A Severe Systemic Infection in a 14-Year-Old Boy That Took Place during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a global talking point. Access to health care has become more difficult, and such an obstacle increase the risk of inadequate medical care, especially among paediatric patients. CASE: This report describes the case of a previously healthy teenager who was staying home for 2 months due to a strict lockdown period in the COVID-19 pandemic and was admitted to hospital for fever, nausea and lumbar pain. He was diagnosed consecutively with meningitis, sepsis, paraspinal abscesses and endocarditis. Further investigation did not reveal any risk factors or immunodeficiency in the patient. DISCUSSION: Sepsis is defined as the presence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) associated with a probable or documented infection. It is the leading cause of death from infection, especially if not recognized and treated quickly. Sepsis may lead to various complications, such as infective endocarditis, meningitis and abscesses. Although such complications may initially be latent, they can promote internal organ dysfunction and the possibility of their presence should be considered in any patient with systemic infection. Any child with a fever should be treated as one with the possibility of developing a severe infection. CONCLUSION: The presented case shows that even a previously healthy child staying in long-term home isolation can develop a severe infection with multiorgan complications, and the COVID-19 pandemic should not extend the diagnostic process in patients with symptoms of infection.

Corrigendum to "The Effectiveness, Tolerability, and Safety of Different 1-Day Bowel Preparation Regimens for Pediatric Colonoscopy".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2019/3230654.].

The Effectiveness, Tolerability, and Safety of Different 1-Day Bowel Preparation Regimens for Pediatric Colonoscopy.

BACKGROUND: Currently, there is no generally accepted universal protocol for bowel preparation before colonoscopy in children. AIM: The aim of the study was to compare three different 1-day bowel preparation methods for a pediatric elective colonoscopy in terms of their efficacy, safety, and patient-reported tolerability. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was randomized, prospective, and investigator-blinded. All children aged 10 to 18 years consecutively referred to the tertiary pediatric gastroenterology unit were enrolled. The participants were randomized to receive polyethylene glycol 3350 combined with bisacodyl (PEG-bisacodyl group), or polyethylene glycol 4000 with electrolytes (PEG-ELS group), or sodium picosulphate plus magnesium oxide plus citric acid (NaPico+MgCit group). Bowel preparation was assessed according to the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS). For patient tolerability and acceptability, questionnaires were obtained. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-three children were allocated to three age- and sex-matched groups. All of the patients completed colonoscopies with visualization of the cecum. There was no difference among the groups for the mean BBPS score. A total of 73 patients (59.3%) experienced minor adverse events. No serious adverse events occurred in any group. Nausea was the only symptom more frequent in the PEG-ELS group compared to the NaPico+MgCit group (p = 0.04), and apathy was the only symptom more frequent in PEG-bisacodyl than in the NaPico+MgCit group (p = 0.04). All of the patients were able to complete 75% or more of the study protocol, and 85.4% were able to complete the full regimen. The acceptability was the highest in the NaPico+MgCit group with respect to the patient's grade for palatability, low volume of the solution, and willingness to repeat the same protocol. CONCLUSION: All bowel cleansing methods show similar efficacy. However, because of the higher tolerability and acceptability profile, the NaPico+MgCit-based regimen appears to be the most proper for colonoscopy preparation in children.