New Products

NEW PRODUCTS

Telephone triage advice updated

Pediatric Telephone Advice is now available in its second edition fromLippincott-Raven Publishers. Written by Barton D. Schmitt, MD, Medical Directorof the After-Hours Call Center at the Children's Hospital of Denver, thisedition has been extensively revised and much of the text is new. Intendedas a training manual on telephone triage and a resource or reference bookfor the physician's office staff, it stresses the preventive aspects ofpediatric management and health education for parents while also helpingoffice staff identify urgent problems quickly. Among the emergencies coveredare anaphylaxis, choking, delirium, fainting, poisoning, breathing difficulties,and seizures. The cost is $39.95 for the 464 page, spiral-bound book. Forinformation see the Lippincott-Raven website at: www.lww.comor call 215-238-4200.

ORT in the freezer

RevitalIce is an electrolyte freezer pop that contains oral rehydrationfluid in frozen form. It tastes and looks like an ordinary pop and comesin aspartame-free grape, cherry, orange, and "blue raspberry"flavors. In a recent study conducted at Brown University School of Medicinein Hasbro Children's Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, investigators foundthat children with mild to moderate dehydration preferred the pops to liquidelectrolyte solution. For further information call PTS Labs at 800-789-1515.

Urinalysis strip tests 10 functions

The DiaScreen 10 Reagent Strip for Urinalysis, Chronimed, Inc., testsleukocytes, specific gravity, and eight other potential signs of abnormality.Fourteen different types of DiaScreen Reagent Strips are available. Formore information call 800-888-5957 or visit the Chronimed website at: www.chronimed.com.

Strong ointment protects sore bottoms

A mixture of zinc oxide paste, white petrolatum, and aluminum acetate(Burow's solution) has been formulated for severe, recurring diaper dermatitis.Triple Paste Medicated Ointment is available without a prescription andis meant for rashes not responding to less expensive, better-known treatmentsfor diaper rash. Triple Paste costs about $7.30 for a 2 oz jar and approximately$27.75 for a 16 oz jar. For more information and samples call Summers Laboratoriesat 800-533-7546.

Single-use thermometers are easy to read

Medical Indicators, Inc., has devised a disposable thermometer for homeor office use. Single-use NexTemp is a flattened plastic version of theconventional glass thermometer. NexTemp is discarded immediately after use.It needs no outside energy source and provides an accurate reading. Thedevice indicates temperature by using a dot-matrix system of green dotsthat turn black after one minute under the tongue. It has a wide temperaturerange (96º F to 104.8º F [35.5º C to 40.4º]) and canbe used for oral, axillary, and (with the NexTemp shield) rectal temperatures.A reusable NexTemp with a shelf life of 5 years is also available at a higherprice. It can be carried in a wallet and is intended mainly for patientuse. There are no special storage requirements for either of the thermometers.For more information call 888-930-4599.

Nucleotides added to formula

Enfamil, made by Mead Johnson Nutritionals, a division of Bristol-MyersSquibb Company, has added nucleotides to Enfamil LactoFree formula. Nucleotidesare the building blocks of RNA and DNA that naturally occur in breast milk.LactoFree offers the benefits of milk protein yet avoids the problems associatedwith lactose sensitivity. Each daily allotment of formula contains 20 milligramsof nucleotides; breast milk provides between 10 and 20 milligrams of nucleotidesa day. For more information call Enfamil at 800-BABY123.

Resources teach parents who have teens

A 60-minute videotape or audiocassette called Preparing for Adolescence:A Parent's 10-Point Plan for Success, recently released by Parent &Child Educational Media, Inc., guides parents through ten steps to helpimprove their relationship with their child before and during adolescence.In the video, Kenneth Ginsburg, MD, MSEd, an adolescent medicine specialistat The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, advises parents to forge anactive relationship with their children in the preteen years. He stressesbuilding constructive patterns of behavior and maintaining closeness. Agroup of teens add comments from their own viewpoint on some of his suggestions.The kit, containing either video or audiotape, plus a workbook, is pricedaround $30. For information call 877-PARENTS.