Acute cerebral infarctions are rare in children, however they can occur as a complication of a Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) infection due to direct invasion, vasculitis, or a hypercoagulable state. We report on the case of a 5-year-old boy who had an extensive stroke in multiple cerebrovascular territories 10 days after the diagnosis of MP infection. Based on the suspicion that the cerebral infarction was associated with a macrolide-resistant MP infection, the patient was treated with levofloxacin, methyl-prednisolone, intravenous immunoglobulin, and enoxaparin. Despite this medical management, cerebral vascular narrowing progressed and a decompressive craniectomy became necessary for the patient’s survival. According to laboratory tests, brain magnetic resonance imaging, and clinical manifestations, the cerebral infarction in this case appeared to be due to the combined effects of hypercoagulability and cytokine-induced vascular inflammation.

Mortality rate due to TBI in the alcohol-intake group appears to be lower compared to that in the no-alcohol-intake group after adjusting for main confounding variables.

ImportanceDistraction using virtual reality (VR) has been found to provide a clinically significant reduction in the experience of pain during various painful procedures. Commercially available VR systems usually require the user to wear a head-mounted display helmet, which can be challenging for young children, and whether VR can reduce pain during intravenous (IV) placement in young children is currently unknown.ObjectiveTo determine whether a VR environment using a novel domed ceiling screen reduces distress among children over the course of IV placement compared with standard care in a pediatric emergency department.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis randomized clinical trial was conducted from June 3, 2020, to February 8, 2021, at an urban tertiary academic children’s hospital. Included were children aged 6 months to 4 years undergoing IV placement in the pediatric emergency department.InterventionChildren in the intervention group lay on a bed to experience a VR animation using a domed ceiling screen during the IV placement procedure, which was performed as usual. Children in the control group also lay on a bed during the procedure but did not view a VR animation.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary outcome was pain scores measured using the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability (FLACC) scale at 4 time points during IV placement: immediately after the child lay down on the bed (T1), the moment the tourniquet was applied (T2), the moment a sterile alcohol swab was applied (T3), and the moment the needle penetrated the skin (T4).ResultsOf the 88 children included in the final analysis, 44 received VR distraction (median [IQR] age, 24.0 [14.5-44.0] months; 27 boys [61.4%]), and 44 received standard care (median [IQR] age, 23.0 [15.0-40.0] months; 26 boys [59.1%]). The median [IQR] FLACC scores at T4 were 6.0 (1.8-7.5) in the intervention group and 7.0 (5.5-7.8) in the control group. The ordinal logistic regression model showed that children in the VR intervention group vs the control group had a lower probability of higher FLACC scores (odds ratio, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.28-0.99; P = .046).Conclusions and RelevanceThe findings of this trial indicate that displaying VR using a domed ceiling screen may be an effective distraction method that reduces distress in young children undergoing IV placement.Trial Registrationisrctn.org Identifier: KCT0005122

PC are a main cause of death following HSCT in children. We aimed to evaluate early predictors of mortality in paediatric recipients with PCs. A retrospective observational study of 35 patients with 49 episodes of PI on chest radiography (of 124 patients) who had undergone HSCT at a tertiary university hospital between January 2011 and December 2012 was performed. During follow-up (median 26.1 months), 15 episodes led to death (30.6%). An aetiologic diagnosis was made by non-invasive tests in 24 episodes (49.0%) and by adding bronchoalveolar lavage and/or lung biopsy in 7 episodes with diagnostic yield (77.8%, P = .001). Thus, a specific diagnosis was obtained in 63.3% of the episodes. Aetiology identification and treatment modification after diagnosis did not decrease mortality (P = .057, P = .481). However, the number of organ dysfunctions at the beginning of PI was higher in the mortality group, compared to the survivor group (1.7 ± 1.2 vs 0.32 ± 0.59; P = .001). Hepatic dysfunction (OR, 11.145; 95% CI, 1.23 to 101.29; P = .032) and neutropaenia (OR, 10.558; 95% CI, 1.07 to 104.65; P = .044) were independently associated with risk of mortality. Therefore, hepatic dysfunction and neutropaenia are independent early predictors of mortality in HSCT recipients with PCs.

We aimed to find the ideal chest compression point undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in patients with a single ventricle with dextrocardia corrected by Fontan surgery. The most recent saved chest computed tomography images of all patients 8 years or older with a single ventricle who underwent Fontan surgery were retrospectively analysed. We defined the ideal chest compression point as the largest part of the compressed single ventricle. To find the ideal chest compression point, we measured the distance from the midline of the sternum to the point of the maximum sagittal area of the single ventricle as a deviation and calculated the area fraction of the compressed structures. Fifty-eight patients (male 67.2%) were analysed. The mean right deviation from the midline of the sternum as the ideal compression point was almost like the mean sternum width (32.85 ± 15.61 vs. 31.05 ± 6.75 mm). When chest compression was performed at the ideal point, the area fraction of the single ventricle statistically significant increased by 7%, wider than conventional compression (0.15 ± 0.10 vs. 0.22 ± 0.11, p < 0.05). When performing CPR on a patient with Fontan circulation with dextrocardia, right-sided chest compression is better than the conventional location.