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Biomedical subjects

D Bruton

Publications and source records attributed to D Bruton.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Inflicted versus accidental head injury in critically injured children.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the frequency of inflicted head injury in critically injured children; the severity of neurologic injury; the neurologic outcome; and the historical, socioeconomic, physical, and radiologic factors associated with inflicted head injury. DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. SETTING: Multidisciplinary pediatric intensive care unit (ICU). PATIENTS: Consecutive cases (n = 40) of severe head injury admitted to a pediatric ICU. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Fourteen (35%) of 40 cases of head injury were due to inflicted head injury. Eleven (79%) of 14 inflicted head injury cases were due to child abuse and three (21%) were due to neglect. The severity of neurologic injury, as measured by the admission Glasgow Coma Scale, was worse in cases of inflicted head injury (7.1 +/- 0.7 [SE] [inflicted] vs. 9.9 +/- 0.8 [accidental]; p = .04). Glasgow Outcome Scores were worse after inflicted head injury (2 +/- 1 inflicted] vs. 4 +/- 1 [accidental]; p = .004). In victims of child abuse, we found the combination of any two of the following three factors was associated with inflicted head injury: an inconsistent history/physical examination; retinal hemorrhages; or parental risk factors (alcohol or drug abuse, previous social service intervention within the family, or a past history of child abuse or neglect). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that severity of neurologic injury and neurologic outcome in cases of inflicted head injury are worse than in any other type of childhood head injury. We believe that a combination of any two of the above three risk factors may prove to be a reliable marker of inflicted head injury in children admitted to a pediatric ICU and will lead to an early and definitive diagnosis.

Accidents

Cyclic eosinophilic myositis and hyperimmunoglobulin-E.

A 40-year-old man had regular cyclic episodes of weight gain and eosinophilic myositis associated with hyperimmunoglobulin-E and hypereosinophilia for 9 years. During the episodes his body weight increased up to 10.8%; eosinophil counts reached 41.3 X 10(-9) cells/L; and IgE levels reached 18 000 IU/mL. These values changed regularly in a definite sequence relative to the clinical state. Attempts to document a parasitic cause were unsuccessful, and several courses of anthelmintic therapy were ineffective. An oral dose of prednisone, 10 mg/d, begun in July 1982 resulted in an immediate lessening of the severity of the episodes and a progressive lengthening of the cycle from 35 to 170 days. No further episodes have occurred since March 1984. The patient is fit and well on prednisone therapy, 12.5 mg on alternate days. This apparently unique syndrome has a benign course and is a cyclic disease involving skeletal muscle as the target organ.

Adult

Classification of glomerulonephritis.

A classification of glomerulonephritis which is being used as a basis for the New Zealand National Study of Glomerulonephritis is presented, together with comments about the salient pathological features of each type of glomerular disease.

Biopsy

Histiocytoid cardiomyopathy of infancy: an unexplained myofibre degeneration.

An unusual multifocal degeneration of the myofibres of all chambers and the conducting system of the heart was found in a 4-month-old female in whom ventricular pre-excitation (Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome) had been demonstrated. There was a complex malformation of the brain with hydrocephalus and bilateral corneal opacities and microphthalmos. The affected myofibres had a swollen vacuolated or granular cytoplasm and rounded nuclei giving a histiocytoid appearance. Disruption of myofibrils and gross dilation and disorganization of mitochondria were the major fine structural features. Reports of similar lesions in 8 other young female children are reviewed. 'Histiocytoid cardiomyopathy' is the term preferred over others which refer to an increased lipid content. The aetiology is unknown.

Autopsy