Pediatric emergency care
-
Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2010
ReviewProcalcitonin as a marker of severe bacterial infection in children in the emergency department.
Procalcitonin, the prohormone of calcitonin, is a relatively new and innovative marker of bacterial infection that has multiple potential applications in the pediatric emergency department. In healthy individuals, circulating levels of procalcitonin are generally very low (<0.05 ng/mL), but in the setting of severe bacterial infection and sepsis, levels can increase by hundreds to thousands of fold within 4 to 6 hours. ⋯ To date, the use of procalcitonin has been limited in the United States, but this valuable biomarker has many potential applications in both the pediatric emergency department and the intensive care unit. The intent of this article is to review the history of procalcitonin, describe the kinetics of the molecule in response to bacterial infection, describe the laboratory methods available for measuring procalcitonin, examine the main causes of procalcitonin elevation, and evaluate the potential applications of procalcitonin measurements in pediatric patients.
-
Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2010
Comparative StudyThe nature and characteristics of abdominal injuries sustained during children's sports.
To increase the evidence base by characterizing various features of pediatric sports-related abdominal injuries. ⋯ Sports-related abdominal injuries in children are mostly minor and not as common as other injury mechanisms. Despite this, they can be serious, with early diagnosis often delayed because of their subtle nature. Sports-related abdominal injuries in children require a high index of suspicion in the part of the clinician if they are to be recognized early and managed effectively.
-
Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2010
Comparative StudyPatient characteristics and provider practice patterns for emergency contraception in a pediatric emergency department.
To describe epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of patients receiving emergency contraception (EC) in a pediatric emergency department (ED), practice variations for EC, and ED return visits after EC. ⋯ Reviewing recipients of EC from a pediatric ED suggests education is needed for both health care providers and adolescents. Although providers are generally following the most recent dosing guidelines, opportunities to prescribe EC to adolescent girls with complaints other than sexual assault seem to be missed.