Background/Purpose: Traumatic injuries cause substantial morbidity and mortality in children. Trauma registries are essential to assess and improve standards of trauma care. An interprovincial study of pediatric trauma between 6 centers across Canada who use identical software components was completed. Methods: Data were collected from April 1, 1995 to December 31, 1998 for children aged 1 day to 17 years with an injury severity score of ≥12. Cause of injury, injury time and day, gender, age, injury scores, length of hospital stay, and outcomes were compared. Results: A total of 1,276 patients were included. Mean age was 10.3 ± 5.6 years. Motor vehicle collisions were the most common mechanism of injury (56%). Boys were more often injured (66%; P <.05). Injuries occurred mainly between 1600 and 2400 hours (P <.0001). Mean hospital stay was 11.5 ± 16.6 days. The longest stays in the hospital were among those who had an abdominal abbreviated injury score (AIS) of 1 (P ≤.03). Patients with similar injury severities remained twice as long in Winnipeg Children's Hospital (hospital 5), hospital 2, and hospital 6 as compared with patients in hospital 3 (P <.05). Differences existed in discharge placement between hospitals (P <.0001). Conclusions: This study was the first to compare pediatric patients in multiple Canadian centers using identical trauma registries. Variations in length of stay and discharge placements between hospitals were identified. Further analysis of data in the registries may clarify these differences and serve as a foundation for hospitals to improve the quality of patient care. J Pediatr Surg 36:685-689. Copyright © 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.

In this study, the effects of nine different chemicals on the survival, growth, and reproduction of the earthworm species Eisenia andrei were determined using a recently developed method. Earthworms were exposed for 3 weeks to the test chemicals in an artificial soil substrate. Additional data on the acute toxicity of these chemicals were derived from the literature. For some chemicals, cocoon production was the most sensitive parameter (cadmium, chromium, paraquat, fentin, benomyl, phenmedipham), while for others cocoon hatchability was most sensitive (pentachlorophenol, parathion, carbendazim). In the case of parathion, growth of the worms seemed to be even more sensitive than reproduction. As an overall parameter for the effect on earthworm reproduction, the total number of juveniles produced per worm appeared to be a useful parameter. Differences between (acute) LC50 values and the lowest NOEC value for effects on growth and reproduction were different for each chemical. Difference was greatest for cadmium (a factor of >100) and smallest for fentin, benomyl, and pentachlorophenol (a factor of 5–6).

Diarrhoea and perianal excoriation occur frequently after the endorectal pull-through operation for Hirschsprung's disease. A new method of faecal analysis was performed on 3-day stool collections in 17 postoperative Hirschsprung patients and in 14 normal children, in order to define the faecal abnormality and to establish the cause of perianal excoriation in these patients. Loose stools in postoperative patients were deficient in dry solid content and contained an excess of extractable faecal water. This also had a raised electrolyte concentration, particularly with respect to sodium. Total daily output of faecal water was normal. Formed stools from postoperative patients were also deficient in drysolids but had a normal extractable water content. Excess extractable faecal water, the main abnormality of loose stools in these patients, is the result of abnormal water absorption from the distal colon. Perianal excoriation in these patients is most closely associated with the concentration of sodium in faecal water.