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Background: Acute bronchiolitis is an acute viral lower respiratory tract infection in early childhood and is the leading cause of hospitalization in infants below 2 years of age. Being a viral disease, there is no effective treatment of this problem other than supportive care. To provide this care, both 3% hypertonic saline and 7% hypertonic saline has been used and found effective. However, which option is more effective to reduce clinical severity and length of hospital stay, still remain unsettled. Objective: To determined the efficacy of 7% hypertonic saline in children with acute bronchiolitis. Methodology: The study was a randomized controlled trial and carried out in the Department of Paediatrics, Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), Dhaka between January 2015 to December 2016. A total of 135 children from 1 month to 2 years of age irrespective of sex with clinical presentation of acute bronchiolitis admitted in the paediatrics ward of DMCH were included in the study and were randomly assigned to either 7% nebulized hypertonic saline (Group-I = 45) or to 3% nebulized hypertonic saline (Group-II = 90) in ratio (1:2). The main outcome variables were clinical severity score and length of hospital stay. The outcome was evaluated at 12 hourly and 24 hourly intervals till discharge (up to 120 hours) Result: In this study both groups were almost similar with respect to their demographic characteristics like age and sex and baseline clinical characteristics. The study demonstrated that respiratory rate score, wheezing score, retraction score, general condition score and clinical severity score of both treatment modalities were reduced. Children of group-I (7% HS) 40(88.9%) recovered at the end of 72 hours where as 67(74.4%) of the children of group-II (3% HS) recovered from the disease during the same period. Length of hospital stay was shorter in 7% hypertonic saline group compared to 3% hypertonic saline group (56.36 ± 16.33 hours vs 63.07 ± 21.48 hours, p=.067). The patients of 7% hypertonic saline group required a shorter duration of oxygen therapy compared to 3% hypertonic saline group (16.53 ± 3.98) hours vs (20.25 ± 4.15) hours, (p=0.109) respectively. Conclusion: Nebulized 7% hypertonic saline as well as 3% hypertonic saline both were effective in acute bronchiolitis and found no significant difference in efficacy between these options in terms of reducing clinical severity, length of hospital stay and duration of oxygen therapy. No side effect were observed in either group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & objective: Perinatal asphyxia affects all organs of the body and brain is the most affected organ. The study was undertaken to find out the status of serum magnesium and calcium level and their significant association among asphyxiated term newborns with moderate to severe HIE. Material & methods: The Cross sectional study was done in the Department of Neonatology, Dhaka Medical College Hospital during January 2012 to July 2012. A total of 102 asphyxiated term neonates were enrolled, who has H/O perinatal asphyxia and had Apgar score of 6 or <6 at 5 minutes. Clinical grading of HIE into moderate and severe was done according to modified Sarnat and Sarnat scoring system .Under aseptic precautions with standard protocol, estimation of serum magnesium and calcium level in venous blood was done at 48 hours and 7th day of birth . Among the study population, 17 patients had died during follow up and 4 patients were absconded. Finally 81 patients were evaluated by both blood samples though initial 102 cases were evaluated by their first sample. 50 normal healthy infants were also evaluated for serum magnesium and calcium at their 48 hours of birth. Chi-square test was used to assess statistical significance, Pearson correlation coefficient test was done to find out correlation between serum magnesium and calcium status and APGAR score & t test was done to assess the comparison between the values of serum magnesium and calcium found on two occasions. Results: Of 102 cases majority (58%) were male. Most of the cases (65.68%) were moderate HIE. Mean serum magnesium was 1.36(0.9-2.8) mg/dl and 1.16(.88-2.6) mg/dl among HIE II and HIE III respectively (p<0.05). Mean serum calcium of HIE II and HIE III were 7.14(5.1-9.6) mg/dl and 6.58(5.3-9.0) mg/dl respectively (p<0.05). There is positive correlation with individual APGAR score with serum magnesium (r=0.229, p=0.02) and serum calcium (r=0.231, p=0.019) level. Hypocalcaemia was found 35.82% and 57.14% among HIE II And HIE III cases respectively (p<0.01). Hypomagnesaemia was found 28.36% and 45.71% among HIE II and HIE III (p<0.05). Conclusion: Hypomagnesaemia and hypocalcaemia are significantly associated with the degree of severity of HIE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background : Intractable neonatal seizure are common acute medical emergency in neonatal period than at any other period of life. In our daily practice treatment of intractable neonatal seizures still relies primarily on phenytoin, despite an estimated efficacy of less than 50% and concern over neurodegenerative side effects. Several studies indicate value for lidocaine as an anticonvulsant in the treatment of intractable neonatal seizure. Aim : The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of Phenytoin with Lidocaine in the management of intractable seizure in neonate. Methodology : A Randomized control trial was carried out in the Department of Neonatology, Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), Dhaka between July 2013 to June 2014. A total of 78 newborn with neonatal seizure. admitted in SCABU & not responding to total doses of Inj. Phenobarbital (40 mg/kg) were included in the study and were randomly assigned to either Inj. Lidocaine (Group A=39) or to Inj. Phenytoin (Group B=39). The main outcome variables were control of seizure, adverse effects, time of cessation of seizure. Results : The study demonstrated that intractable seizure of 24 neonates (75%) were controlled with Inj. Lidocaine and intractable seizure of 20 neonates (57.1%) were controlled with Inj. Phenytoin(P-Value 0.124). Adverse effects of drugs such as apnea, bradycardia, drowsiness and lethargy were observed in 4 patients (12.5%) of Lidocaine group (Group A) and 10 (28.6%) of Phenytoin group (Group=B) (P-Value 0.106). Time required for cessation of intractable seizures were nearly similar in both groups. In group A 75% of patients responded within 24 hours and in group B 71% patients responded in same duration(P-Value 0.931). Length of hospital stay was less in phenytoin group compare to lidocaine group(P-Value 0.352). None of the following results were statistically significant. Conclusion : The study concluded that Inj. Lidocaine is similar to Inj. Phenytoin in controlling intractable neonatal seizure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]