Clinical spectrum of acute otitis media complicating upper respiratory tract viral infection.

BACKGROUND: acute otitis media (AOM) often occurs as a complication of upper respiratory tract infection (URI). OBJECTIVE: to describe otoscopic findings during URI, the full clinical spectrum of AOM, and outcome of cases managed with watchful waiting. METHODS: : In a prospective study of 294 healthy children (6 months-3 years), characteristics of AOM complicating URI were studied. Otoscopic findings were categorized by tympanic membrane (TM) position, color, translucency, and mobility. Otoscopic score was assigned based on McCormick otoscopy scale (OS)-8 scale. RESULTS: during days 1 to 7 of URI, otoscopic findings at 1114 visits were consistent with AOM in 22%; myringitis (inflamed TM, no fluid) was diagnosed in 7%. In AOM episodes diagnosed within 28 days of URI onset, TM position was described as: nonbulging (19%), mild bulging (45%), bulging (29%), and TM perforation occurred in (6%). OS-8 scale showed mild TM inflammation (OS, 2-3) in 6%, moderate (OS, 4-5) in 59%, and severe (OS, 6-8) in 35%. In 54% of 126 bilateral AOM episodes, inflammation of both TMs was at different stages. Of 28 cases of nonsevere AOM managed with watchful waiting, 4 progressed and 3 later required an antibiotic. CONCLUSIONS: AOM is a spectrum of infection that may present at various stages, even in the same child with bilateral disease. During URI, otoscopic changes are observed from the first day of onset. Understanding the wide clinical spectrum of AOM is needed to help with future clinical trial design and development of a scoring system to establish treatment criteria that will minimize antibiotic use.

A study of clinician adherence to treatment guidelines for otitis media with effusion.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated clinician compliance with recommendations in the 2004 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines on otitis media with effusion (OME) related to documentation of presence, laterality, resolution, persistence, and surveillance for hearing loss or speech delay. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of 363 children aged 2 months to 12 years diagnosed with OME was performed. An electronic survey was used to measure physician awareness and knowledge of specific recommendations in the 2004 AAP clinical practice guidelines on OME. RESULTS: We found a high level of documentation practices at the initial diagnosis of OME (laterality 95%) but poor documentation of follow-up factors (duration 14.9%). Documentation was not found to improve after release of the 2004 AAP guidelines. The survey found physician knowledge lacking in terms of the decibel hearing level stratification of management and antibiotic use, although better for the use of pneumatic otoscopy as a primary diagnostic method and adenoidectomy and myringotomy as accepted treatments. CONCLUSION: Documentation practices of clinicians studied remained unchanged after release of the 2004 guidelines. More research is needed to delineate reasons for poor adherence of pediatric health care professionals to the 2004 OME guidelines, and ways to enhance communication of guideline changes to practicing health care professionals.

Persistence of adenovirus nucleic acids in nasopharyngeal secretions: a diagnostic conundrum.

BACKGROUND: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays increase the rate of viral detection in clinical specimens, compared with conventional virologic methods. Studies suggest that PCR may detect virus nucleic acid (NA) that persists in the respiratory tract. METHODS: We analyzed virologic data from children having frequent upper respiratory infections (URI), who were followed up in a longitudinal study. Nasopharyngeal secretions were collected at URI onset and when acute otitis media was diagnosed; virus studies were performed using conventional diagnostics and PCR. Repeated presence of adenovirus by PCR was further studied by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: Of 581 URI episodes in 76 children, 510 viruses were detected. Of the viruses detected by PCR, 15% were those detected previously; repeated positives occurred most frequently with adenovirus. Sequencing results were available in 13 children with repeated adenovirus detection; the following 4 patterns of infection were identified (16 instances): (1) adenovirus of the same serotype and strain detected continuously (n = 8 instances), (2) adenovirus of different serotypes detected during sequential URI episodes (n = 3), (3) adenovirus of the same serotype but different strains detected during sequential URI episodes (n = 3), and (4) adenovirus of the same serotype and strain detected intermittently (n = 2). CONCLUSIONS: Among children with frequent URIs, repeated positive PCR results for adenovirus NA may represent a new serotype/strain, or persistence of viral NA. Results must be interpreted with caution; clinical correlation and presence of other viruses are important. Further longitudinal studies of children during and after infection are required for better understanding of the clinical significance of positive PCR tests for adenovirus NA in the respiratory tract.

Twin preterm neonates with cardiac toxicity related to lopinavir/ritonavir therapy.

We report twin neonates who were born prematurely at 32 weeks of gestation to a mother with human immunodeficiency virus infection. One of the twins developed complete heart block and dilated cardiomyopathy related to lopinavir/ritonavir therapy, a boosted protease-inhibitor agent, while the other twin developed mild bradycardia. We recommend caution in the use of lopinavir/ritonavir in the immediate neonatal period.