Our data suggests that neonatal screening for G-6-PD deficiency is a useful test for preventing and early treatment of complications associated with it.

Background: Adult data have shown low tidal volume strategy to be beneficial to the outcome of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).There are little data regarding the effect of different tidal volume strategies on outcomes in children with ARDS. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study was to learn the differences in outcomes from ARDS in children using low vs conventional tidal volumes. Methods: All patients with ARDS (aged 1 month to 16 years) admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit from March 98 to June 2004 were studied. Prospective data for low expired tidal volumes (6-8ml/kg) were collected from Jan 2001 to June 2004 (group 1). ARDS patients during March 1998 to December 2000, receiving conven tional tidal volumes (10-15 ml/kg) were used as retrospective control (group 2). Etiologies, PRISMIII scores, interventions, and outcomes data were recorded. Standard supportive therapy for ARDS was used in all children using conventional mechanical ventilation. Results: A total of 153 (4.67%) patients had ARDS as defined by standard criteria. Groups 1 and 2 had 78 and 65 patients, respectively, with comparable PRISMIII scores. Mortality was 23% (group 1) vs 36.9% (group 2) (P<0.005). The mean duration of ventilation and hospitalization in group 1 was significantly lower when compared with group 2 (11+1 vs 18+2 days; P<0.005) and group 1 (19+2 vs 26+3 days; P<0.005), respectively. Incidence of pneumothorax was 5% (group 1) as compared with 12% (group 2) (P<0.01). Long-term follow-up for incidence of chronic lung disease could not be studied. Common etiologies of ARDS included pneumonia, sepsis, dengue shock syndrome, falciparum malaria, and fulminant hepatic failure. Conclusions: Low tidal volume strategy was found to be associated with significantly lower duration of ventilation, hospitalization, incidence of pneumothorax, and mortality when compared with conventional tidal volume strategy in children with ARDS.

Background:Neonatal sepsis is the leading cause of newborn mortality and morbidity worldwide. The spectrum of microorganisms shows wide variation in different regions of the world and also in different hospitals of the same region. In this study we have tried to find out the common bacterial organisms causing neonatal sepsis in our region and their antibiotic susceptibility. Method: It is a hospital based observational study conducted in one of the busiest hospitals of Jorhat over a period of 18 months. Blood culture reports of all patients were traced from the hospital laboratory data. Positive culture reports for bacterial sepsis were studied and analysed statistically. Result:Total 602 blood cultures were performed during the study period out of which 46(7.6%) were bacterial culture positive. Twenty-seven(59%) were Early Onset sepsis and 19(41%) were Late onset sepsis. Male-female ratio was 1.7:1. Most common organism causing bacterial sepsis was Klebsiella Pneumoniae(28%), second was Acinetobacter baumani(22%), third was Staphylococcus aureus (20%), followed by Enterococcus (17%), E coli (9%) and finally CoNS(4%). Twenty-seven(59%) were gram positive organisms (67% caused EONS and 33% caused LONS)and 19(41%) were Gram Negative(58% caused EONS and 42% caused LONS). Levofloxacin had highest sensitivity to all the microorganisms. Conclusion:Neonatal sepsis can be treated with judicious use of antibiotics by studying the common microbial strains in the region and their antimicrobial susceptibility. Antibiotic stewardship should be stressed upon in every institution to protect patients from harm caused by unnecessary antibiotic use and combat the most dangerous threat of antibiotic resistance to the world.

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