[Isolated fetal tachycardia, a diagnostic event of Basedow's disease. Apropos of a case]. / Tachycardie foetale isolée, circonstance de découverte d'une maladie de basedow. A propos d'une observation.

Two of thousand pregnancies are complicated by a Graves' disease. The circumstances of diagnosis are usually maternal disorders (tachycardia, exophthalmia, loss of weight...), also fetal disorders (tachycardia, intra-uterine growth retardation, stillborn...). The discovery of fetal tachycardia (160 beats per minute), and maternal tachycardia (120 beats per minute) associated with high blood pressure, allowed us to suspect, in this case, a Graves' disease, responsible of fetal hyperthyroidism by autoantibodies crossing the placenta. The measuring of T3, T4, TSH and autoantibodies confirmed the diagnosis. The drug of choice is the PTU (propylthiouracil). It prevents synthesis of thyroid hormones and inhibits peripheral deiodination of T4 to T3. It treats simultaneously mother and fetus; the surveillance must allow us to adjust treatment to avoid fetal hypothyroidism, maternal thyrotoxicosis of peripartum and neonatal thyrotoxicosis.

[A prospective study on the behavior of pediatric intensive care unit nurses, concerning the care given to suicidal children]. / Enquête prospective sur le vécu des infirmières des unités de réanimation pédiatrique, concernant les soins donnés aux enfants suicidants.

Pediatric intensive care units use sophisticated medical technology and are staffed by deeply committed nurses who are subjected to significant psychological stress. This stress varies with the type of patient and influences the style and quality of care. With this respect, children and adolescents admitted after a suicidal attempt are considered catalysts. However, there have been no systematic studies of how pediatric intensive care nurses respond emotionally to their interactions with these patients. This epidemiological study conducted in five Parisian Teaching Hospital pediatric intensive care units used a specially designed questionnaire to evaluate nurses' responses on the basis of style of care. Children under 16 years of age admitted after attempted suicide were studied comparatively with same age children admitted for status asthmaticus or encephalopathy with seizures. Results highlighted the differences in nurses' psychological responses to these situations and their difficulties in interacting with patients. This study provides strict methodological guidelines for investigating an issue often discussed emotionally or on the basis of anecdotal data.

[Cerebral embolism revealing aneurysm of the interauricular septum]. / Embolie cérébrale révélatrice d'un anévrysme du septum interauriculaire.

BACKGROUND: Aneurysm of the interatrial septum is a potential cause of systemic embolism, but it is rarely responsible for a cerebral embolism in childhood. CASE REPORT: A girl, aged 14 years, presented with a sudden right hemiplegia. The coagulation factors were normal, as was the CSF. The CT scan was normal and the EEG showed some theta waves (3-4/s) on the left temporal lobe. MRI, performed 6 days later, showed ischemic lesions leading to a search for the origin of the embolism. One-dimensional echocardiography revealed no abnormality, but two-dimensional echocardiography showed an aneurysm of the interatrial septum bulging into the right atrium. The child was treated with low doses of acetylsalicylic acid, but still had a moderate degree of spastic hemiplegia one year later. CONCLUSION: Cardiopathies can be among the causes of cerebral embolism in children. An aneurysm of the interatrial septum requires treatment throughout patient's life.

[Thrombosis of the right atrium after umbilical venous catheterization. Favourable outcome after early thrombectomy]. / Thrombose de l'oreillette droite après cathétérisme veineux ombilical. Evolution favorable après thrombectomie précoce.

A case of right atrial thrombosis after venous umbilical catheterization in a 21 day-old premature newborn is reported. The initiating factors of such an accident and its clinical signs are evocated. The authors emphasize the value of a systematic ultrasonographic supervision of newborns with central catheters for a long period of time and the value of surgical thrombectomy.

[Multiple pregnancies. Neonatal morbidity and mortality]. / Grossesses multifoetales. Morbidité et mortalité néonatales.

The increase in the number of multiple pregnancies and the high incidence of prematurity in this type of pregnancy justifies a pediatric evaluation. A retrospective study (1985-1989) compared the perinatal and neonatal characteristics of children resulting from 14 multifetal (at least 3 fetuses) pregnancies, with a gestational age of less than 34 weeks, with 27 children resulting from monofetal pregnancies of the same duration. Neonatal morbidity and mortality appeared to be similar in both groups. Thus at this very early time of onset of labour (mean gestational age of 30 weeks), fetal multiplicity expressed itself neither by any particular neonatal pathology nor by malnutrition.

[Hydrops fetalis associated with Noonan syndrome]. / Anasarque néonatale associée à un syndrome de Noonan.

A case of Noonan syndrome associated with hydrops fetalis has been reported; it is recalled that morphological anomalies common to both Turner and Noonan syndromes depend on similar lymphatic anomalies. In the present case it is therefore proposed that the malformations of Noonan syndrome and hydrops fetalis proceed from the same lymphatic anomalies.

Prothrombin Poissy: a new variant of human prothrombin.

A new congenital dysprothrombinaemia is described in a newborn baby girl who presented severe bleeding from the second day of life. Routine coagulation tests showed very prolonged prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time with about 2% prothrombin activity in a one-stage assay. Staphylocoagulase and Echis carinatus venom prothrombin assays were respectively 35% and 25%. The prothrombin antigen level was 47% and its migration in crossed immuno-electrophoresis was abnormal. Family study revealed the presence of both normal and abnormal prothrombin in the plasma of three family members: the father, the mother and the brother. Thrombin generation in a system free from natural inhibitors showed that the abnormal prothrombin was slowly and incompletely activated. The propositus is thought to be homozygous for a 'lazy' dysprothrombin.

[Therapy of severe asthma crisis in children. Therapeutic course. A propos of 40 cases]. / Crise d'asthme sévère de l'enfant. Evolution thérapeutique. A propos de 40 observations.

Forty children with severe asthma were admitted to an intensive care unit from 1970 to 1981. Criteria of severity were alteration of consciousness, circulatory failure, hypercarbia greater than 7 KPa and paradoxical pulse greater than 35 mmHg persisting in spite of correct treatment. Some therapeutic measures (oxygen, corticosteroids, antibiotics, hydratation) were not modified during this period. On the contrary, bronchodilators, used at a higher dose since June 1980, were very effective on bronchospasm without side effects, making controlled ventilation unnecessary. These results seem to be very encouraging but have to be confirmed.

[Retrospective study of 56 congenital diaphragmatic hernias. Prognostic factors, therapeutic deductions]. / Etude rétrospective de 56 hernies diaphragmatiques à révélation néo-natale. Facteurs pronostiques, déductions thérapeutiques.

Fifty-six neonates were treated for congenital diaphragmatic hernia (48 left and 8 right) in our intensive care unit from 1972 to 1980. Because of the high mortality, we studied the factors which could predict the outcome. Early onset of symptoms (before the 2nd hour of life) and low post-ductal shunt (PAO2/FiO2 less then 15) after the 3rd postoperative hour appear to be signs of poor prognosis. Our present attitude is early surgical procedure, controlled ventilation with a FiO2 1 with Pancuronium, prevention of pneumothorax and different use of pulmonary arterial vasodilatators.

[EEG recordings in prolonged hypercapnia during surgery of a cervico-mediastinal tumor in a 3-year-old child]. / Enregistrement EEG pendant une hypercapnie prolongée au cours d'une intervention pour tumeur cervico-mediastinale chez un enfant de 3 ans.

An EEG has been recorded during surgery for a cervico-mediastinal desmoid fibroma in a 3-year-old child. Soon after anesthetic induction a bronchospasm occurred, followed by major respiratory difficulties. During more than 3 h, hypercapnia reaching 15-24 kpa was noted without hypoxia. Meanwhile the EEG recording was inactive. The respiratory difficulties subsided only with the surgical liberation of the trachea. As the hypercapnia decreased, the EEG began to show "burst suppressive" activity. Progressively the tracing was more and more continuous with slow waves until complete recovery. The following day the EEG was quite normal. The mechanisms of these EEG features are discussed with regards to anesthetic drugs and to brain hypercapnic edema.

[Acute cerebral edema complicating therapy for diabetic ketoacidosis in children ]. / Oedème cérébral aigu compliquant le traitement de l'acido-cétose diabétique de l'enfant.

Cerebral edema complicating treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis does not seen to be very rare. This neurologic complication, which was observed in 3 cases, presents similarly in all patients, occurs mainly in children and adolescents and is usually lethal. Its mechanism has not been clearly explained yet. Various etiologic factors have been considered; sodium depletion, rapid infusion of hypotonic solutions and rapid fall of plasma glucose level might have a deleterious effect. On the basis of these data, some preventive therapeutic measures are proposed.