Search

Background: Persistent low‐grade fever has been observed in some patients during intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy for Kawasaki disease (KD); however, smoldering fever (SF) has not previously been reported in patients with KD. This study aimed to clarify the clinical characteristics of SF in patients with KD. Methods: A single‐center retrospective cohort study, which included a total of 621 patients who received IVIG therapy, was conducted. Patients with a fever of 37.5–38°C lasting ≥3 days after 2 days of the initial‐IVIG were defined as the SF group. Patients were divided into four groups according to the fever course: SF (n = 14), biphasic fever (BF, n = 78), non‐fever after initial‐IVIG (NF, n = 384), and persistent fever (PF, n = 145). The clinical features of SF were described and compared between the groups. Results: The median duration of fever in the SF group was 16 days, which was longer than that in any other group. The neutrophil fraction after IVIG therapy in the SF group was higher than that in the BF and NF groups but similar to that in the PF group. Repeated IVIG administration in the SF group resulted in increased IgG levels but decreased serum albumin levels. In the SF group, 29% of the patients had coronary artery lesions at 4 weeks. Conclusions: The frequency of SF in KD was 2.3%. Patients with SF continued to have moderate inflammatory responses. Repeated administration of IVIG doses was not effective in treating SF, and acute coronary artery lesions were occasionally observed. Active therapeutic intervention was needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Children with congenital heart diseases (CHDs) may need to be followed up with contrast-enhanced CT following the Fontan operation because complications such as the occlusion of conduits may occur. The purpose of the present study was to develop an adequate contrast-enhanced CT protocol for children with CHD following the Fontan operation.Materials and Methods: Between July 2012 and July 2017, 29 CT examinations for 26 patients aged 2-11 years (median 5 years) with CHD following the Fontan operation were performed using dual-source CT. A non-ionized contrast medium was injected through the dorsum manus vein. Scanning began 60 or 70 s after the start of the injection. The delayed phase was randomly selected to be 60 s in 14 cases and 70 s in 15 cases. We evaluated the enhancement of conduits following the Fontan operation at delayed phases.Results: The CT numbers of conduits at 60 and 70 s were 185 ± 46 and 185 ± 31 HU, respectively (P = 0.97).Conclusion: In contrast-enhanced CT for children after the Fontan operation, both of the delayed phases (60 and 70 s) appeared to be adequate for evaluating intraconduit patency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to predict which patients would require plasma exchange therapy (PEX) using laboratory findings during intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy in Kawasaki disease., Methods: A retrospective, single-center, cohort study was conducted. Of the 621 IVIG-treated patients, 166 patients who received a second IVIG dose on the second day after initiation of IVIG were included. The endpoint was PEX. Participants were divided into two groups: 10 patients who received PEX and 156 patients who did not. The variables were C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count (WBC), and neutrophil fraction (NEUT) at three time points: pre-initial IVIG, pre-second IVIG, and post-second IVIG. The change ratio (post-IVIG value/pre-IVIG value) of each variable, with each IVIG dose, was calculated. Receiver operating characteristic analysis determined the area under the curve (AUC) and cut-off values., Results: The variables with an AUC > 0.9 were CRP (post-second IVIG), change ratio of CRP (CRP value post-second IVIG/CRP value pre-second IVIG), NEUT (pre-second IVIG), and NEUT (post-second IVIG). Among these, the variables with high sensitivity were CRP (post-second IVIG) and the change ratio of CRP (second IVIG), with cut-off values of 9.52 mg/dL and 0.99, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of these variables were 100% and 91%, and 100% and 80%, respectively. The combined sensitivity and specificity (95% confidence intervals) of these two variables were 100% (59-100) and 94% (89-97)., Conclusion: High CRP levels and the change ratio of CRP after the second IVIG dose were associated with PEX., (© 2022 Japan Pediatric Society.)