Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program - 2003 Results

Survey Question

Lap-belt syndrome

(February 2003)

To verify that the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program was the best venue to achieve the lap-belt syndrome study objectives, a one-time survey was conducted to ensure that paediatricians see children with lap-belt syndrome at some point during their hospitalizations. Results of the 648 responses (29%) confirmed that 150 (22%) paediatricians cared for a child involved in a motor vehicle crash while wearing a lap belt or a lap/shoulder belt. When asked how many, they reported from one to 50, with a mean of 2.2. Forty-seven (7%) paediatricians reported that the child was suffering from a lap-belt syndrome including abdominal injuries (42), lumbar spine injuries (23) and spinal cord involvement (9).

When asked which physicians these children would encounter during their hospital stay, 89% believed they would see an emergentologist, 89% a surgeon, 56% an anesthetist, 53% a paediatric intensivist and 75% a paediatrician; 87% of hem believed these children would be seen either by a paediatrician or a paediatric intensivist.

Respondents indicated that patients affected with lap-belt syndrome would either receive care within their institution (62%) or be transferred to a paediatric trauma centre (38%).

While only 29% of the surveys were returned, it is noteworthy that 47 paediatricians reported having taken care of children with lap-belt syndrome in the past year and, in fact, may have taken care of more than one child with these kinds of injuries. It is also very encouraging to see that up to 87% of the children would encounter a paediatrician at some point during their hospitalization.

As a result of these encouraging survey results, the CPSP Steering Committee approved a full two-year study on lap-belt syndrome that began in September 2003.

Principal investigator

Claude Cyr, MD, Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke, 3001 12e Ave N, Sherbrooke QC J1H 5N4; tel.: 819-346-1110, ext. 14634; fax: 819-564-5398; e-mail: claude.cyr@courrier.usherb.ca

Co-investigators

Claude Lemoine, MD, Département de pédiatrie, Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke

Miriam Santschi, MD, Département de pédiatrie, Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke

---

International Developments

The International Network of Paediatric Surveillance Units (INoPSU), established in 1998, continues to enhance collaboration between national paediatric surveillance units. INoPSU provides a unique opportunity for simultaneous cross-sectional studies of rare diseases in populations with diverse geographic and ethnic characteristics.

Currently worldwide, there are 13 national paediatric surveillance units that are full members of INoPSU: Australia, Britain, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Portugal, Switzerland, and Wales. The Cyprus/Greece surveillance unit is an affiliate member until such time as it fulfills the requirements of full membership. As well, the British Ophthalmological Surveillance Unit is an associate member. Argentina and Trinidad and Tobago are currently developing surveillance units.

The first formal INoPSU meeting was held in Ottawa in June 2000 followed by a second meeting in York, England, in April 2002. As a result of these successes, a third INoPSU meeting is planned for Portugal in the spring of 2004.

TABLE 29 Studies under surveillance by national paediatric surveillance units in 2003
Abdominal injury due to child abuse	BPSU
Acute encephalitis	PPSU
Acute flaccid paralysis	APSU, CPSP, NZPSU, SPSU
Acute rheumatic fever	SPSU
Adverse effects from complementary or alternative medicine	APSU, WPSU
Alcohol and children	IPSU
Anaphylaxis following food ingestion	APSU
Ataxia	NSCK
Atypical mycobacterial infections	ESPED
Atypical tuberculous infection	NSCK
Autism in children under 5 years	IPSU
CHARGE association/syndrome	CPSP
Childhood conversion disorder	APSU
Complicated pneumonia including empyema	WPSU
Congenital cytomegalovirus infection	APSU, BPSU
Congenital rubella syndrome	APSU, BPSU, CPSP, NZPSU, SPSU
Congenital toxoplasmosis	BPSU
Diabetes mellitus	ESPED, IPSU, LPSU, PPSU
Down syndrome	NSCK
Drug/medication-related adverse events	BPSU
Early-onset eating disorder	APSU, CPSP
Fetal alcohol syndrome	APSU
Foregut & hindgut malformations	NZPSU
Fragile X	IPSU
Hemoglobinopathy	NSCK
Hemolytic uremic syndrome	LPSU, NZPSU, PPSU, PSU
Hepatitis C virus infection	APSU, CPSP
Hereditary periodic fever syndrome	ESPED
HIV/AIDS	APSU, BPSU, LPSU, NSCK, NZPSU
Hodgkin's lymphoma	LPSU
Hypernatremia	NSCK
Hypophosphatasia	ESPED
Idiopathic nephritic syndrome	NSCK, NZPSU
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura	NSCK
Imported tropical diseases: malaria, schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis	ESPED
Inborn errors of metabolism	NZPSU
Ingestion of lamp oil (intoxications)	ESPED
Inherited hypocalcemic salt-losing tubulopathies/Bartter-like syndromes	ESPED
Insufficient breast-feeding	NSCK
Intussusception	SPSU
Invasive fungal infections in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants	BPSU
Invasive group B streptococcus	ESPED, PPSU
Invasive Haemophilus influenzae infections (all types)	ESPED
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis	WPSU
Kawasaki disease	CGPSU, PPSU
Kernicterus	ESPED
Langerhans cell histiocytosis	BPSU
Lap-belt syndrome	CPSP
Leukemia	LPSU
Malaria	NSCK
Medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency	NSCK
Meningoencephalitis	PPSU
Munchausen by proxy syndrome	APSU
Necrotizing fasciitis	CPSP
Neonatal herpes simplex virus infection	APSU, CPSP, SPSU
Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia - severe	BPSU, CPSP
Neonatal liver failure/perinatal hemochromatosis	CPSP
Neonatal sinus venous thrombosis	ESPED
Nesidioblastosis	LPSU
Neural tube defects	SPSU
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma	LPSU
Opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome	IPSU
Pancytopenia	CGPSU
Pertussis	CGPSU
Pneumococcal sepsis/meningitis	ESPED, NZPSU
Prader-Willi syndrome	CPSP
Progressive intellectual and neurological deterioration	BPSU
Prolonged infantile cholestasis	NZPSU
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease	SPSU
Rett syndrome	APSU
Septo-optic dysplasia	WPSU
Shaken baby syndrome	SPSU
Small bowel insufficiency	NSCK
Splenectomy and hyposplenism	WPSU
Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis and complications	ESPED
Subdural hemorrhage (<2 years)	WPSU
Thrombocytopenia	IPSU
Thrombosis	BPSU
Tick-borne encephalitis	SPSU
Tuberculosis	BPSU, WPSU
Varicella/zoster infection	BPSU, ESPED, SPSU
Vitamin D deficiency rickets	CGSPU, CPSP
Vitamin K deficiency bleeding/hemorrhagic disease of the newborn	APSU, BPSU, NZPSU
West syndrome	CGPSU

Legend:
APSU	Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit		MPSU	Malaysian Paediatric Surveillance Unit
BPSU	British Paediatric Surveillance Unit		NSCK	Netherlands Paediatric Surveillance Unit
CGPSU	Cyprus/Greece Paediatric Surveillance Unit		NZPSU	New Zealand Paediatric Surveillance Unit
CPSP	Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program		PNGPSU	Papua New Guinea Paediatric Surveillance Unit
ESPED	German Paediatric Surveillance Unit		PPSU	Portuguese Paediatric Surveillance Unit
IPSU	Irish Paediatric Surveillance Unit		SPSU	Swiss Paediatric Surveillance Unit
LPSU	Latvian Paediatric Surveillance Unit		WPSU	Welsh Paediatric Surveillance Unit

[ Previous ] [ Next ]