Respiratory Problems
New respiratory synctial virus treatment for at-risk infants under study
|
|
A new, enhanced-potency onoclonal antibody designed to keep the sniffles from turning into a devasting illness in at-risk babies is under study at the Medical College of Georgia Children’s Medical Center.
The international study compares MEDI-493, a monoclonal antibody already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat respiratory synctial virus, or RSV, to the more potent MEDI-524, says Dr. Jatinder Bhatia, chief of the MCG Section of Neonatology and a principal investigator.
Flu Shots May Prevent Respiratory Failure in Kids With Chronic Diseases
|
|
Children with neurological and neuromuscular diseases are at increased risk for respiratory failure when they catch the flu, and they should be vaccinated before every influenza season, researchers here suggested.
They characterized their finding as new but not surprising “given that these children often have compromised pulmonary function and ability to handle secretions, which are further exacerbated in the setting of influenza infection and resultant pneumonias,” Ron Keren, M.D., M.P.H. and colleagues of the Children’s Hospital of Philadephia reported in the Nov. 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Incidence of Acute Lung Injury Higher Than Previously Thought
|
|
There may be a lot more cases of acute lung injury in the United States than previous estimates suggested—perhaps 2.5 to five times as much.
An estimated 190,600 cases of acute lung injury occur each year that result in 3.6 million hospital stays and 74,500 deaths, Gordon D. Rubenfeld, M.D., and colleagues of the University of Washington here reported in the Oct. 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
