Should paediatric critically ill patients receive insulin therapy to maintain strict normoglycaemia? Joseph, a 4 year old boy with septic shock, lactic acidosis and multi-organ failure has been admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit. Mechanical ventilation, vaso-active support, and renal replacement therapy (CVVHD) are initiated. His serum glucose level is 10.5 mmol/l. The senior […]
Category: therapy
New things in evidence synthesis
The days of a meta-analysis being the simple adding up of lots of studies, pretending that they are all just tiny pieces of the One Big Trial that was performed before the world was made are on their way out. Newer ways of using synthesised evidence – like meta-regression and individual patient data analysis – […]
Unanswered Question: Is cranio-sacral therapy useful in the management of crying babies?
An eight week old baby is admitted with mild bronchiolitis. His parents mention that he has always cried a lot and that he is having a course of cranio-sacral therapy to try and improve things. You wonder whether there is any evidence for this. […]
Is the use of Chest Physiotherapy Beneficial in Children with Community Acquired Pneumonia?
A 7 year old boy is admitted to the General Paediatric ward with a community acquired pneumonia affecting the right lower lobe. It is suggested on the ward round that we arrange chest physiotherapy to try and reduce the length of his hospital stay. We wonder if there is evidence to support the use of […]
What is the best treatment for empyema?
A 7 year old child with a history of cough and fever for 1 week, has bronchial breathing over her left lower zone on auscultation. A diagnosis of lobar pneumonia is made, confirmed on plain chest x-ray, and she is treated with appropriate intravenous antibiotics. However, she continues to have a spiking fever and develops […]
What is the best treatment for hyperkalaemia in a preterm infant?
A 720g neonate in the intensive care unit develops severe hyperkalaemia with cardiac arrhythmia. The Specialist registrar decides to give a Calcium Gluconate bolus and start an Insulin and Dextrose infusion. The new Registrar queries why Salbutamol and Ion Exchange resins were not considered as these therapies are frequently used in management of hyperkalaemia in […]