Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 1985
A pediatric emergencies training program for emergency medical services.
Accidents are the leading cause of death in children, accounting for more pediatric deaths than all other causes combined. Accidents also account for 21.7 million injuries to children that require medical care annually. ⋯ The course consists of 18 hours of lectures and skill stations focusing on medical emergencies, care of the injured child, the special needs of the infant, and the emotional response of the child and family in an emergency. Test evaluations before and after the course from the 190 participants demonstrate a significant improvement in their knowledge and skills in treating pediatric emergencies (P less than 0.001).
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 1985
Hyponatremia and seizures presenting in the first two years of life.
During a three-month period, 15 patients under two years of age presented with serum sodium concentrations less than 127 mEq/L. Seven (47%) of these patients presented with seizures. Hyponatremia accounted for a majority (58%) of the afebrile seizures in children under two years during this period. ⋯ Hyponatremia may account for more seizures in early life than has been appreciated. Physicians and parents should avoid dietary practices which promote water intoxication. The etiology, diagnosis, and management of water intoxication and hyponatremic seizures are discussed.
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 1985
Case ReportsRhabdomyolysis and myoglobinuria as manifestations of child abuse.
Rhabdomyolysis should be suspected in cases of physical child abuse in which there is extensive soft tissue injury. It is easily investigated using the urinalysis and serum CPK levels. ⋯ A full recovery can be expected for adults with this disorder, but information about the pediatric population is sparse. Our series suggests rapid improvement with appropriate therapy.