Tracheostomy for infants requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation: 10 years' experience.

Background: Despite advances in care of critically ill neonates, extended mechanical ventilation and tracheostomy are sometimes required. Few studies focus on complications and clinical outcomes. Our aim was to provide long-term outcomes for a cohort of infants who required tracheostomy.

Increased adherence to CFF practice guidelines for pulmonary medications correlates with improved FEV1.

Background: CFF practice guidelines recommend patients ≥age 6 use dornase alfa and hypertonic saline daily, and those ≥age 6 colonized with Pseudomonas aeruginosa use inhaled tobramycin and oral azithromycin to improve lung function and reduce pulmonary exacerbations. A decline in FEV1 was noted in our 2008 CF Center Report. We hypothesized that increasing adherence to prescribing guidelines for these pulmonary medications would improve mean FEV1.

Incidental sinusitis in a pediatric intensive care unit.

Objective: Intubation is a risk factor for nosocomial sinusitis in adult intensive care patients. Sinusitis in intubated adults can be an occult cause of fever. In children, nasal intubation may increase the risk of sinusitis.

Epilepsy: an anticipatory presentation of pediatric Wegener's granulomatosis.

Wegener's granulomatosis is a necrotizing, granulomatous vasculitis that primarily affects the respiratory tract and kidneys. It is rare in children. Few pediatric and adult case reports described seizures and central nervous system involvement at initial presentation, and none described central nervous system involvement in the absence of respiratory or renal disease.

Impact of changes in infant death classification on the diagnosis of sudden infant death syndrome.

This study evaluates the hypothesis that a decline in sudden infant death syndrome in Minnesota is associated with increases in other categories of sudden unexpected infant death. Matched birth and death certificates, autopsy reports, and home visit questionnaires were reviewed for 722 sudden unexpected infant deaths that occurred from January 1, 1996 through December 31, 2002. Descriptive data and cause of death were recorded.