Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Apr 2003
Pediatricians' evaluations of their residency curriculum in emergency medicine.
To describe residency graduates' perceptions of their preparation for providing pediatric emergency medical care. ⋯ Despite limited access to rotations in a pediatric ED, our graduates were confident in their ability to manage pediatric emergencies. A pediatric emergency medicine curriculum composed of didactic teaching and clinical rotations in a pediatric intensive care unit and urgent care served as an effective way to supplement limited ED experience.
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Pediatric emergency care · Apr 2003
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyPatterns in childhood sports injury.
The purpose of this epidemiologic study is twofold: first, to determine the relative frequency of sports-related injuries compared with all musculoskeletal injuries in patients 5 to 21 years of age presenting to the emergency department (ED), and second, to evaluate the sports-specific and anatomic site-specific nature of these injuries. ⋯ Sports injuries in children and adolescents were by far the most common cause of musculoskeletal injuries treated in the ED, accounting for 41% of all musculoskeletal injuries. This represents the highest percentage of sports-related musculoskeletal injuries per ED visit reported in children to date. As children and adolescents participate in sports in record numbers nationwide, sports injury research and prevention will become increasingly more important.
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The goals of this study were to identify the socioeconomic influences that may lead to newborn abandonment and the attributes common to individuals who abandon their infants, to develop an understanding of the legislative issues affecting the abandonment of newborns by state, and to describe an emergency care program designed to preserve newborn life. ⋯ There is still much to learn about infant abandonment. A national database to compile statistics about the incidence of abandonment is currently not available. Research is necessary to validate the findings collected in retrospective reviews. The choices parents make between the options of abandoning versus surrendering the infant to a safe haven require further study. Preventative programs and education of the public and particularly of the high-risk groups require a greater emphasis on improving child protection procedures. Programs in emergency departments must be developed to expedite care and to support and protect life.
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Pediatric emergency care · Apr 2003
Case ReportsEarly detection of cardiac disease masquerading as acute bronchospasm: The role of bedside limited echocardiography by the emergency physician.
We report two cases in which the patients experienced dyspnea, cough, and acute bronchospasm. Pulmonary pathology was initially suspected. Failure to respond to an initial trial of inhaled bronchodilator prompted the use of bedside limited echocardiography by the emergency physician. The potential role of limited echocardiography by the emergency physician as a triage tool in facilitating early diagnosis and emergent therapy, reducing time to final discharge, and enhancing interaction between the pediatric emergency physician and cardiology consultants is highlighted.
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During the summer, jellyfish stings are the most common envenomation situations encountered by humans in the marine environment. The more people swim, scuba dive, or snorkel, the more necessary it is to know what should be done immediately, how life can be saved, how to prevent early and late complications, and how to facilitate convalescence in the event of jellyfish envenomation. We describe an atypical case of a 14-year-old boy with severe dyspnea due to upper airway obstruction caused by a jellyfish sting to the face and outline a practical approach to the treatment of jellyfish stings.