clove and Vomiting

Since its recommendation by WHO, Oral Rehydration Solutions (ORS) contributed in reducing the rate of mortality due to acute gastroenteritis. In Madagascar, the rate of lethality imputed to gastroenteritis is about 3%. Rehydration can be performed either by using spoons which reliability is unsure because of parents' potential inobservance and child's refusal, or by nasogastric tube. The nasogastric tube may resolve these obstacles at the hospital. We realized a preliminary study to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of nasogastric tube and spoon administration of the ORS in rehydration of child with moderate post-gastroenteritis dehydration. This is an open comparative study realized in the Pediatric Unit at the Joseph-Raseta-Befelatanana Hospital from the 21 January to 21 May 2008. Main outcomes was the proportion of rehydrated children at 4 hours, other were: failure at 8 hours, duration and volume of SRO, side effects. Fifty-three children from 4-month to 4-year old among 1306 patients were recruited and forty-seven patients were included. Nine patients failed (4 children received ORS by spoon and 5 children by nasogastric tube). The use of spoon was more effective: 62.5% of the patients were rehydrated at the fourth hour versus 39.3% in nasogastric tube group (P = 0.04). Making debit constant presents difficulties in rehydration with nasogastric tube (44.4 %). Tolerance of nasogastric tube is generally good but 16.7% children get out their tube during this study. No ORS' inhalation was observed with both routes. No false passage or tube or ORS rejection was recorded in both techniques. This study shows that using spoon to rehydrate is more effective for the rehydration of moderate dehydration. The use of nasogastric tube needs more surveillance.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Child, Preschool; Cooking and Eating Utensils; Dehydration; Device Removal; Diarrhea, Infantile; Female; Fluid Therapy; Gastroenteritis; Humans; Infant; Intubation, Gastrointestinal; Madagascar; Male; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Vomiting

The therapeutic effects and side effects of mefloquine in falciparum malaria were investigated in an open prospective trial involving 20 patients. None of them had a history of neurologic or psychiatric disorders. Mefloquine was given in a total dose of 1500 mg base. The cure rate was 100%, fever and parasitemia subsided within 3 days. Side effects were vomitus and nausea in 25% of the patients. No neurological or psychiatric disorders were observed. Mefloquine was shown to be a safe therapeutic agent in the dosage used. However, regular follow-up examinations should be done in short intervals because of the possibility of late neuropsychiatric side effects; the patients and their relatives should be informed about this fact.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Africa, Western; Animals; Female; Germany; Humans; Madagascar; Malaria; Male; Mefloquine; Mental Disorders; Nausea; Nervous System Diseases; Plasmodium falciparum; Prospective Studies; Travel; Uganda; Vomiting