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Biomedical subjects

P B Sullivan

Publications and source records attributed to P B Sullivan.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Parent satisfaction in a nurse led clinic compared with a paediatric gastroenterology clinic for the management of intractable, functional constipation.

AIMS: To assess parent satisfaction with a nurse led clinic for children with intractable, functional constipation compared with a paediatric gastroenterology outpatient clinic. METHODS: A validated questionnaire covering six separate domains in 48 statements (provision of information, empathy with the patient, technical quality and competence, attitude towards the patient, access to and continuity with the caregiver, and overall satisfaction) was employed. For all outcomes, the data were analysed on an intention-to-treat basis. RESULTS: 90/107 (84%) questionnaires were returned: 40/51 (78%) from the paediatric gastroenterology clinic and 50/56 (89%) from the nurse led clinic. Results indicated a high "total" satisfaction with the clinical care, but these were statistically significantly higher in the nurse led clinic compared with the paediatric gastroenterology clinic (median score 8.7 and 7.3 respectively, out of a maximum score of 10). This difference was consistent across all domains when the scores from those attending the nurse led clinic were compared with those attending the paediatric gastroenterology clinic (information median score 8.7 v 7.5; empathy 9.0 v 7.3; competence 9.1 v 8.0; attitude 8.7 v 7.3; access 8.2 v 6.7). All comparisons were highly statistically significant. CONCLUSION: These results provide firm evidence that parents of children with intractable constipation are satisfied with the care they receive in both the paediatric and nursing clinic setting. Parent satisfaction, however, was significantly higher in those attending the nurse led clinic. This study adds further support to the development of a nurse led service to manage intractable, functional constipation in children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Does gastrostomy tube feeding in children with cerebral palsy increase the risk of respiratory morbidity?

BACKGROUND: Children with severe neurological impairment may have significant oral motor dysfunction and are at increased risk of nutritional deficiencies, poor growth, and aspiration pneumonia. Gastrostomy tube feeding is increasingly being used for nutritional support in these children. AIM: To examine the occurrence of respiratory morbidity before and after gastrostomy feeding tube insertion in children with severe neurological disabilities. METHODS: This study was nested in a longitudinal, prospective, uncontrolled, multicentre cohort study designed to investigate the outcomes of gastrostomy tube feeding in 57 children with severe neurological disabilities. Parents completed a questionnaire prior to (visit 1) and 6 and 12 months (visits 2 and 3) following the gastrostomy, detailing number of chest infections requiring antibiotics and/or hospital admission. RESULTS: Mean number of chest infections requiring antibiotics was 1.8 on visit 1 and 0.9 on visit 3. Hospital admissions for chest infections fell significantly from 0.5 to 0.09. CONCLUSION: This study provides no evidence for an increase in respiratory morbidity following insertion of a feeding gastrostomy in children with cerebral palsy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Gastrostomy feeding versus oral feeding alone for children with cerebral palsy.

BACKGROUND: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) can be significantly disabled in terms of their ability to suck, chew and swallow. This can lead to significant impairment in feeding ability and, eventually, to under-nutrition. It can also result in aspiration of food into the lungs. Feeding time may be considerably increased and, instead of being an enjoyable experience, mealtimes may be distressing for both the child and carer. Increasingly for children unable to maintain a normal nutritional state feeding by mouth, gastrostomy or jejunostomy tubes are being used to provide the digestive system with nutrients. A gastrostomy tube is a feeding tube inserted surgically through the abdominal wall directly into the stomach. A jejunostomy feeding tube is inserted into the jejunum, part of the small intestine, either directly or via a previous gastrostomy. Although gastrostomy or jejunostomy placement may greatly facilitate feeding of children with CP, many carers find it very difficult to accept this intervention emotionally. The treatment is also relatively costly. For all of these reasons, its effectiveness requires assessment. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of nutritional supplementation given via gastrostomy or jejunostomy in children with feeding difficulties due to cerebral palsy. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Library's register of controlled trials (CENTRAL) up to Issue 4, 2003, MEDLINE 1977 - December 2003, EMBASE 1980 - December 2003, CINAHL 1982 - December 2003, LILACS 1980 - end 2003, ASLIB 1983 - 2003 and Dissertation Abstracts 1980 - 2003. SELECTION CRITERIA: Only randomised controlled trials which compared delivery of nutrition via a gastrostomy or jejunostomy tube compared with oral feeding alone for children up to the age of 16 were considered for this review. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Selection of trials, data extraction and assessment of trial quality were undertaken independently by two reviewers. MAIN RESULTS: No trials were identified that met the inclusion criteria for this review. REVIEWERS' CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of this systematic review, considerable uncertainty about the effects of gastrostomy for children with cerebral palsy remains. A well designed and conducted randomised controlled trial should be undertaken to resolve the current uncertainties about medical management for children with cerebral palsy and physical difficulties in eating.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Nurse management of intractable functional constipation: a randomised controlled trial.

AIMS: To evaluate the effectiveness of a nurse led clinic (NLC) compared with a consultant led paediatric gastroenterology clinic (PGC) in the management of chronic constipation. METHODS: Children (age 1-15 years) with functional constipation were randomised following a detailed medical assessment to follow up in either the NLC or PGC. An escalating algorithm of treatment was used as the basis of management in both the NLC and PGC. Main outcome measures were: time to cure at last visit or later confirmed by telephone; time to cure at last visit; and time to prematurely leaving the study. RESULTS: A total of 102 children were recruited, of whom 52 were randomly assigned to NLC and 50 to PGC. Outcome assessment showed that 34 children in the NLC and 25 children in the PGC were confirmed cured at their last visit or later confirmed by telephone. The median time to cure was 18.0 months in the NLC and 23.2 months in the PGC. The probability of being cured was estimated as 33% higher in the NLC compared to PGC (hazard ratio 1.33). Attending the NLC hastened time to cure by an estimated 18.4%. CONCLUSION: Children who attend an NLC are equally as, if not more likely to be cured of intractable constipation, than those attending a PGC and on average their cure will occur sooner. Results suggest that an NLC can significantly improve follow up for children with intractable constipation and highlight the important role for clinic nurse specialists in management of children with gastrointestinal disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Paediatric anal endosonography.

PURPOSE: This study was performed to determine the endosonographic features of the anal canal in normal children and to compare these findings with the endosonographic features in children with congenital anorectal malformations. METHODS: Two groups of children were examined by anal endosonography (AES): group 1 ( n=30) were controls, and group 2 ( n=15) were children born with anorectal malformations. RESULTS: In the normal group, the sphincter elements were clearly visualised. The intersphincteric plane produced a double image, which differs from the adult appearance. Of 15 patients who had anorectoplasty, AES identified accurate placement of the neoanus within the sphincters in 13 and slight malposition in two patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study details the endosonographic appearances of the anal canal in healthy children aged from 1 month to 14 years. AES provided useful anatomical detail in patients following anorectoplasty.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Impact of feeding problems on nutritional intake and growth: Oxford Feeding Study II.

Poor nutritional status and growth failure are common in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The aim of this study was to assess, within a subgroup of a large and clearly defined population of children with disabilities, the impact of feeding difficulties on (1) the quality (micronutrient intake) and quantity (macronutrient intake) of their diet and (2) their growth. One hundred children with disabilities (40 females, 60 males; mean age 9 years, SD 2 years 5 months; range 4 years 6 months to 13 years 7 months) underwent a detailed dietetic analysis and a comprehensive anthropometric assessment. Diagnostic categories of disability were: CP (n=90); global developmental delay (n=3); Marfan syndrome (n=1); intractable epilepsy (n=2); agenesis of the corpus callosum (n=2); methyl malonic aciduria (n=1); and congenital rubella (n=1). Neurological impairment was classified according to difficulty with mobility which was graded as mild (little or no difficulty walking), moderate (difficulty walking but does not need aids or a helper), and severe (needs aids and/or a helper or cannot walk). Results confirmed the significant impact of neurological impairment in children on body growth and nutritional status becoming worse in those with a greater degree of motor impairment. The major nutritional deficit was in energy intake, with only one fifth reportedly regularly achieving over 100% estimated average requirement (EAR), whilst micronutrient intake was less markedly impaired and protein intake was normal in this group (96% above EAR). Many children with neurological impairment would benefit from individual nutritional assessment and management as part of their overall care.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

The African enigma: low prevalence of gastric atrophy, high prevalence of chronic inflammation in West African adults and children.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori infection is very common in Africa, yet peptic ulcer disease and gastric malignancy are rare. AIM: The aim of this study was to quantify mucosal responses to H. pylori in Gambian adults and children and to estimate the prevalence of antibodies to bacterial virulence factors (cagA and vacA) in a symptomatic population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Adults (mean 36 SD 12 years) with dyspepsia and children (mean 1.4 years SD 0.4 years) with malnutrition underwent gastroscopy with biopsy. Blood was simultaneously drawn for cagA and vacA antibody status. Histopathological scoring used the modified Sydney classification. RESULTS: Both adults (n = 45) and children (n = 37) mainly demonstrated chronic mild antral inflammation. Only 2/83 cases of focal atrophy (GA) and 4/83 cases of intestinal metaplasia (IM) were observed. Adults tended to demonstrate more frequent acute (AI) and chronic inflammation (CI) (38% compared with 18% and 85% compared with 72%, respectively). Sixty-seven percent of children were cagA IgG+ and 21% vacA IgG+ and 93% of adults were IgG cagA+ and 86% vacA+. There were no differences in mucosal responses between those who were cagA or vacA positive compared with those who were negative. CONCLUSION: Gambian adults and children mount a CI response to H. pylori but GA, IM and AI are uncommon. cagA and vacA are commonly expressed in Gambian strains of H. pylori. Further studies are needed in order to confirm that GA and IM are not late findings in old age.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Megacystis-microcolon-intestinal hypoperistalsis syndrome: the difficulties with antenatal diagnosis. Case report and review of the literature.

Megacystis on antenatal scan in female fetuses is rare and has serious diagnostic implications. We report two cases of megacystis-microcolon-intestinal hypoperistalsis syndrome (MMIHS) in female infants in whom antenatal scan abnormalities were identified, but the diagnosis not made until after delivery. MMIHS is a rare autosomal recessive condition which is usually lethal in the first year of life. Prenatal diagnosis is hampered by the lack of specific diagnostic findings on ultrasound and the absence of an identified genetic locus. The prenatal findings in MMIHS are reviewed and contrasted with those of other causes of lower abdominal masses on antenatal ultrasound.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed2000

Prevalence and severity of feeding and nutritional problems in children with neurological impairment: Oxford Feeding Study.

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and severity of feeding and nutritional problems in children with neurological impairment within a defined geographical area. In a cross-sectional study, a validated questionnaire was sent to 377 parents of children (aged 4 to 13 years) on the Oxford Register of Early Childhood Impairments with oromotor dysfunction. The return rate was 72%. Of these, 93% had cerebral palsy; 47% were unable to walk; 78% had speech difficulty; and 28% continuous drooling of saliva. Gastrointestinal problems were commonly encountered: 59% were constipated; 22% had significant problems with vomiting, and 31% had suffered at least one chest infection in the previous 6 months. Feeding problems were prevalent: 89% needed help with feeding and 56% choked with food; 20% of parents described feeding as stressful and unenjoyable. Prolonged feeding times (3h/day) were reported by 28%. Only 8% of participants received caloric supplements and 8% were fed via gastrostomy tube. Even though 38% of respondents considered their child to be underweight, 64% of children had never had their feeding and nutrition assessed. The results highlight that feeding problems in children with neurological impairment are common and severe, causing parental concern. Many of these children would benefit from nutritional assessment and management as part of their overall care.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Evaluation of a method of assessing faecal loading on plain abdominal radiographs in children.

BACKGROUND: Childhood constipation is common and assessment is often difficult. Plain abdominal radiography is simple and commonly used to assess constipation. The role of radiography with the use of a simple scoring system has not been fully evaluated. OBJECTIVE: To assess the reliability of scoring faecal loading on plain abdominal radiographs in children with intractable constipation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Plain abdominal radiographs from 33 constipated and 67 control children were independently assessed by three observers on two separate occasions. A scoring system was devised with scores from 0 (no stool) to 5 (gross faecal loading with bowel dilatation) in three areas of the colon, giving a total score of 0-15. RESULTS: There were significant differences between the scores of the constipated and control radiographs for each observer (P = 0.05). There was no intra-observer variation (P = 0.12-0.69), but significant inter-observer variation was demonstrated (P = 0.00). CONCLUSIONS: We have found this scoring system to be a clinically useful and a reproducible tool in assessing childhood constipation. Assessment of faecal loading is subjective and varies between observers, although one observer will consistently score faecal loading on the same radiograph on successive occasions. To limit exposure to ionising radiation, we recommend that radiography be reserved for the investigation of intractable constipation, and its accuracy is improved if all radiographs are scored by the same observer.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Interpreting the 13C-urea breath test among a large population of young children from a developing country.

The 13C-urea breath test is a noninvasive tool for the diagnosis of gastric Helicobacter pylori infection. However, it has not been validated in young children from the developing world, where infection is very common. 13C urea breath tests were performed on 1532 occasions on 247 Gambian infants and children aged from 3 to 48 mo. The means and variances of the separate sub-populations of 13C enrichment results contained within the overall dataset were estimated by a Genstat procedure using the EM algorithm, thereby identifying a cut-off value to discriminate positive from negative results. To illustrate the appropriateness of this calculated cut-off value, 13C urea breath tests were performed upon a small group of 14 patients aged 6 to 28 mo undergoing diagnostic upper endoscopy. Fixed gastric antral biopsies were examined to identify H. pylori. Two subpopulations were identified within the large dataset. A cut-off value of 5.47 delta per thousand relative to Pee Dee Belemnite limestone above baseline at 30 min identified 95% of the normally distributed negative sub-population and 99.4% of the log normal distributed positive sub-population. Comparison with endoscopic data confirmed that this cut-off value was appropriate for this population, as 7/7 children without H. pylori on their gastric biopsies had negative urea breath tests, and 6/7 children with gastric H. pylori colonization had positive urea breath tests. These findings confirm the value of the urea breath test as a diagnostic tool in young children from developing countries. They also offer a way to calculate the most appropriate cut-off value for use in different populations and the likelihood that it will correctly assign any value into the appropriate sub-population, without the need for endoscopy.

Breath Tests↗
PubMed1999

Food allergy and food intolerance in childhood.

Food intolerance is a reproducible adverse reaction to a specific food ingredient that is not psychologically based. Food allergy is a form of food intolerance in which there is evidence that the response is caused by an immunological reaction to food. Other mechanisms of food intolerance include enzyme defects (e.g. lactase deficiency), pharmacological effects (e.g. histamine), toxic properties (e.g. haemagglutinating lectins) and irritants (e.g. spices). Food allergy in children is a highly contentious subject and there is often a striking lack of published evidence from which to base clinical decisions. The true prevalence of food allergy in children is unknown, although there is evidence of an increasing incidence of allergic reactions to some foods, especially peanuts. Our understanding of why some children are unable to tolerate certain foods (e.g. cow's milk, egg), or how they grow out of this intolerance, is very poor. Symptoms of food allergy in children are diverse and include vomiting, poor weight gain, abdominal pain, malabsorption, cough, wheeze, rhinitis, atopic eczema, urticaria and angioedema. Despite the lack of objective data to support the notion that food intolerance contributes to behaviour in children, this is a belief firmly held by many parents and some professionals. The gold standard for diagnosing food intolerance is the double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC). There is often a poor correlation between the results of food provocation tests and those of skin prick tests of radioallergosorbent tests for specific food antibodies. For proven food allergy, elimination diets are the mainstay of management. In children these must be closely supervised to avoid nutritional deficiency and compromise of growth. Some children who have had severe (anaphylactic) reactions after food need to have a supply of self-injectable adrenaline made available to their parents and teachers and must also practice strict avoidance of the offending food.

Diet↗
PubMed1998

Coeliac disease in children and adolescents with IDDM: clinical characteristics and response to gluten-free diet.

A total of 167 children and adolescents with insulin-dependent (Type 1) diabetes mellitus (97 males; age range 1.9-22.4 yrs) in a UK paediatric diabetic clinic were screened for coeliac disease using the IgA endomysial (EMA) test, or, in IgA deficient subjects, the IgG antigliadin (AGA) test. Antibody positive subjects were selected for small bowel biopsy, and confirmed coeliac cases started on a gluten free diet. Clinical features, height (Ht) standard deviation score (SDS), body mass index (BMI) SDS, HbA1c, insulin requirements' haemoglobin (Hb), mean red cell volume (MCV), serum folate and ferritin levels were evaluated at diagnosis and thereafter at 3-6 month intervals. A total of 156 subjects (93.4%) were antibody negative. Eleven (6.6%) were antibody positive (10 EMA/1 AGA; 6 males), of whom 9 had biopsies: 1 normal: 8 coeliac (4.8%; 5 males; 1 'classical'; 1 anaemia; 3 'atypical'; 3 asymptomatic). Seven coeliac subjects were followed during 12-24 months of dietary therapy. Pretreatment mean (range) Ht SDS = 0.08 (-1.66 to 1.88); BMI SDS = 0.32 (-0.82 to 1.29); HbA1c = 8.9 (6.2 to 11.3%); insulin dose = 0.98 (0.51 to 1.29) U kg(-1) day(-1). During treatment antibody status reverted to and remained negative, and symptoms resolved. By 24 months, there was a trend towards increased BMI SDS (mean (range) 1.31 (0.47 to 2.29), p = 0.248) and to reductions in HbA1c (8.1 (6.4-10.8), p = 0.697). Repeat small bowel biopsies were normal in 6 subjects (1 refused). No statistically significant changes occurred in any other parameters. In conclusion, serological screening is effective, although the therapeutic benefit of dietary therapy in asymptomatic cases remains uncertain.

Adolescent↗