Drowning in Infants, Children, and Adolescents

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 292-294
Author(s):  

Drowning and near-drowning are major causes of childhood mortality and morbidity from injury. From 1980 to 1985, drowning was the second leading cause of injury death of infants and children younger than 15 years of age in the United States.1 In 18 of the 50 states, drowning was the number one cause of unintentional injury death of children 1 to 4 years of age.1 Children less than 5 years of age and young people aged 15 to 24 years have the highest drowning rates.2 Drowning, by definition, is fatal; near-drowning is sometimes fatal. Drowning has been defined as a death resulting from suffocation within 24 hours of submersion in water; victims of near-drowning survive for at least 24 hours.3 For every child who drowns, four children are hospitalized for near-drowning.4 One third of those who are comatose on admission but survive suffer significant neurologic impairment.4 The annual lifetime cost attributable to drowning and near-drowning in children less than 15 years of age is $384 million.3 The annual cost of care per year in a chronic care facifity for an impaired survivor of a near-drowning event is approximately $100 000.4 There is no national surveillance system that defines the circumstances surrounding a drowning event well enough to enable the development of effective preventive strategies for children. A need exists to establish uniform state or local surveillance systems that consider developmental age groupings and geographic location and that account for environmental and behavioral factors that place children at risk. To design preventive strategies aimed at specific risk factors, such surveillance systems must define in sufficient detail the circumstances under which the drowning event occurred, preventive measures used, rescue efforts made, and the outcomes.

2017 ◽  
Vol 132 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 80S-87S ◽  
Author(s):  
Toni-Marie L. Hudson ◽  
Benjamin G. Klekamp ◽  
Sarah D. Matthews

Objectives: Heroin-related deaths have increased substantially in the past 10 years in the United States, particularly in Florida. Our objectives were to measure heroin-related morbidity and mortality rates in Orange County, Florida, and to assess trends in those rates during 2010-2014. Methods: We used 3 heroin surveillance methods, based on data from the Florida Medical Examiner, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), and the Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-Based Epidemics–Florida (ESSENCE-FL). We conducted descriptive and geographic spatial analyses of all 3 data sets, determined heroin-related mortality and morbidity (emergency department [ED] visit) rates, and compared the timeliness of data availability from the 3 data sources. Results: Heroin-related deaths in Orange County increased by 590%, from 10 in 2010 to 69 in 2014. Heroin-related ED visits during the same period increased 12-fold (from 13 to 154) and 6-fold (from 49 to 307) when based on AHCA and ESSENCE-FL data, respectively. ESSENCE-FL identified 140% more heroin-related visits than did AHCA. Spatial analysis found geographic clustering of heroin-related morbidity and mortality. Hospitals facing the greatest burden of heroin-related ED visits were close to communities with the highest crude heroin-related ED visit rates. Of the 3 data sources, ESSENCE-FL provided the timeliest data availability. Conclusions: These 3 data sources can be considered acceptable surveillance systems for monitoring heroin-related events in Orange County. The timely availability of data from ESSENCE-FL makes it the most useful source for obtaining near–real-time data about the heroin epidemic, potentially leading to improved identification of populations most in need of interventions to reduce morbidity and mortality.


Disparities in healthcare limit accessibility to care among affected populations and can include imbalances in the equitable achievement of optimal health. These imbalances occur as a result of differences that others have in financial means, education, culture, age, race, gender, sex, ethnicity, and religion. Consequentially, as health disparities persist among populations, mortality and morbidity rates reflect these inequities in health care. Hence, human life is quantified by geographic location, skin color, language, poverty, and an inability to culturally assimilate with majority populations. Hidden biases overshadow the pricelessness of human life, disease management, and disease prevention. Chapter 1 provides an overview of what encompasses health disparities and how equity is involved. Vulnerable populations within the United States are examined, and hidden biases are discussed as factors that impact the achievement of equitable healthcare.


Author(s):  
Luis F. Riquelme

Abstract Passing the Praxis Examination in speech-language pathology or audiology can be a difficult task. A passing score is the entry to a list of requirements for national certification (CCC-SLP, CCC-A) and for state licensure in the United States. This article will provide current information on the examination and address barriers to success that have been identified over the years. A call to action may serve to refocus efforts on improving access to success for all test-takers regardless of race/ethnicity, ability, or geographic location.


Crisis ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 121-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lenora Olson ◽  
Frank Huyler ◽  
Arthur W Lynch ◽  
Lynne Fullerton ◽  
Deborah Werenko ◽  
...  

Suicide is among the leading causes of death in the United States, and in women the second leading cause of injury death overall. Previous studies have suggested links between intimate partner violence and suicide in women. We examined female suicide deaths to identify and describe associated risk factors. We reviewed all reports from the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator for female suicide deaths occurring in New Mexico from 1990 to 1994. Information abstracted included demographics, mechanism of death, presence of alcohol/drugs, clinical depression, intimate partner violence, health problems, and other variables. Annual rates were calculated based on the 1990 census. The New Mexico female suicide death rate was 8.2/100,000 persons per year (n = 313), nearly twice the U. S. rate of 4.5/100,000. Non-Hispanic whites were overrepresented compared to Hispanics and American Indians. Decedents ranged in age from 14 to 93 years (median = 43 years). Firearms accounted for 45.7% of the suicide deaths, followed by ingested poisons (29.1%), hanging (10.5%), other (7.7%), and inhaled poisons (7.0%). Intimate partner violence was documented in 5.1% of female suicide deaths; in an additional 22.1% of cases, a male intimate partner fought with or separated from the decedent immediately preceding the suicide. Nearly two-thirds (65.5%) of the decedents had alcohol or drugs present in their blood at autopsy. Among decedents who had alcohol present (34.5%), blood alcohol levels were far higher among American Indians compared to Hispanics and non-Hispanic Whites (p = .01). Interpersonal conflict was documented in over 25% of cases, indicating that studies of the mortality of intimate partner violence should include victims of both suicide and homicide deaths to fully characterize the mortality patterns of intimate partner violence.


Author(s):  
Alaia M. M. Christensen ◽  
Karen Dowler ◽  
Shira Doron

Abstract Surgical site infections (SSIs) are associated with readmissions, reoperations, increased cost of care, and overall morbidity and mortality risk. The National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) and the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) have developed an array of metrics to monitor hospital-acquired complications. The only metric collected by both is SSI, but performance as benchmarked against peer hospitals is often discordant between the 2 systems. In this commentary, we outline the differences between these 2 surveillance systems as they relate to this potential for discordance.


2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajaya Kumar Dhakal ◽  
D Shrestha ◽  
A Shakya ◽  
SC Shah ◽  
H Shakya

Introduction: Acute poisonings are one of the common cause of emergency visits and hospital admissions and is potentially preventable cause of childhood mortality and morbidity. The objectives of this study were to identify the common type of poisoning in children, to determine types of poisoning according to age and to find out the common age group in which the incidence of poisoning was high.Materials and Methods: It was a descriptive observational study done in a teaching hospital in Lalitpur, Nepal in patients aged 1 month to 18 years who visited the emergency department and were admitted to hospital with history of alleged poisoning from 2009 July to 2014 January.Results: Fifty patients were included. Drugs, kerosene and organophosphorus were most common cause of poisoning. Drugs and kerosene below 10 years of age and organophosphorus and drugs above 10 years of age were common types of poisoning. Maximum numbers (50%) of children with poisoning cases were below five year of age. Mean duration of hospital stay was 2.1days and mean age of poisoning was 7.8 years with a male(54%) predominance. Majority of poisoning occurred at home (84%) and 68% of patients were symptomatic at presentation to hospital with 84% of patients presenting to hospital within six hours.Conclusion: This study showed that drugs, kerosene and organophosphorus were most common forms of poisoning. Young children were most vulnerable for acute poisoning.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jnps.v34i2.10139J Nepal Paediatr Soc 2014;34(2):100-103 


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S489-S490
Author(s):  
John T Henderson ◽  
Evelyn Villacorta Cari ◽  
Nicole Leedy ◽  
Alice Thornton ◽  
Donna R Burgess ◽  
...  

Abstract Background There has been a dramatic rise in IV drug use (IVDU) and its associated mortality and morbidity, however, the scope of this effect has not been described. Kentucky is at the epicenter of this epidemic and is an ideal place to better understand the health complications of IVDU in order to improve outcomes. Methods All adult in-patient admissions to University of Kentucky hospitals in 2018 with an Infectious Diseases (ID) consult and an ICD 9/10 code associated with IVDU underwent thorough retrospective chart review. Demographic, descriptive, and outcome data were collected and analyzed by standard statistical analysis. Results 390 patients (467 visits) met study criteria. The top illicit substances used were methamphetamine (37.2%), heroin (38.2%), and cocaine (10.3%). While only 4.1% of tested patients were HIV+, 74.2% were HCV antibody positive. Endocarditis (41.1%), vertebral osteomyelitis (20.8%), bacteremia without endocarditis (14.1%), abscess (12.4%), and septic arthritis (10.4%) were the most common infectious complications. The in-patient death rate was 3.0%, and 32.2% of patients were readmitted within the study period. The average length of stay was 26 days. In multivariable analysis, infectious endocarditis was associated with a statistically significant increase in risk of death, ICU admission, and hospital readmission. Although not statistically significant, trends toward mortality and ICU admission were identified for patients with prior endocarditis and methadone was correlated with decreased risk of readmission and ICU stay. FIGURE 1: Reported Substances Used FIGURE 2: Comorbidities FIGURE 3: Types of Severe Infectious Complications Conclusion We report on a novel, comprehensive perspective on the serious infectious complications of IVDU in an attempt to measure its cumulative impact in an unbiased way. This preliminary analysis of a much larger dataset (2008-2019) reveals some sobering statistics about the impact of IVDU in the United States. While it confirms the well accepted mortality and morbidity associated with infective endocarditis and bacteremia, there is a significant unrecognized impact of other infectious etiologies. Additional analysis of this data set will be aimed at identifying key predictive factors in poor outcomes in hopes of mitigating them. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


1998 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 338-345
Author(s):  
John Horton

Background Breast cancer is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, although death rates in the United States and some other countries are beginning to fall. Methods Several sources of information in 1998, including publications and presentations at the 1998 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, are pertinent to contemporary breast cancer care. Results It is now possible to prescribe hormonal therapy that will reduce the incidence of breast cancer. Methods are available to reduce the morbidity from axillary node dissection, and improvements in adjuvant therapy and management of metastatic breast cancer are now at hand. Conclusions The information presented provides a broad-based platform for new standards of care for breast cancer that will serve as a sound base for further progress in this important disease.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Orr Shauly ◽  
Daniel J Gould ◽  
Ketan M Patel

Abstract Background Migraine disorders are a leading cause of morbidity and decreased economic productivity in the United States among both men and women. As such, it is important to consider patient opinions, and have an accurate representation of the burden and sentiment toward currently available interventions among those suffering from migraines. Objectives The aim of the study was to assess patient options regarding adverse outcomes of the various treatment options available for migraine headaches. Methods A prospective cross-sectional study of volunteers recruited through an internet crowdsourcing service, Amazon Mechanical Turk©, was conducted. Surveys were administered to collect patient-reported opinions regarding adverse outcomes of both surgical and nonsurgical treatment options for migraine headaches. Results The prevalence of migraine headache across all study participants was 15.6% and varied slightly across participant demographics. Individuals ages 35–44 (2.73 migraines per month) experienced the fewest migraine and with the lowest severity. Those individuals ages 45+ experienced the most severe headaches (Visual Analog Scale = 44.23 mm). Additionally, the greatest migraine frequency and severity existed among those households with yearly income of $75,000–$100,000. The lowest injection therapy utility scores were obtained for adverse outcomes of hematoma (47.60 mm) and vertigo (54.40 mm). Conclusions Migraine headaches remains a significant problem among the US population, with an overall prevalence of 15.6% (approximately 50 million Americans). Additionally, physicians interesting in offering minimally invasive or surgical treatment for migraine headaches should focus on mitigating patient fears regarding clinical outcomes and cost of care.


2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Girish P. Joshi ◽  
David E. Beck ◽  
Roger Hill Emerson ◽  
Thomas M. Halaszynski ◽  
Jonathan S. Jahr ◽  
...  

Despite advances in pharmacologic options for the management of surgical pain, there appears to have been little or no overall improvement over the last two decades in the level of pain experienced by patients. The importance of adequate and effective surgical pain management, however, is clear, because inadequate pain control 1) has a wide range of undesirable physiologic and immunologic effects; 2) is associated with poor surgical outcomes; 3) has increased probability of readmission; and 4) adversely affects the overall cost of care as well as patient satisfaction. There is a clear unmet need for a national surgical pain management consensus task force to raise awareness and develop best practice guidelines for improving surgical pain management, patient safety, patient satisfaction, rapid postsurgical recovery, and health economic outcomes. To comprehensively address this need, the multidisciplinary Surgical Pain Congress™ has been established. The inaugural meeting of this Congress (March 8 to 10, 2013, Celebration, Florida) evaluated the current surgical pain management paradigm and identified key components of best practices.


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