Anterior laryngofissure approach in type III laryngotracheal cleft: a case report.

Laryngeal and laryngotracheal clefts are rare congenital malformations of the laryngobronchial tree. Their symptoms vary from mild cough to life threatening pulmonary aspiration and cyanosis. Type I and II clefts can be observed without surgical intervention, whereas type III and IV clefts usually require an anterior or lateral cervical approach. We present a case of type III laryngotracheal cleft seen in a 3-monthold male infant who died during revision surgery after an anterior laryngofissure approach. We discuss the difficulties in diagnosis, management and importance of anaesthesia for these rare anomalies in light of the current literature.

Effectiveness of a multidimensional approach for prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia in 11 adult intensive care units from 10 cities of Turkey: findings of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC).

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) multidimensional approach on the reduction of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in adult patients hospitalized in 11 intensive care units (ICUs), from 10 hospitals, members of the INICC, in 10 cities of Turkey. METHODS: A prospective active before-after surveillance study was conducted to determine the effect of the INICC multidimensional approach in the VAP rate. The study was divided into two phases. In phase 1, active prospective surveillance of VAP was conducted using the definitions of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Health Safety Network, and the INICC methods. In phase 2, we implemented the multidimensional approach for VAP. The INICC multidimensional approach included the following measures: (1) bundle of infection control interventions, (2) education, (3) outcome surveillance, (4) process surveillance, (5) feedback of VAP rates, and (6) performance feedback of infection control practices. We compared the rates of VAP obtained in each phase. A time series analysis was performed to assess the impact of our approach. RESULTS: In phase 1, we recorded 2,376 mechanical ventilator (MV)-days, and in phase 2, after implementing the multidimensional approach, we recorded 28,181 MV-days. The rate of VAP was 31.14 per 1,000 MV-days during phase 1, and 16.82 per 1,000 MV-days during phase 2, amounting to a 46 % VAP rate reduction (RR, 0.54; 95 % CI, 0.42-0.7; P value, 0.0001.) CONCLUSIONS: The INICC multidimensional approach was associated with a significant reduction in the VAP rate in these adult ICUs of Turkey.

An outbreak of Aseptic Meningitis due to echovirus type 30 in two cities of Turkey.

An outbreak of aseptic meningitis due to echovirus 30 occurred in Ankara and Antalya in Turkey, during June to September 1999, with 176 cases fitting the clinical case definition. Cases were ascertained from attendees of the three hospitals in Ankara and one in Antalya. Medical files were reviewed and evaluated retrospectively. Clinical presentation and laboratory findings were typical of viral meningitis. Cerebrospinal fluid and/or stool samples of 86 patients were cultured for enteroviruses. Echovirus type 30 was isolated in 38 patients (44%). This is the first report and epidemiologic data about an aseptic meningitis outbreak due to echovirus type 30 from Turkey.

Tuberculin responses in children with allergic diseases.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of allergic disorders has been increasing over the last 30 years, especially in developed countries. One factor associated with this rise may be the decline of many childhood infections. We investigated tuberculin responses in allergic children in order to see the development of delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions to tubercule bacillus infection. METHODS: The study sample was composed of 106 allergic and 100 nonallergic children vaccinated with bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG). The standard Mantoux test was applied to all children. The reactions were read after 72 h by measuring the diameter of the wheal. RESULTS: The wheal size was 6.29 +/- 5.09 mm (mean +/- SD) in allergic children, and 2.79 +/- 2.96 mm in nonallergic children. The difference between the two groups was significant (P < 0.001). In children with a single BCG scar, the mean purified protein derivative (PPD) wheal size for allergic children was 4.77 +/- 4.79 mm, and for nonallergic children it was 2.48 +/- 3.19 mm. The mean PPD wheal sizes in allergic and nonallergic children who had been vaccinated twice were 8.35 +/- 4.80 mm and 3.33 +/- 2.44 mm, respectively. This difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). In 27.35% of the allergic children and 6% of the nonallergic children, the positive tuberculin responses (PPD > or = 10 mm) were recorded. The difference was significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that response to tuberculin in BCG-immunized allergic children is higher than in BCG-immunized nonallergic children.

Successful treatment of visceral leishmaniasis with allopurinol plus ketoconazole in an infant who developed pancreatitis caused by meglumine antimoniate.

Pentavalent antimony is still the drug of choice in the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis. Pantavalent antimony can cause a wide range of adverse effects, the most serious of which are cardiotoxicity and hepatotoxicity. Acute pancreatitis is a rarely reported adverse effect. An infant who developed pancreatitis during meglumine antimoniate treatment for visceral leishmaniasis and who was successfully treated with a combination of allopurinol and ketoconazole is reported.

BCG revaccination and tuberculin reactivity.

Interpretation of tuberculin reactions in revaccinated children is somewhat controversial among paediatricians. In this study, the effect of the number of BCG vaccines on tuberculin reactivity is evaluated. In 2810 healthy children aged 7 to 14 years with purified protein derivative (PPD) testing. Children were grouped according to the concordance of the number of the reported/documented vaccinations to the number of scars. Group 1 and 2 comprised of children 7 to 10 years of age and 11 to 14 years of age respectively, who had non-concordant scar numbers, and Group 3 and 4 included 7 to 10 and 11 to 14 years old children with concordant scar numbers. Mean tuberculin induration sizes were 8.0 +/- 5.7 mm for Group 1, 10.6 +/- 4.9 mm for Group 2, 9.8 +/- 4.9 mm for Group 3 and 10.9 +/- 4 mm for Group 4. As the time interval after the last dose of vaccination increased, mean induration sizes decreased in Group 1 and Group 3. In contrast, the mean reaction sizes of Group 2 and Group 4 showed a positive correlation with the period after the last dose of vaccine. It seems advisable that an induration size > or = 15 mm should not be attributed to BCG vaccination in countries with a high tuberculosis infection prevalence and routine BCG revaccination policies. A detailed investigation for tuberculosis infection and disease should be performed in those cases.

Adenosine deaminase in childhood pulmonary tuberculosis: diagnostic value in serum.

The diagnostic value of serum adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity was evaluated in childhood pulmonary tuberculosis. Serum ADA levels were measured in 20 children diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis (group 1) and 150 children (group 2) including 128 with tuberculosis infection (Mantoux test positive) and 22 healthy children. In group 1, the mean serum ADA activity was 74.06 +/- 18.5 U/l, which was significantly (p < 0.001) higher than that of group 2 (40.36 +/- 12.0 U/l). A serum ADA level of > or = 53.76 U/l had a sensitivity of 100 per cent, specificity of 90.7 per cent, positive predictive value of 58.8 per cent, and a negative predictive value of 100 per cent in children with tuberculosis disease. To conclude, measurement of serum ADA activity was a useful diagnostic tool in childhood pulmonary tuberculosis.

Congenital malaria: a case report.

Congenital malaria is an uncommon disease even in endemic areas. A 19-day-old female infant with congenital malaria is presented. The mother of the patient was diagnosed to have malaria at the seventh month of gestation and was treated with chloroquine orally for three days. No malarial prophylaxis was given. The infant developed fever, hyperbilirubinemia, anemia and hepatosplenomegaly postnatally. Thin blood smears revealed many Plasmodium vivax parasites. She was treated with oral chloroquine for three days. We emphasize the importance of adequate antenatal medical therapy and prophylaxis during pregnancy.

Disseminated pyomyositis with high creatine phosphokinase levels.

Pyomyositis is a rare purulent infection of skeletal muscle caused predominantly by Staphylococcus aureus. We report a patient who presented with high fever, widespread muscle pain and high creatine phosphokinase levels. He also developed multiple muscle and lung abscesses associated with a S. aureus septicaemia.

Antibody response to measles vaccination in Turkish children.

In recent years, there has been a remarkable increase in measles cases among preschool and secondary school children in Turkey, as in many other countries. The seroconversion and coverage rates of measles vaccine should therefore be evaluated in order to obtain data that could be used to determine the vaccination policy for Turkey. Measles immunity status was studied by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) test determining the anti-measles IgG antibody levels. Measles specific IgG antibodies were found to be positive in 77.88% of the entire study group of 800 children aged 11 months to 12 years, while 21.25% had negative sera. Seven (0.87%) subjects had borderline results. The results of this study indicate the need to administer a second dose of measles vaccine, preferably at 18 months of age concomitant with other vaccines. This vaccination policy, together with an increase in the extent of immunization coverage, may help to achieve the World Health Organization's (WHO) target of the complete eradication of measles.