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Biomedical subjects

S L Watkins

Publications and source records attributed to S L Watkins.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Dialysis-associated seizures in children and adolescents.

A retrospective medical chart review was conducted to document seizure occurrence in 180 children and adolescents (newborn to 22 years of age) receiving hemodialysis (HD) and/or peritoneal dialysis (PD) from January 1974 through June 1988 at Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. The purpose of the review was to identify risk factors associated with seizure activity during or up to 24 h following dialysis treatment. Seventy-eight patients received only HD, 79 received only PD and 23 received both HD and PD. Dialysis-associated seizures (DAS) were seen in 7.2% (13/180) of all dialyzed patients; 12 occurred during HD and 1 occurred during PD. Patients receiving only HD were more likely to experience DAS (7/78, 9%), than patients receiving only PD (0/79, 0%) (chi-squared = 5.5, 1 df, P = 0.02). Among the 101 patients who received HD, the risk of HD-associated seizures among those with a prior history of seizure (6/21, 29%) was significantly higher than among those with no history of seizure (6/80, 8%) (chi-squared = 5.2, 1 df, P = 0.02). Prior history of seizure did not influence the risk of seizures among patients receiving PD. These data suggest that patients receiving HD, and especially those with a prior history of seizure, should be monitored closely during dialysis and measures taken to reduce the risk of seizures.

Acute Kidney Injury

Treatment of bladder dysfunction in children with end-stage renal disease.

The appropriate management of the urinary bladder in patients requiring a renal transplant is significantly different in children than in adults. The etiology of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in 13 of 50 children (26%) transplanted since 1985 was obstructive uropathy/dysplasia. Five of these children had small-capacity, poorly compliant bladders. Our current approach is to restore bladder compliance, improve emptying, and transplant into the restored bladder rather than divert. Pretransplant gastrocystoplasty was performed in three children and the donor ureter was implanted into the augmented bladder. One child awaits transplantation following his bladder augmentation. Bladder function is followed postoperatively by voiding cystourethrography (VCUG) and urodynamics. All of the children who have received transplants into augmented bladders are infection-free, voiding per urethra, and have functioning allografts. We recommend: (1) an initial VCUG in all children; (2) complete urodynamics, if appropriate; (3) urological reconstruction to include augmentation prior to transplantation; (4) transplantation into the reconstructed bladder; and (5) comprehensive follow-up including regular urodynamic assessment.

Adolescent

Escherichia coli O157:H7 and the hemolytic uremic syndrome: importance of early cultures in establishing the etiology.

Fifty-two patients were studied prospectively to determine the etiology of postdiarrheal hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Escherichia coli O157:H7 was isolated from 33 patients (63.4%). If stool obtained within 2 days of the onset of diarrhea was cultured for E. coli O157:H7, the recovery rate was 100%. This rate decreased to 91.7% and 33.3% if stool was cultured for this pathogen 3-6 or greater than or equal to 7 days, respectively, after diarrhea began. The culture-positive group was more likely to have had bloody diarrhea and fecal leukocytes and to have received transfusions than the culture-negative group but was otherwise similar in clinical characteristics. E. coli O157:H7 is the predominant pathogen associated with HUS in western Washington. Recovery of this pathogen is highly dependent on obtaining stool cultures within 6 days of onset of diarrhea.

Adolescent

The increasing incidence of the hemolytic-uremic syndrome in King County, Washington: lack of evidence for ascertainment bias.

The annual incidence of the hemolytic-uremic syndrome was determined for the well-defined population of King County, Washington, between 1971 and 1986, inclusive, to ascertain temporal trends in the epidemiology of this disease. The average annual incidence rose from 0.69 cases per 100,000 children under age 15 years between 1971 and 1975 to 1.77 cases between 1976 and 1980 and 1.74 cases between 1981 and 1986. The mean hematocrits, platelet counts, and blood urea nitrogen and creatinine concentrations on admission were similar in all periods, as were the mean length of hospital stay and the proportions of patients requiring erythrocyte and/or platelet transfusions and dialysis. These results indicate that the increased incidence of hemolytic-uremic syndrome in childhood has been sustained in King County, Washington, and that this increase is not due to ascertainment bias caused by the diagnosis of less severely ill cases. Further investigations are needed to determine whether this increased incidence is being experienced in other populations and to assess strategies for the prevention of microangiopathic sequelae to hemorrhagic colitis.

Adolescent