Hemolytic impact of central venous catheters on fresh whole blood.

An in vitro study was conducted to determine the degree of hemolysis of fresh whole blood, transfused at rates of 10, 20, and 40 ml per hour through three different sizes of central venous catheters by using the same piston-type syringe pump. The catheter lengths were 20 cm, 30 cm and 30 cm; the intraluminal calibers were 0.18 mm, 0.

[Effect of light on total micro-bilirubin values in vitro].

In order to elucidate the effect of light on total bilirubin values in vitro, 616 capillary blood samples were collected from jaundiced newborn infants at the nursery of Veterans General Hospital-Taipei. Samples were divided into 3 groups: 1. Phototherapy light group-133 samples were irradiated with blue fluorescent light (spectral irradiance 425-475 nm = 4 mu watt/cm2/nm); 2.

Locomotor strategies before independent walking: prospective study of 50 mentally retarded children.

To investigate the association between pre-walking locomotor strategies and psychomotor developments in children with mental retardation (MR), 50 children with non-specific MR were included in this study. There were 29 boys and 21 girls, 96% of whom had moderate to severe MR. They were followed from 4-53 months to 25-99 months of age, and their follow-up periods ranged from 10 to 48 months (mean 30 months).

Dentine lead and child intelligence in Taiwan.

It is well known that lead is a developmental neurotoxin, but, because many factors influence a child's development, a safe level of lead for children is still not clear. In this study, personal lead exposure was assessed. A total of 940 deciduous teeth--mostly incisors--was collected from 764 children in grades 1-3 who attended 7 primary schools.

Pneumothorax: a complication of deep endotracheal tube suction: report of 3 cases.

Endotracheal suction plays a major role in providing airway care but it is nor without inherent hazard. In routine practice of pediatric intensive care, the suction catheter is usually inserted until slight resistance is felt and is then withdrawn. Here we report three instance in last year of a rare complication of suction - secondary pneumothorax after bronchial perforation due to deep endotracheal suction.

Amphetamine poisoning in infant: report of two cases.

Amphetamine poisoning is rare in children. Here we report two male infants with acute poisoning due to accidental amphetamine ingestion. One infant had a family history of drug abuse and the other was due to poor supervision of the parents.

Central venous silastic catheters in newborns and children: localization by sonography and radiology.

Central venous catheters are commonly used in neonatal and pediatric intensive care. Sonographic catheter localization is a technique without any known detrimental side effect. The positioning of silastic central venous catheters in two different diameters used in critical newborns and children was examined by sonography in this study.

Selective placement of bronchial suction catheters in intubated full term and premature neonates.

Flexible straight suction catheters were passed through nasal endotracheal tubes in 30 newborn infants (gestation age 26-42 weeks; birth weight 800-4,100 g) undergoing mechanical ventilation just before chest radiographic examination for clinical purpose. With the head in midline position, 63% (19/30) and 37% (11/30) of the catheters, entered the right and left main bronchus, respectively. With the head turning to either the left or right side, 87% (26/30) and 73% (22/30) of the catheters, entered the contralateral bronchus, respectively.

Heparinization of blood decreases ionized calcium concentration.

To evaluate whether heparin in the plasma sample may affect the ionized calcium level, we compared the ionized calcium levels of blood samples of three different heparin concentrations in 25 normal healthy volunteers: Group A contained no heparin (control group); Group B contained 4.7 IU/ml heparin; and Group C contained 37.5 IU/ml heparin.

New therapy for hydrocarbon pneumonitis--nasal prongs continuous positive airway pressure (NPCPAP).

Respiratory failure and conscious disturbance developed in a 18-month-old girl following ingestion of an unknown quantity of spot remover solution, a petroleum distillate product. Rapid deterioration was noted within 2 hours after ingestion. The patient became stable in condition and dramatically improved through intensive care with respiratory support by using nasal prongs continuous positive airway pressure (NPCPAP).

[Asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy: a case report].

Asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy (ATD) is a rare case of autosomal recessive disease. We report a case of full term female infant, who was noted to have small chest cage with severe respiratory distress soon after birth. On physical examination.

Congenital tuberculosis: a case report.

Congenital tuberculosis is a rare disease, difficult to be correctly diagnosed from clinical manifestations alone without maternal tuberculous history. In this article we report a neonate who exhibited abdominal distension and bloody diarrhea simulating neonatal sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis. Exploratory laparatomy was performed for the markedly distended abdomen and deteriorated condition.

Indomethacin for the prevention of symptomatic patent ductus arteriosus in very low birth weight infants.

To assess the efficacy of prophylactic indomethacin in reducing the incidence of symptomatic patent ductus arteriosus, thirty two preterm infants weighing 750-1500 gm at birth were randomized to receive oral indomethacin or placebo. Fifteen infants received oral indomethacin with a dosage of 0.2 mg/kg at the 24th, 36th and 60th hour of age as the study group.

Group therapy with sexually abused adolescents.

The sexually abused adolescent girl is attempting to cope with a disturbing past, threatening present, and disrupted future. She may also be feeling cut off or different from her friends at a time when, developmentally, peer contact is vital. This paper describes a group therapy experience offered to six 13 and 14 year old abuse victims in order to help them feel better about themselves, improve their social skills and reconnect with others their own age.

The temperamental characteristics of Chinese babies.

This paper investigates the usefulness of Carey's Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire in the Chinese culture and uses the questionnaire to assess the temperamental characteristics of Chinese babies. The revised questionnaire was administered to the mothers of 349 4--8-year-old infants in Taipei, Taiwan. The face validity of the questionnaire was supported within the different context: the distribution of scores was normal, and the mothers had no trouble in answering the questions.