Prescribing in obese children: how good are paediatricians?

Childhood obesity is increasing nationally and worldwide. Using the child's total body weight to calculate drug doses for certain medications could result in incorrect dosing. The aim of this study was to assess whether paediatric doctors have knowledge about prescribing correct doses of medications for obese children by using methods to calculate the 'ideal body weight' (IBW).

Expert consensus statement 'Neonatologist-performed Echocardiography (NoPE)'-training and accreditation in UK.

Unlabelled: Targeted echocardiographic assessments of haemodynamic status are increasingly utilised in many settings. Application in the neonatal intensive care units (NICU) is increasingly demanded but challenging given the risk of underlying structural lesions. This statement follows discussions in UK led by the Neonatologists with an Interest in Cardiology and Haemodynamics (NICHe) group in collaboration with the British Congenital Cardiac Association (BCCA) and the Paediatricians with Expertise in Cardiology Special Interest Group (PECSIG).

Using CRP in neonatal practice.

Objective: C-reactive protein (CRP) is the most widely used infection marker in neonatal practice. Combined with difficulty in early recognition of neonatal sepsis, the number of infants with risk factors for infection, and postnatal maladaptation of non-infectious origin; CRP is often used as a decision making tool for antibiotic therapy. We wished to examine practice regarding neonatal infection and use of CRP.

A teenager with lumbar striae distensae (when a bruise is not a bruise).

A 14-year-old boy was referred to a paediatric clinic after a recent diagnosis of coeliac disease, which was well controlled on a gluten-free diet. During the consultation, the mother raised concerns regarding marks that had developed over her son's back over the past 6 months. On examination, a number of horizontal, coloured bruise-like marks were noted over the lower back.

A neonatal case of congenital coronary artery fistula.

Coronary artery fistulae (CAF) are rare forms of congenital heart disease with an incidence of one in 50 000 live births. The authors present the case of an asymptomatic neonate with a precordial murmur. Pre and postductal saturations, blood pressure and ECG were normal.

Nosebleeds in children as a potential marker for nonaccidental injury and serious underlying pathology: how aware are hospital clinicians?

Paediatric epistaxis is common and usually of benign origin. However, the differential diagnosis includes serious underlying pathology (e.g.

Intractable neonatal jaundice due to hereditary spherocytosis and Gilbert's syndrome.

In this article the authors present a case of pathological neonatal jaundice resistant to phototherapy in a baby with a family history of Gilbert's syndrome and hereditary spherocytosis. Her presentation was ultimately explained with a diagnosis of both conditions, and required treatment with phenobarbitone. The authors discuss the mechanism by which Gilbert's syndrome results in hyperbilirubinaemia and its similarities with Crigler-Najjar syndrome.