Biomedical subjects

T M Grattan-Smith

Publications and source records attributed to T M Grattan-Smith.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Injuries and children.

Injury is one of the major disease processes in childhood and is the number one cause of death of children in Australia. Medical practitioners should be able to provide effective care for the injured child, but the most dramatic reductions in mortality and serious morbidity will be achieved with specific prevention strategies and with wider acceptance by our society that we have to provide a safe environment for our children. Medical practitioners should have a pre-eminent role in achieving these aims.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1991

Child drownings: a changing pattern.

Paediatric drownings in New South Wales during the years 1987-1990 are reviewed to document the current pattern. Over these three years we have registered 250 paediatric deaths by physical injury. Sixty-one (24%) of these deaths were by drowning. Twenty-nine of the 61 drownings (47%) occurred in domestic pools; 25 of these were in unfenced or inadequately fenced pools. Of the remaining four cases, one was associated with a chair being used to gain access and the other three remain unexplained. Thirty-three of the 61 drownings occurred in country areas; of these 10 were in pools, eight in rivers or creeks, six in boating accidents, four in the surf and three in dams. A changing trend identified by this study is the increasing percentage of drownings (44%) occurring in nominally "fenced" pools in which the fencing was not functioning because the gate was open or the fencing was in disrepair. Legislation must be supported by public education and council inspection if the full benefit of isolation fencing is to be realised. With respect to all drownings there is a continuing need for education about the dangers that bodies of water, even in the bath or a bucket, pose to young children, and the need for parents to strive for optimal supervision.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1987

Quinine poisoning in children.

The accidental ingestion of quinine by children causes significant morbidity and mortality. We have reviewed quinine poisoning as presented in the medical literature and our experience of paediatric quinine poisoning during the period from January 1975 to September 1986. The clinical features that were seen in our patients were similar to those that are described in larger series. In our series, 13 children were identified, of whom 11 children were aged one to two years. Ten children either remained asymptomatic or made a complete recovery. Two children had a persisting major deficit and one died. Once ingestion of quinine has occurred, absorption should be prevented by the emptying of the stomach with ipecacuanha or gastric lavage promptly and then by the administration of activated charcoal. Once toxicity develops, supportive therapy should be given, but there is no specific therapy to reduce toxicity or to enhance elimination. Physicians who prescribe quinine should be aware of the potential dangers to small children.

Adolescent↗