffer from symptoms of anxiety or depression. Involvement of anxious or depressed family members in end-of-life decisions should be carefully discussed.

Half the families of intensive care unit patients experience inadequate communication with physicians.

OBJECTIVE: Effective communication of simple, clear information to families of intensive care unit (ICU) patients is a vital component of quality care. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with poor comprehension by family members of the status of ICU patients. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: University-affiliated medical intensive care unit. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 102 patients admitted to an ICU for >2 days. INTERVENTION: The representatives of 76 patients who were visited by at least one person during their ICU stay were interviewed. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 54+/-17 yrs and mean Simplified Acute Physiology Score II at admission was 40+/-20. The representative was the spouse in 47 cases (62%). Among representatives, 25 (33%) were of foreign descent and 12 (16%) did not speak French. Mean duration of the first meeting with a physician was 10+/-6 mins. In 34 cases (54%), the representative failed to comprehend the diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment of the patient. Factors associated with poor comprehension by representatives included patient-related, family-related, and physician-related factors. Patient-related factors included age <50 yrs (p = .03), unemployment (p = .01), referral from a hematology or oncology ward (p = .006), admission for acute respiratory failure (p = .005) or coma (p = .01), and a relatively favorable prognosis (p = .04). Family-related factors were foreign descent (p = .007), no knowledge of French (p = .03), representative not the spouse (p = .03), and no healthcare professional in the family (p = .01). Physician-related factors were first meeting with representative <10 mins (p = .03) and failure to give the representative an information brochure (p = .02). Moreover, after the first meeting, caregivers accurately predicted poor comprehension by representatives (p = .03). CONCLUSIONS: Patient information is frequently not communicated effectively to family members by ICU physicians. Physicians should strive to identify patients and families who require special attention and to determine how their personal style of interrelating with family members may impair communication.

[A prospective study on the behavior of pediatric intensive care unit nurses, concerning the care given to suicidal children]. / Enquête prospective sur le vécu des infirmières des unités de réanimation pédiatrique, concernant les soins donnés aux enfants suicidants.

Pediatric intensive care units use sophisticated medical technology and are staffed by deeply committed nurses who are subjected to significant psychological stress. This stress varies with the type of patient and influences the style and quality of care. With this respect, children and adolescents admitted after a suicidal attempt are considered catalysts. However, there have been no systematic studies of how pediatric intensive care nurses respond emotionally to their interactions with these patients. This epidemiological study conducted in five Parisian Teaching Hospital pediatric intensive care units used a specially designed questionnaire to evaluate nurses' responses on the basis of style of care. Children under 16 years of age admitted after attempted suicide were studied comparatively with same age children admitted for status asthmaticus or encephalopathy with seizures. Results highlighted the differences in nurses' psychological responses to these situations and their difficulties in interacting with patients. This study provides strict methodological guidelines for investigating an issue often discussed emotionally or on the basis of anecdotal data.