phenylephrine-hydrochloride and Brain-Damage--Chronic

In 40 cases of acute epiglottitis in children, intubation was the chosen method for the management of airway obstruction. Six patients were treated without the establishment of an artificial airway, and no tracheostomies were done. No patients who were admitted to the hospital died of airway obstruction, although one sustained irreversible brain damage before admission, and two died of overwhelming infectionmthe average duration of intubation was 2.days and the average hospital stay was 5.days. Two children developed subglottic granulation tissue that was removed successfully and did not recur. Nasotracheal intubation is an acceptable method of management of epiglottitis.

Topics: Acute Disease; Airway Obstruction; Brain Damage, Chronic; Child; Child, Preschool; Clinical Trials as Topic; Epiglottis; Female; Granulation Tissue; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Intubation, Intratracheal; Laryngitis; Laryngostenosis; Length of Stay; Male; Mouth; Nose; Pneumonia; Time Factors

A study was made of the significance of cold nosetips as a simple prognostic sign in the elderly sick. This sign was thought to be due to the presence of chronic brain damage. Nosetip temperatures were compared with forehead and ambient temperatures in 400 patients until recovery, death or transfer. Weekly readings were taken, and may have failed to give an accurate record in those observed for 4 weeks or less, though here 56% of the 154 fatalities had low nosetip temperatures. A longer-stay group consisted of 177 cases, of whom 155 had low nosetip temperatures at some time. 87 patients in this group died, 43 remained disabled and only 25 regained their previous state of health. It is concluded that low nosetip temperatures provide a useful indicator that adequate recovery is unlikely to occur.

Topics: Aged; Brain Damage, Chronic; Female; Geriatrics; Humans; Intracranial Arteriosclerosis; Male; Nose; Prognosis; Skin Temperature