Pediatric emergency care
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Foreign body ingestion is a common occurrence in children. Morbidity associated with ingestion is rare and is dependent on the type of foreign body ingested. We report a case of a 9-year-old boy who developed intestinal obstruction and perforation following ingestion of magnetic-backed earrings.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jul 2004
Comparative StudyRelevance of type of catheters for central venous pressure measurement.
To compare simultaneous central venous pressure measurements from rigid polyurethane and soft tunneled silicone elastomere catheters. ⋯ Silicone and polyurethane catheters yield similar values of central venous pressures. Permanently implanted silicone elastomere catheters can be used to measure central venous pressure in the emergency setting.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jul 2004
Case ReportsSevere hyperphosphatemia and hypocalcemia following the rectal administration of a phosphate-containing Fleet pediatric enema.
Toxicity secondary to rectally administered hypertonic phosphate solution in patients with normal renal function is rarely reported in the literature. We report a case of electrolyte disturbance and seizure secondary to the rectal administration of 2 Fleet pediatric enemas. ⋯ Osmotically acting hypertonic phosphate enemas can result in severe toxicity if retained. This is true even in patients without predisposing risk factors.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jul 2004
Trauma stat and trauma minor: are we making the call appropriately?
Trauma accounts for a significant number of pediatric emergency room visits and is the leading cause of death in pediatric patients over 1 year of age. To provide quality care, protocols are used to mobilize personnel to treat injured patients. We reviewed our experience at a level 1 pediatric trauma center, where a 2-tiered trauma activation protocol is used in treating children with significant injuries. ⋯ Trauma activations result in heavy resource utilization and must be appropriate. The 2 trauma activation levels were associated with differences in injury severity, medical resource utilization, and outcome. With no deaths in the Trauma Minor group and a 20% mortality rate in the Trauma Stat group, we conclude that the protocol used was neither too conservative, nor too liberal.