Management of status epilepticus in children prior to medical retrieval: Deviations from the guidelines.

AIM: To evaluate the influence of adherence to treatment guidelines on outcomes in children presenting with status epilepticus (SE) using the Newborn and Paediatric Emergency Transport Service, New South Wales prospective registry. METHODS: We reviewed the treatment of children with SE, transported by the Newborn And Paediatric Emergency Transport Service to a tertiary paediatric hospital, over 1 year. We evaluated variation in management from the New South Wales clinical practice guideline. RESULTS: There was excessive administration of benzodiazepines (BZD) and a delay in administration of appropriate second-line treatment of status (median 45 min). There was excessive use of BZD, with five or more doses of BZD associated with significantly higher odds for intubation. CONCLUSION: There is considerable scope to improve clinician compliance with the SE clinical practice guidelines.

Land-use emissions play a critical role in land-based mitigation for Paris climate targets.

Scenarios that limit global warming to below 2 °C by 2100 assume significant land-use change to support large-scale carbon dioxide (CO2) removal from the atmosphere by afforestation/reforestation, avoided deforestation, and Biomass Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). The more ambitious mitigation scenarios require even greater land area for mitigation and/or earlier adoption of CO2 removal strategies. Here we show that additional land-use change to meet a 1.5 °C climate change target could result in net losses of carbon from the land. The effectiveness of BECCS strongly depends on several assumptions related to the choice of biomass, the fate of initial above ground biomass, and the fossil-fuel emissions offset in the energy system. Depending on these factors, carbon removed from the atmosphere through BECCS could easily be offset by losses due to land-use change. If BECCS involves replacing high-carbon content ecosystems with crops, then forest-based mitigation could be more efficient for atmospheric CO2 removal than BECCS.

The TEN study: time epinephrine needs to reach muscle.

BACKGROUND: An epinephrine autoinjector (EAI) is designed to deliver epinephrine into the vastus lateralis muscle. Several studies have demonstrated both patient and physician difficulties in correctly using EAIs, specifically premature removal of the device from the thigh. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the correlation between duration of injection with an EAI and amount of epinephrine absorbed into muscle tissue. METHODS: Twenty-one EAI devices (0.3 mL) were used to determine the amount of epinephrine injected into marbleized beef during 7 time periods. A digital scale was used to record preinjection and postinjection weights of EAIs and beef. The weight difference between the preinjection and postinjection periods of the EAIs was used to calculate the total amount of epinephrine released and available for absorption into the marbleized beef. The difference between the preinjection and postinjection beef weight was used to determine the amount of epinephrine absorbed into the meat. RESULTS: The correlation with duration of injection for both the amount of epinephrine absorbed and released was 0.321 (P = .48). At all intervals, 95.9% or more of epinephrine was absorbed into the marbleized beef. The correlation with duration of injection and percent of epinephrine absorbed was 0.464 (P = .29). There were no time periods that were significantly different from the percentage of epinephrine absorbed by the marbleized beef at 10 seconds (analysis of variance P = .16). CONCLUSION: No linear relationship between time and amount of epinephrine injected or absorbed into muscle tissue was demonstrated. These data suggest that holding the device in place for 1 second is as effective as 10 seconds.

Assessing the safety of subcutaneous immunotherapy dose adjustments.

BACKGROUND: Subcutaneous immunotherapy injections are often dose adjusted owing to late injections, for newly mixed vials after refills, or after systemic reactions (SRs) to reduce the subsequent SR risk. This practice is not strongly evidence based. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the safety of the Wilford Hall Medical Center dose-adjustment schedule. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis of a standardized dose-adjustment schedule across 4 years and covering 12,895 injections was performed to analyze the SR rate immediately after dose adjustments for late reactions (1 dose for each week late starting after 2 weeks), for newly mixed vials (a 50% dose reduction), or after a SR (a 10-fold dilution). RESULTS: Male patients (odds ratio [OR], 1.15; P <. 005), pediatric patients (OR, 1.19; P <. 01), and maintenance stage injections (OR, 2.14; P <.001) required more dose adjustments for late injections. Maintenance stage injections also experienced more dose adjustments for newly mixed vials (OR, 10.78; P <. 001). Pediatric patients (OR, 2.15; P <. 002) and buildup stage injections (OR, 2.38; P <. 005) were associated with an increased SR frequency and, as a result, required more post-SR dose adjustments. In each scenario, following the dose-adjustment schedule included in this article did not cause an increase in subsequent SRs. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple unique characteristics were found to be associated with the requirement for subcutaneous immunotherapy dose adjustment, and this sample dose-adjustment protocol was not associated with an increased risk of a subsequent SR. The safety of this proposed dose-adjustment protocol should be confirmed in future prospective studies.

Oral allergy syndrome: a clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic challenge.

OBJECTIVES: To provide a review of the literature and discuss the clinical, pathophysiologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic challenges of oral allergy syndrome (OAS). DATA SOURCES: English-language publications on OAS (and pollen-food allergy syndrome) were identified through MEDLINE and through the reference lists of each identified article and review. STUDY SELECTION: Articles pertaining to OAS with respect to its varied clinical presentation, underlying pathophysiology, available and investigational diagnostic testing, and evidence-based treatment options were selected. RESULTS: OAS occurs in patients with a prior cross-reactive aeroallergen sensitization and clinically presents with initial oralpharyngeal symptoms after ingestion of a triggering fruit or vegetable. Although controversial, these symptoms may progress to systemic symptoms outside the gastrointestinal tract in 8.7% of patients and anaphylactic shock in 1.7%. OAS's underlying pathophysiology may play a role in clinical presentation and outcome, depending on whether the cross-reactive protein is a heat-labile PR-10 protein, a partially labile profilin, or a relatively heat-stable lipid transfer protein. Diagnostic testing is variable based on the underlying food tested, but fresh food skin prick test typically has the highest sensitivity. Treatment centers on avoidance and the consideration of self-injectable epinephrine. Because of its relationship with a cross-reactive aeroallergen sensitization, subcutaneous immunotherapy and sublingual immunotherapy have also been therapeutically tried with mixed results. CONCLUSION: OAS is a challenging diagnosis to the practicing allergist because of its many clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic considerations. Understanding these challenges and their underlying mechanisms can facilitate a knowledgeable approach to treating an oral allergy patient.

Dextroamphetamine use during B-2 combat missions.

INTRODUCTION: Fatigue among warriors can jeopardize mission success. Prescribed stimulant medications, in-flight sleep, and self-medication with caffeine can mitigate fatigue. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, pilots flew the B-2 bomber to targets in Iraq from one of two airfields. Sortie durations were long (16.9 h) from one field and very long (35.3 h) from the other. Controversy exists concerning the use of stimulant medication, in part because of a paucity of combat data. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 75 pilots who performed 94 combat sorties was performed. We examined the prevalence of the pilot's decision to use dextroamphetamine, caffeine, and in-flight sleep during combat. We compared demographic factors, the impact of one anti-fatigue tool on the use of others, stimulant benefit, and adverse effects. RESULTS: Pilots on shorter missions used dextroamphetamine for 97% and in-flight naps for 13% of sorties. Those on longer missions used dextroamphetamine on 58% and naps on 94% of sorties. Stimulant use was not affected by pilot age, bomber experience, or long-duration experience. The opportunity to obtain in-flight sleep was limited by certain mission profiles, which influenced the decision to use dextroamphetamine. Among pilots who used the medication, 97% noted a benefit. Side effects and failure to observe benefits were uncommon. CONCLUSIONS: B-2 pilots in long-duration combat flight selectively employ dextroamphetamine, naps, and other fatigue countermeasures. Major determinants of these decisions are mission requirements and the pilot's experience with each measure and its effect.