The American journal of emergency medicine
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The shock index (SI), the ratio of heart rate to systolic blood pressure, is a clinical tool for assessing injury severity. Age-adjusted SI models may improve predictive value for injured children in the out-of-hospital setting. We sought to characterize the proportion of children in the prehospital setting with an abnormal SI using established criteria, describe the age-based distribution of SI among injured children, and determine prehospital interventions by SI. ⋯ We describe the empiric distribution of the pediatric SI across the age range, which may overcome limitations of extant criteria in identifying patients with shock in the prehospital setting. Both high and low SI values were associated with important, potentially lifesaving EMS interventions. Future work may allow for more precise identification of children with significant injury using cutpoint analysis paired to outcome-based criteria. These may additionally be combined with other physiologic and mechanistic criteria to assist in triage decisions.
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Acute abdominal pain is a very common chief complaint in the pediatric population, accounting for 5-10% of emergency department (ED) visits. Etiology differentiation is determined by complete history and physical examination, basic laboratory studies, and a variety of imaging study options. In this case report, we present an 8-year-old female with an unusual etiology of acute lower abdominal pain. ⋯ This case report demonstrates the youngest documented case of OVT. This patient was not in the peripartum period and did not have any identifiable risk factors. Given this unprovoked OVT in a pediatric patient, in patients presenting with abdominal pain with unspecified etiology, advanced imaging studies may be helpful in establishing a diagnosis.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Age and sex-related differences in outcomes of OHCA patients after adjustment for sex-based in-hospital management disparities.
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival differences due to sex remain controversial. Previous studies adjusted for prehospital variables, but not sex-based in-hospital management disparities. We aimed to investigate age and sex-related differences in survival outcomes in OHCA patients after adjustment for sex-based in-hospital management disparities. ⋯ Women with OHCA were more likely to have good neurological outcome after adjusting for age, prehospital variables, and sex-based in-hospital management disparities. There were non-linear associations between sex and survival outcomes according to age and age-related sex-based differences.
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Case Reports
Rapid progression of orbital abscess requiring lateral canthotomy in a pediatric patient.
Subperiosteal abscess (SPA) is a rare complication of acute sinusitis in children that may develop rapidly. In this case report, we describe an 11 year-old boy who presented with a large SPA 2 days after being diagnosed with conjunctivitis. The patient required emergent lateral canthotomy and cantholysis (LCC), IV antibiotics, and emergent surgery. It is crucial that emergency physicians be able to identify and treat this vision-threatening complication.