[Blood loss and use of blood products in cases of cesarean hysterectomy for placenta accrete]. / Pérdida sanguínea e indicación de hemoderivados en pacientes con cesárea-histerectomía por acretismo placentario.

Background: Placenta accreta (abnormal insertion of the placenta or part of the myometrium ) endangers the lives of pregnant women. It is a public health problem because it can be complicated by obstetric hemorrhage , the latter being the main cause of maternal death worldwide. Objetive: To estimate the blood loss and the use of blood products in patients who underwent cesarean ­ hysterectomy for placenta accreta. Material and methods: A descriptive study was conducted in HGO UMAE CMNO IMSS in patients who underwent cesarean ­ hysterectomy for placenta accreta in a period of 4 years. Results: 106 cases of placenta accreta were studied, 23% had a massive bleeding of > 3000 cc. Packed red blood cells were transfused in 68% of events, fresh frozen plasma in platelet concentrates 29% and 6%. The history of uterine curettage was observed in 64 % and cesarean section 1 or 2 occasions in 76 % of cases. Conclusion: An early detection of placenta accreta in patients with risk factors to avoid emergency surgery is desired. Being prepared with blood products and appropriate use is a cornerstone in the management of this condition. The average blood loss was determined in cases of accreta in cesarean hysterectomy was 2523 milliliters.

Serum electrolyte changes in pediatric patients stung by scorpions

Scorpion sting is a health problem in some places of Mexico. The clinical manifestations of scorpion envenomation are variable and include metabolic alterations. Hyperkalemia is the most frequently reported metabolic alteration. We conducted a prospective, observational, descriptive and transversal study in an emergency room at Hospital del Niño Morelense, Mexico. Eighty-two patients were included and classified as mild (17 percent) moderate (33 percent) and severe (46 percent). The mean serum level of sodium was 146.4meq/l, standard deviation (SD) 5.58; potassium 3.86meq/l, SD 0.53, and calcium 9.55mg/dl, SD 0.76. We found 30.4 percent hypernatremia, 12 percent hypokalemia, 10.9 percent abdominal distension, and 14.6 percent visual alterations.

Clinical symptoms observed in children envenomated by scorpion stings, at the children's hospital from the State of Morelos, Mexico.

Scorpion sting is a public health problem in Mexico (Toxicon, 32 (1994) 1015). Since the most severe cases occur in children, cases treated at the Hospital del Niño Morelense, Cuernavaca, during the entire year of 1997 were registered and studied. During this 12-month period, 163 cases required medical attention, with the following results: 45% were mild, 25% moderate and 30% were severe cases of envenoming. Thanks to anti-venom therapy none of the children died. The most frequently observed clinical symptoms were: local pain and redness, salivation, dysphagia, tachycardia, irritability, odynophagia, paresthesia, nasal pruritus and emesis. The mild cases had one or two symptoms, moderate envenoming was characterized by several of the symptoms, whereas severe cases had most of the clinical symptoms listed. The moderate and severe cases were all treated with horse F(ab)2-anti-venom, while the mild cases were kept only for observation. Male children constituted 63% of the cases. The mean time that elapsed between sting and first medical attention was 54min.

Rehospitalization because of respiratory syncytial virus infection in premature infants younger than 33 weeks of gestation: a prospective study. IRIS Study Group.

OBJECTIVE: To collect data on hospitalization for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections and presumptive risk factors for rehospitalization among premature infants in Spain. DESIGN: Observational, prospective, longitudinal, multicenter study. SETTING: Fourteen Spanish neonatal units with an annual birth cohort of 57,000 infants. PATIENTS: All children (n = 680) born < or =32 weeks of gestational age between April 1, 1998, and March 31, 1999, and discharged from the hospital before March 31, 1999, were included in the study. A total of 96 were excluded because of administration of prophylactic treatment (n = 55) or were lost to follow-up (n = 41). Five children died during the study period, but death was related to RSV in only 1 case. METHODS AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Neonatal and demographic data were recorded at the initial visit. Infants were prospectively followed at monthly intervals up to March 31, 1999. In patients rehospitalized for respiratory disorders, further data about RSV status and morbidity were collected. A comparison was made between children rehospitalized for RSV infection and those who were not. The influence of factors on the probability of rehospitalization for RSV infection was assessed by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the 584 evaluable patients 118 (20.2%) were rehospitalized for respiratory disease during the study period. The causative pathogen was identified in 89 (75.4%) hospital admissions. Of these 59 (66.3%) were a result of RSV infection in 53 children; 6 were reinfections. In a logistic regression model significant independent prognostic variables included: lower risk of RSV hospitalization with increase gestational age [odds ratio (OR), 0.85; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.72 to 0.99; P < 0.047]; higher risk with chronic lung disease (OR = 3.1; 95% CI 1.22 to 7.91; P < 0.016); and living with school age siblings (OR = 1.86; 95% CI 1.01 to 3.4; P < 0.048). CONCLUSION: This large descriptive study has enabled us to define the influence of specific risk factors that increase the risk of rehospitalization for RSV infection in preterm infants. Such studies help to define the appropriate role of available prophylactic interventions and establish treatment guidelines.