A community-based cross-sectional immunisation survey in parents of primary school students.

Immunisation is a very important aspect of child health. Invasive pneumococcal and influenza diseases have been major vaccine-available communicable diseases. We surveyed demographics and attitudes of parents of primary school students who received pneumococcal conjugate vaccination (PCV) and compared them with those who did not receive pneumococcal vaccination.

Validation of Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 in three pediatric intensive care units in Hong Kong.

Objective: To compare the probabilities of death predicted by Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 (PIM2) and Pediatric Index of Mortality 1 (PIM1) models against actual mortalities in 3 pediatric intensive care units in Hong Kong.

Methods: All consecutive patients admitted to pediatric intensive care units in 3 regional non-teaching hospitals between Jan 2006 and December 2006 were included. The data required for PIM1 and PIM2 were collected.

Percutaneous relief of tension pneumomediastinum in a child.

The purpose of this article was to describe the experience of relieving tension pneumomediastinum by a fluoroscopic-guided percutaneous method. We inserted a percutaneous drainage catheter with a Heimlich valve under fluoroscopic guidance to relieve the tension pneumomediastinum in a 2-year-old girl who suffered from dermatomyositis with lung involvement. This allowed immediate relief without the need for surgery.