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A 9-year-old girl with Glenn circulation suffered from massive atelectasis of the left lung caused by bleeding during cardiac catheterization. The atelectasis resulted in frequent hypoxia leading to oxygen saturation (SpO2) of 40%-50%. In the intensive care unit, we performed a unilateral lung recruitment maneuver (ULRM) for 2 days. The ULRM involved placement of a bronchial blocker in the right main bronchus and application of continuous positive airway pressure to the left lung without hemodynamic deterioration. Eventually, SpO2 improved to 80%-85%. ULRM can be a treatment option for unilateral atelectasis in a child with Glenn circulation.

Glucose transporter type 1 deficiency syndrome (GLUT1DS) causes central nervous system dysfunction including intractable epilepsy caused by impaired glucose transport to the brain. To prevent convulsions and maintain an energy source for the brain in patients with GLUT1DS, the maintenance of adequate ketone body concentrations, compensation of metabolic acidosis, and reduction of surgical stress are essential. We here report the perioperative management of a child with GLUT1DS.

Objective: To describe our institutional experience in the management of infants and children with pertussis admitted during a 20-yr period (January 1985 through December 2004) and also to study the relation between method of presentation and outcome. Setting: Pediatric intensive care unit in a university-affiliated tertiary pediatric hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Design/Methods: Retrospective review of medical records and radiology reports of patients with a diagnosis of pertussis identified from the pediatric intensive care unit database. Results: A total of 49 patients (median age, 6 wks; interquartile range, 4–8 wks) required 55 admission episodes to the pediatric intensive care unit. Main reasons for admission were apnea with or without cough paroxysms (63%), pneumonia (18%), and seizures (10%). None of the infants had completed the primary course of immunization, and 94% had not received a single dose of pertussis vaccine. Infants presenting with pneumonia presented earlier (p = .001), had longer intensive care stay (p = .007), higher white cell count (p ≤ .001), lower Pao2 at admission (p = .020), and higher mortality. Six infants out of seven needing circulatory support died (including all four treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), and all deaths (n = 7) occurred in infants who had pneumonia at presentation. Conclusion: Patients with pertussis, presenting as apnea (with or without cough paroxysms), treated in the pediatric intensive care unit had 100% survival. However, pneumonia as the main reason for admission and the need for circulatory support is associated with a very poor outcome. A deeper understanding of the molecular basis of Bordetella pertussis and its relation to the human host might offer means for future therapies.