The incidence of IPD in the IMW decreased by 27% after the introduction of the PCV7 vaccine. During the postvaccine period (2001-2003), there were significant decreases in the proportion of cases of IPD caused by PCV7 and antibiotic-resistant serogroups. These benefits were accompanied by a significant increase in the proportion of IPD cases due to non-PCV7 serogroups, with increases in the incidence of empyema and severe IPD.

Objective: To compare intranasal midazolam, using a Mucosal Atomization Device (IN-MMAD), with rectal diazepam (RD) for the home treatment of seizures in children with epilepsy.Design: Prospective randomized study.Setting: Patients' homes and a freestanding children's hospital that serves as a referral center for 5 states.Patients: A total of 358 pediatric patients who visited a pediatric neurology clinic from July 2006 through September 2008 and were prescribed a home rescue medication for their next seizure.Intervention: Caretakers were randomized to use either 0.2 mg/kg of IN-MMAD (maximum, 10 mg) or 0.3 to 0.5 mg/kg of RD (maximum, 20 mg) at home for their child's next seizure if it lasted more than 5 minutes.Outcome Measures: The primary outcome measure was total seizure time after medication administration. Our secondary outcome measures were total seizure time, time to medication administration, respiratory complications, emergency medical service support, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and caretakers' ease of administration and satisfaction with the medication.Results: A total of 92 caretakers gave the study medication during a child's seizure (50 IN-MMAD, 42 RD). The median time from medication administration to seizure cessation for IN-MMAD was 1.3 minutes less than for RD (95% confidence interval, 0.0-3.5 minutes; P=.09). The median time to medication administration was 5.0 minutes for each group. No differences in complications were found between treatment groups. Caretakers were more satisfied with IN-MMAD and report that it was easier to give than RD. Conclusions:There was no detectable difference in efficacy between IN-MMAD and RD as a rescue medication for terminating seizures at home in pediatric patients with epilepsy. Ease of administration and overall satisfaction was higher with IN-MMAD compared with RD.

The IN-MAD midazolam controlled seizures better than PR diazepam in the prehospital setting and resulted in fewer respiratory complications and fewer admissions.

No abstract

We compared children who were hospitalized for the management of idiopathic scoliosis (IS) and neuromuscular scoliosis (NMS) via analysis of the 2000 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kid Inpatient Database. Children with NMS had longer lengths of stay (9.2 vs. 6.1 days, P < 0.001), higher total charges (66,953 US dollars vs. 47,463 US dollars, P < 0.001), more diagnoses (6.3 vs. 2.5, P < 0.001), and more total procedures (4.2 vs. 3.0, P < 0.001) than did children with IS. Children with NMS more frequently developed pneumonia (3.5% vs. 0.7%, P < 0.001), respiratory failure (24.1% vs. 9.2%, P < 0.001), urinary tract infections (5.3% vs. 0.7%, P < 0.001), and surgical wound infections (1.3% vs. 0.3%, P < 0.001). Overall, 1570 children with NMS underwent spinal surgery, totaling to 105 US dollars million in hospital charges and 14,444 hospital days. We conclude that children with NMS experience significantly more complicated and costly hospitalizations than do children with IS. These results may add information on preoperative care, surgical decision-making, discussions of informed consent, and the provision of anticipatory guidance for children and their caregivers.