Biomedical subjects
W Zaw
Publications and source records attributed to W Zaw.
Respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis in ex-preterm infants in the Scottish highlands: review of hospital admissions and an analysis of hospital cost.
Ex-preterm infants are vulnerable to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis and their hospital admission is associated with increased morbidity. Palivizumab is currently available as prophylaxis against RSV infection but its use in ex-preterm infants is controversial. A retrospective case review study was, therefore, carried out to determine the rate of readmission with RSV bronchiolitis among ex-preterm infants in the Highland Region of Scotland and to estimate the hospital cost per admission. Between 1995 and 1999, a total of 3,046 children under 2 years of age were admitted to Raigmore Hospital, 1,691 of whom (60.4%) lived outwith Inverness. 507 children had acute bronchiolitis and ex preterm infants with RSV positive bronchiolitis accounted for 3.6% of total admissions with acute bronchiolitis. 72% of these children lived outwith Inverness. The median length of hospital stay for children born at less than 30 weeks and for children who had had bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) was 6 and 10.5 days respectively. The average hospital costs per admission for children of less than 30 weeks and children of more than 30 weeks were 3,376 Pounds and 2,074 Pounds respectively. It was more expensive for children with BPD (4,431 Pounds per admission) when compared with those without BPD (1,959 Pounds per admission). This study has shown that most of the children admitted to hospital lived outwith Inverness, many at some considerable distance, and this, as much as severity of illness, may have contributed to hospital admission. Further studies are required to determine productivity losses associated with RSV infection and justification of use of Palivizumab in ex preterm infants of less than 30 weeks gestation and of BPD living in remote areas of Scottish Highlands.
Rotavirus gastroenteritis and central nervous system (CNS) infection: characterization of the VP7 and VP4 genes of rotavirus strains isolated from paired fecal and cerebrospinal fluid samples from a child with CNS disease.
Rotavirus RNA was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of a child with central nervous system disease symptoms associated with rotavirus gastroenteritis. The rotavirus isolates from the fecal and CSF samples were genotyped as G1P[8]. Sequence analysis of the VP7 and VP4 proteins derived from the fecal and CSF samples were remarkably similar to each other and to G1P[8] rotavirus strains commonly circulating in the community and associated with gastroenteritis.
Flumazenil's reversal of myoclonic-like movements associated with midazolam in term newborns.
Sedation is an important aspect of care for critically ill newborns. Proper sedation reduces stress during procedures such as mechanical ventilation. Midazolam, a short-acting benzodiazepine, is widely administered as a sedative in newborn intensive care units but is not without side effects. Three term newborns developed myoclonic-like abnormal movements after receiving midazolam. In one, flumazenil controlled the abnormal movements. Flumazenil is a potent benzodiazepine antagonist that competitively blocks the central effects of benzodiazepines. It can reverse the sedative effects of benzodiazepines occurring after diagnostic or therapeutic procedures or after benzodiazepine overdose. Flumazenil may be considered in cases of abnormal movements associated with midazolam. However, further studies are needed to provide guidelines for the administration of this drug in newborns.