Pediatric emergency care
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Chinese star anise (Illicium verum) is a popular herbal remedy for infantile colic. Contamination with a related species of Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum) has been related to cases of toxicity in infants. ⋯ Her presentation is consistent with other reports of toxicity that include particular gastrointestinal and neurological findings. A discussion of the clinical aspects of star anise toxicity, differential diagnosis, and management follows.
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Pediatric emergency care · Mar 2012
A qualitative assessment of reasons for nonurgent visits to the emergency department: parent and health professional opinions.
Each day, children incur more than 69,000 emergency department (ED) visits, with 58% to 82% of them for nonurgent reasons. The objectives of this study were to elicit and to describe guardians' and health professionals' opinions on reasons for nonurgent pediatric ED visits. ⋯ Guardians' concerns about perceptions of severity of illness in children and their schedules must be considered to effectively reduce nonurgent ED use, which may differ from the perceptions of professionals. Health professionals and systems seeking ways to decrease ED utilization may be able to better match capacity to demand both by increasing accessibility to primary care and by working to overcome guardians' perceptions that only EDs can handle acute illnesses or injuries.
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Ménétrier disease is a protein-losing gastroenteropathy often misdiagnosed in the pediatric population. The disease is characterized by hypoalbuminemia secondary to protein loss through the gastrointestinal mucosa and resultant peripheral edema. It is important for emergency department practitioners to consider this diagnosis in the differential diagnosis for edema and low albumin levels in pediatric patients. We present a case report of Ménétrier disease in an edematous child and a brief review.
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Pediatric emergency care · Mar 2012
Case ReportsRetrieval of a rectal foreign body using enemas in a 13-year-old boy.
In adults, rectal foreign bodies are a well-described phenomenon. In the pediatric emergency department, however, insertion of foreign bodies into the rectum is a rarely seen condition. Herein, we discuss a case of a rectal foreign body in a 13-year-old boy and the modality of removal.