Pain and behaviour changes in children following surgery.

Objectives: To quantify postoperative pain and problematic behaviour (PB) in children at home following day-case (same day admission and discharge) or inpatient (≥1 night in hospital) surgery, to identify factors associated with PB at 2 and 4 weeks after discharge and to determine whether pain is associated with PB after adjustment for other factors.

Patients And Methods: Children scheduled for elective surgery were recruited to a descriptive study involving direct observation and self-report questionnaires. The principal outcomes were pain and PB on the 2nd post-discharge day and after the 1st, 2nd and 4th weeks.

Clinical outcome of a randomized controlled blinded trial of open versus laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication in infants and children.

Objective: To compare the clinical outcome and endocrine response in children who were randomized to open or laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication using minimization.

Background: It is assumed that laparoscopic surgery is associated with less pain, quicker recovery and dampened endocrine response. Few randomized studies have been performed in children.

Peritoneal drainage or laparotomy for neonatal bowel perforation? A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To determine whether primary peritoneal drainage improves survival and outcome of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants with intestinal perforation.

Summary Background Data: Optimal surgical management of ELBW infants with intestinal perforation is unknown.

Methods: An international multicenter randomized controlled trial was performed between 2002 and 2006.

The Sonksen logMAR Test of Visual Acuity: I. Testability and reliability.

Purpose: To develop a standardized logMAR test of visual acuity for young children and establish testability and reliability.

Methods: Two thousand nine hundred ninety-one children, aged 2 to 8 years 6 months, from a population sample of 4671 were recruited from schools and preschool facilities and tested. Ability to name or match letters, accept occlusion, and achieve binocular single and binocular and monocular measures of linear visual acuity were recorded.

The Sonksen logMAR test of visual acuity: II. Age norms from 2 years 9 months to 8 years.

Purpose: To establish age norms and interocular differences in visual acuity between 2 years 9 months and 8 years for the Sonksen logMAR Test.

Methods: Cross-sectional population-based study. Binocular measures of linear visual acuity were achieved in 2,940 children and monocular measures were achieved in 2,820 right eyes and 2,821 left eyes, respectively.

Development of lung function in early life: influence of birth weight in infants of nonsmokers.

This study aimed to compare lung growth and development during the first year of life in healthy term infants of low or appropriate birth weight for gestation. Paired measurements of forced expiratory volume in 0.4 second, FVC, and forced expiratory flow when 75% of FVC has been exhaled were obtained, using the raised volume technique, at about 7 weeks and 9 months of age in 80 infants (32 low and 48 appropriate birth weight for gestation) of white, nonsmoking mothers.

Early severe neutropenia and thrombocytopenia identifies the highest risk cases of severe meningococcal disease.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the performance of established predictors of mortality in pediatric acute meningococcal disease (MD) in a contemporary population and to develop a simple predictive score that will not vary with observer. DESIGN: Prospective study for development set and mixed retrospective and prospective study for validation set. Setting and PATIENTS: A total of 227 patients with clinical meningococcal disease who were referred to three multidisciplinary pediatric intensive care units from 1993 to 1999.

Accuracy of displayed values of tidal volume in the pediatric intensive care unit.

Objectives: To assess the accuracy of the expired tidal volumes (VT(E)) displayed by one of the most frequently used ventilators that measures exhaled volume at the expiratory valve.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: The intensive care units of a pediatric tertiary referral center in London, UK.

The usefulness of renal vein renin studies in hypertensive children: a 25-year experience.

Lateralised renin secretion predicts improvement following surgery/angioplasty of the affected kidney in paediatric hypertension. We retrospectively analysed all our renal vein renin (RVR) studies undertaken in hypertensive children and their subsequent clinical outcomes over a 25-year period. The outcomes were categorised as cure, improvement or no change in hypertension.