Pediatric emergency care
-
Pediatric emergency care · Jun 2001
Review Case ReportsAcute hemorrhagic complication of diagnostic lumbar puncture.
To present a case of an epidural hematoma after lumbar puncture in a pediatric patient without known risk factors for such a complication and to review the literature regarding this complication. ⋯ Lumbar puncture is a frequently employed procedure. Known complications include epidural, subdural, and subarachnoid hemorrhage, usually in the setting of abnormal coagulation. The case presented is unusual in that the patient is a child and lacks any known risk factors for a hemorrhagic complication. Such a complication appears to be rare; only five of the 64 cases discovered in the literature review occurred following this diagnostic procedure in patients without known risk factors.
-
The needs of children in emergency situations differ from those of adults and require special attention, yet there has been no study of the ability of U.S. hospitals to care for emergently or critically ill children. ⋯ Emergent and critical care of infants and children may not be well integrated and regionalized within our health care system, suggesting that there is room for improvement in the quality of care for children encountering emergent illness and trauma.
-
Adults frequently use complementary and alternative medicines (CAM). Few studies have reported how often CAM therapies are used to treat children. The purpose of this study is to describe the use of alternative therapies by children visiting an emergency department (ED) and to identify sociodemographic factors that may influence the decision to use such therapies. ⋯ CAM therapies are frequently used to treat children. Most parents who use CAM therapies to treat their children use such therapies themselves. Large proportions of children who are taking herbal supplements are also taking prescription or over-the-counter medications concurrently.