Decompressive abdominal laparotomy for abdominal compartment syndrome in an unengrafted bone marrow recipient with septic shock.

Objective. To describe a profoundly immunocompromised (panleukopenia) child with septic shock who developed abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) and was successfully treated with surgical decompression. Design.

Early infection during burn-induced inflammatory response results in increased mortality and p38-mediated neutrophil dysfunction.

Following burn injury, the host is susceptible to bacterial infections normally cleared by healthy patients. We hypothesized that during the systemic immune response that follows scald injury, the host's altered immune status increases infection susceptibility. Using a murine model of scald injury under inhaled anesthesia followed by intraperitoneal infection, we observed increased neutrophil numbers and function at postburn day (PBD) 1 compared with sham-burned and PBD4 mice.

An infant with fever and stridor.

The clinical spectrum of infectious causes of upper airway obstruction has changed dramatically in the last few decades, especially after the introduction of vaccines against diphtheria and Haemophilus influenzae. Nevertheless, infectious causes of upper airway obstruction remain an important source of morbidity and potential mortality in the pediatric age group. Physicians caring for children need to be cognizant of the clinical presentation of this group of disorders because prompt recognition and early appropriate treatment are lifesaving.