How Important Are Parental Age and Educational Level in Nonurgent Admissions to the Pediatric Emergency Department?

OBJECTIVE: The aims of the present study were to investigate the reasons parents prefer the pediatric emergency department for nonurgent admissions and to evaluate the effect of parental age and educational level on nonurgent admissions and the relationship between the reasons for nonurgent admissions and child age. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey at an emergency department of a tertiary care pediatric referral center. A questionnaire that was prepared to understand the reasons underlying nonurgent admissions was administered to the parents of 1033 children who were classified as nonurgent cases using the Pediatric Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (4-5). RESULTS: The most common reasons for nonurgent admissions were the concern for progression in child's complaints, the complaints with an onset outside working hours, and the parental perception that more cautious and better care is provided in the emergency department. The most urgent complaints from the parental perspective included fever (23.1%), vomiting (11.0%), and diarrhea (10.5%), respectively. The mean age of the mothers was 31.1 ± 5.9 years (17-51 years), and the mean age of the fathers was 34.94 ± 6.1 years (20-60 years). Parents younger than 30 years were more likely to prefer the emergency department due to convenience and economic reasons. Nonurgent admissions due to confidence in the emergency department were more frequent among parents who were primary school graduate. CONCLUSIONS: It is critically important to examine why parents prefer the emergency department for nonurgent conditions of their children and to develop solution offers in this regard. The improvements to be made in the emergency department would both prioritize patients requiring urgent care and increase the productivity of emergency department staff.

Determining the persistence of maternally acquired antibodies to hepatitis A and varicella zoster during the first 2 years of life in Turkey.

UNLABELLED: Vaccination should be timed to take into account the potential interference of maternal antibodies. The purpose of this study was to determine the persistence of maternally acquired antibodies to hepatitis A and varicella zoster in a group of healthy infants between 6 and 24 months of age. These infants were divided into four groups according to the age at the time of follow-up visits. The study group consisted of infants who were brought to the 6-month follow-up visit (group 1, n=100), 12-month follow-up visit (group 2, n=99), 18-month follow-up visit (group 3, n=59), and 24-month follow-up visit (group 4, n=59). Hepatitis A, varicella IgG, and IgM antibodies were analyzed qualitatively. Hepatitis A IgG seropositivity was determined as 71 % in group 1, 41.4 % in group 2, 0 % in group 3, and 8.5 % in group 4 (p<0.001). Varicella IgG seropositivity was found to be 5 % in group 1, 4 % in group 2, 4 % in group 3, and 1 % in group 4 (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: We found that maternal hepatitis A antibodies in children disappear between 12 and 18 months, whereas maternal varicella antibodies substantially diminish following the sixth month. Therefore, the vaccination timing should be based on factors such as the interference of maternal antibodies, disease susceptibility period, and immune maturation.

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome associated with metoclopramide in a child.

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a rare but potentially fatal complication of treatment with antipsychotic medication. NMS has also been associated with non-neuroleptic agents that block central dopamine pathways, such as metoclopramide, amoxapine and lithium. Metoclopromide has antidopaminergic properties and is a rare but well-recognized perpetrator in the development of NMS. NMS has a constellation of signs and symptoms, including hyperthermia, muscle rigidity, autonomic instability, tachycardia, tachypnea, diaphoresis, hypertension and altered mental status. We present a 2-year-old girl who developed neuroleptic malignant syndrome after metoclopromide therapy. High-dose metoclopromide was given to our patient, and it is very likely that she was dehydrated while using metoclopromide, as she developed NMS two hours after treatment. The patient was discharged on the sixth day after admission to our hospital, having been cured. In summary, NMS developed in this patient very soon after metoclopromide treatment. NMS is a life-threatening emergency; if not recognized, or left untreated, it may be fatal. Therefore, early recognition of the developing signs and symptoms, along with a thorough medical history, is of great importance.