Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Mar 2007
ReviewEmergency department management of the pediatric patient with supraventricular tachycardia.
Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is the most common tachyarrhythmia that necessitates treatment in children. It is characterized by a rapid and regular heart rate, which generally exceeds 180 beats per minute in children and 220 beats per minute in adolescents. ⋯ Treatment of a stable patient with SVT includes vagal maneuvers and adenosine, whereas treatment of an unstable patient requires synchronized cardioversion. This article presents an overview of the etiology, pathophysiology, and clinical presentation of SVT and discusses the emergency department management of an infant or child with SVT.
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Pediatric emergency care · Mar 2007
Case ReportsCerebral infarct secondary to traumatic carotid artery dissection.
Internal carotid artery dissection is an important cause of ischemic stroke in children and young patients. Children presenting with gross neurological abnormalities after blunt trauma to the head or neck should be considered to have sustained injury to the carotid arteries until proven otherwise. Treatment options include observation, anticoagulation and endovascular stenting, and aggressive surgical repair of the carotid artery injury. We present the case of a 7-year-old boy who had a dissection of his right internal carotid artery after a dangerous position of head upside down from a water slide.