Publications by authors named "P G Britton"

Article Synopsis
  • A study reviewed medical records from eight hospitals in Australia and New Zealand examining how intravenous aciclovir is prescribed for suspected herpes simplex virus (HSV) disease in neonates and older children between January and December 2019.
  • Out of 1,426 patients, most received aciclovir for suspected cases without definitive HSV testing; notably, only a small fraction had confirmed diagnoses among older children, indicating potentially excessive and unjustified prescribing.
  • Among the patients, adverse effects included instances of nephrotoxicity and extravasation injuries, raising concerns about the safety and necessity of such treatments in the pediatric population.
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Article Synopsis
  • Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of serious respiratory infections in children, and this study aimed to compare hospitalized cases of RSV with other viral infections in children under 2 years old.
  • A retrospective analysis of 660 children revealed that those with RSV were older and showed more severe symptoms, needing longer hospital stays and more frequent antibiotic treatment.
  • The findings highlight that RSV-positive cases exhibited more serious clinical features, indicating a need for better prevention and treatment strategies for RSV infections in young children.
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Unlabelled: Objectives and importance of study: Australian children frequently travel overseas, but little is known about their travel-related morbidity. We aimed to describe the spectrum of illness and injury in returned travellers presenting to the largest paediatric referral centre in NSW, the Children's Hospital at Westmead (CHW).

Study Type: Observational cohort study.

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