Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Apr 2014
Factors Affecting Team Size and Task Performance in Pediatric Trauma Resuscitation.
Varying team size based on anticipated injury acuity is a common method for limiting personnel during trauma resuscitation. While missing personnel may delay treatment, large teams may worsen care through role confusion and interference. This study investigates factors associated with varying team size and task completion during trauma resuscitation. ⋯ Resuscitation task completion varies by team size, with a nonlinear association between number of team members and completed tasks. Management of team size during high-acuity activations, those without prior notification, and those in which the patient has a penetrating injury may help optimize performance.
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Pediatric emergency care · Apr 2014
Multicenter StudyPrevalence of Electrocardiogram Use in Infants With Apparent Life-Threatening Events: A Multicenter Database Study.
An apparent life-threatening event (ALTE) is a common diagnosis in pediatrics, but there is no standardized method to evaluate these patients. We sought to determine the prevalence of electrocardiogram (ECG) use in patients presenting to children's hospitals with an ALTE. ⋯ Electrocardiograms are performed in fewer than half of patients with ALTE presenting to children's hospitals. There is wide variation in the prevalence of ECG use as a diagnostic tool for infants presenting with an ALTE.
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Pediatric emergency care · Apr 2014
Review Case ReportsAcute disseminated encephalomyelitis following meningoencephalitis: case report and literature review.
Meningoencephalitis and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) are both neurological disease processes, but there have been few cases of meningoencephalitis progressing to ADEM in the pediatric population. A case of a 4-year-old girl with an initial diagnosis of meningoencephalitis is presented here, whose initial presentation was manifested by prolonged fever, gray matter signal abnormality on brain magnetic resonance imaging, cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis, and a markedly irritable mental status. ⋯ Her symptoms and imaging findings completely resolved with a course of methylprednisolone. Based on the literature and this current case, it is our recommendation to consider ADEM as a diagnosis if meningoencephalitis is not improving.
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Pediatric emergency care · Apr 2014
Case ReportsA precordial rub in a boy with a severe attack of ulcerative colitis.
A case of a pneumomediastinum mimicking a pericarditis in a boy with an occult perforation due to ulcerative colitis is reported. Pneumomediastinum is a rare complication of severe attacks of ulcerative colitis, with or without the previous development of a toxic megacolon, that should be considered in the differential diagnosis.