Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2009
ReviewReview article: Convulsive and non-convulsive status epilepticus: an emergency medicine perspective.
Status epilepticus (SE) is divided into convulsive and non-convulsive types; both are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Although convulsive SE is easily recognized, non-convulsive SE remains an elusive diagnosis as physical signs are varied and subtle. ⋯ Benzodiazepines, specifically lorazepam, continue to be the most commonly recommended first-line therapy; best treatment for refractory status cases depends on resources available and must be tailored to the individual institution. In order to facilitate care, it is recommended that each institution develop a management protocol for these patients.
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2009
Knowledge and attitude towards paediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation among the carers of patients attending the Emergency Department of the Children's Hospital at Westmead.
The present study aimed to describe the knowledge and attitudes of parents and carers in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on infants and children. A self-administered questionnaire distributed to a convenience sample of parents and carers attending the Emergency Department of The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Australia from February to March 2008. Main outcome measures were the prevalence of previous cardiopulmonary resuscitation training, willingness and confidence to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on infants and children compared with adults, and an objective assessment of knowledge of current resuscitation guidelines. ⋯ Parents and carers are willing to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, especially on family members. However, their knowledge of the current guidelines was poor. More public education is required to update those with previous training and to encourage those who haven't to be trained.
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Increased awareness of idiopathic hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS) and readily available ultrasonographic diagnosis might mean that 'classic' presentations are becoming less common. We sought to describe the epidemiology, clinical features and outcomes of children with IHPS in the modern era. A retrospective case review of all cases of IHPS presenting to a single tertiary paediatric hospital over an 11 year period was conducted. ⋯ IHPS occurs more frequently in male and ex-premature infants. It commonly presents without the full spectrum of 'classic' symptoms and signs. Given the availability of ultrasound diagnosis, IHPS should be considered in all babies with any one of the classic findings.