Pediatric renal transplantation in a highly sensitised child-8 years on.

Highly sensitised children have markedly reduced chances of receiving a successful deceased donor renal transplant, increased risk of rejection, and decreased graft survival. There is limited experience with the long-term followup of children who have undergone desensitization. Following 2 failed transplants, our patient was highly sensitised.

Childhood posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome.

Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES) is a clinicoradiologic syndrome characterised clinically by headaches, altered consciousness, visual disturbances and seizures and radiological changes which can resolve. However left untreated it can be fatal and not all cases are reversible. It can occur in many settings, the most common being hypertensive crisis.

Cyanide poisoning in the post-transplantation patient-a cautionary tale.

There have been few reported cases of cyanide toxicity following treatment with sodium nitroprusside. We report on the case of a paediatric patient who had received sodium nitroprusside for intractable hypertension in the post-operative period, resulting in cyanide toxicity. Treatment with sodium thiosulphate, sodium nitrate and haemodialysis resulted in the elimination of cyanide from the circulation.

Clinical presentation of type 1 diabetes.

Objective: To identify the presenting features of type 1 diabetes in a national incident cohort aged under 15 yr, the duration of symptoms, the occurrence of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) at presentation, and the frequency of a family history of diabetes.

Methods: A prospective study was undertaken of incident cases of type 1 diabetes using an active monthly reporting card system from January 1, 1997 to December 31, 1998 in the Republic of Ireland. Follow-up questionnaires were distributed to pediatricians nationally.

Ethical principles and operational guidelines for good clinical practice in paediatric research. Recommendations of the Ethics Working Group of the Confederation of European Specialists in Paediatrics (CESP).

A child has the full right of protection of his/her life by provision of optional medical care. There is a need in paediatrics for better evidence based practice founded on quality research into efficacy and safety of children's medications. To protect the best interests of the child one must balance the ethical demand to do clinical studies with the necessity to avoid doing harm.

Measles outbreak in Dublin, 2000.

Background: An outbreak of measles occurred in Ireland between December 1999 and July 2000. The majority of cases were in north Dublin, the catchment area of The Children's University Hospital (TCUH).

Methods: Details of all of the 111 children attending the hospital with a diagnosis of measles between December 1999 and July 2000 were prospectively entered into a database.