Journal of hospital medicine : an official publication of the Society of Hospital Medicine
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Comparative Study
Retrospective review of emergency response activations during a 13-year period at a tertiary care children's hospital.
Pediatric in-hospital arrests are uncommon but are associated with poor outcomes. In preparation for implenting a Rapid Response Team (RRT) at The Children's Hospital, we reviewed our data collection of 13 years of emergency response team (ERT) activations. We describe demographic and clinical variables, including outcomes of ERT activations at a free-standing tertiary care children's hospital. ⋯ Our data support the general belief that younger children with chronic disease are at highest risk for ERT activations. These risk factors should be taken into consideration when planning patient placement, medical staffing, and the threshold for ICU consultations or admissions. More extensive multisite studies using clinical data are necessary to further identify hospitalized children at risk for sudden decompensation.
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Comparative Study
The use of sodium polystyrene sulfonate in the inpatient management of hyperkalemia.
Limited data exist on the precise dose of sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS) needed for specific potassium concentrations in the management of mild to moderate hyperkalemia in an inpatient hospital setting. ⋯ A possible direct dose response relationship between SPS and the reduction in serum potassium concentration was found and should be evaluated prospectively.