Hypoalbuminemia in critically sick children

Phenytoin toxicity associated with hypoalbuminemia in critically ill patients.

Four critically ill patients developed phenytoin toxicity. Hypoalbuminemia or concomitant displacing drugs resulted in an increased fraction of unbound drug. Clinical findings included gradual decrease in level of consciousness and cerebellar signs. Marked phenytoin toxicity can occur in critically ill patients with hypoalbuminemia and can often be detected only by direct measurement of free ph...

Sick Children

Sick sinus syndrome in children.

The ages of 6 male patients with the sick sinus syndrome ranged from 10-15 years when their symptoms began. At rest all had a heart rate of 60/min or less. Two had syncopal attacks which threatened life; 1 had only attacks of dizziness; the other 3 had no syncopal attacks but had recurrent attacks of supraventricular tachycardia ('brady-tachycardia syndrome') which were more resistant to drug t...

Blood cultures in sick children.

BACKGROUND Blood cultures (BCs) are frequently performed in sick children. A recent audit of BCs among adult patients documented high rates of contamination by coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS). OBJECTIVES To describe BC contamination rates and common pathogenic organisms causing bloodstream infection in children at a tertiary- level children's hospital. METHODS BC results for childre...

Nursing sick children.