Assessing Health Care Utilization and Compliance in Kawasaki Disease.

Objective: To characterize health care utilization and costs associated with care after diagnosis of Kawasaki disease including adherence to guidelines for echocardiograms.

Study Design: We analyzed children hospitalized for Kawasaki disease using 2015-2017 national Truven MarketScan commercial claims data. The mean 90-day prehospitalization utilization and costs were quantified and compared with the 90 days posthospitalization via Wilcoxon 2-sample test.

A Cost Comparison of Infliximab Versus Intravenous Immunoglobulin for Refractory Kawasaki Disease Treatment.

Background And Objectives: In 10% to 20% of cases, Kawasaki disease is refractory to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), an expensive medication under a national shortage. Data suggest that infliximab is a viable alternative to a second dose of IVIg, with similar efficacy and safety. We compared the cost of a second IVIg dose to that of infliximab in the treatment of refractory Kawasaki disease (rKD).

Disseminated Cat Scratch Disease in Pediatric Patients in Hawai'i.

Cat scratch disease is known to be a generally benign, self-resolving illness associated with non-specific symptoms, including lymphadenopathy, fever, fatigue, anorexia, and headaches. However, it can also cause disseminated disease with a wide range of manifestations, including liver and spleen microabscesses, osteomyelitis, encephalitis, and uveitis. Eighteen pediatric cases of disseminated cat scratch disease at a single center in Hawai'i are described.

A Quality Improvement Project to Optimize Fluoride Varnish Use in a Pediatric Outpatient Clinic with Multiple Resident Providers.

The pediatric clinic at Kapi'olani Medical Center provides dental varnish to prevent decay. A chart review (conducted August 1-31, 2017) revealed that only 49.6% of eligible children received varnish.