Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Jul 2014
Point-of-Care Ultrasonography for the Identification of 2 Children With Optic Disc Drusen Mimicking Papilledema.
We present 2 cases of asymptomatic patients who were found to have raised and blurred optic discs on physical examination, suggestive of papilledema. Evaluation in the emergency department revealed 2 well-appearing children with normal vital signs and neurologic evaluation results, without symptoms of increased intracranial pressure. ⋯ Optic disc drusen is caused by the deposition of calcified axonal debris and is often buried within the optic disc in pediatric patients. It can cause some changes in visual acuity and visual fields, but patients who are otherwise asymptomatic can be easily diagnosed through point-of-care ultrasound, thereby sparing patients an aggressive workup if their clinical picture is otherwise reassuring.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jul 2014
Cumulative Effective Dose Associated With Computed Tomography Examinations in Adolescent Trauma Patients.
The aims of this study were to analyze cumulative effective dose (cED) and to assess lifetime attributable risk (LAR) of cancer due to radiation exposure during computed tomography (CT) examinations in adolescent trauma patients. ⋯ The overall radiation-induced cancer risk due to CT examinations performed for the initial assessment of minor trauma was found to be relatively low in adolescent patients. However, adolescent patients with major trauma were exposed to a substantial amount of radiation during multiple CT examinations.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jul 2014
Case ReportsOmental liposarcoma presenting as chronic constipation.
Constipation is a common cause of pediatric abdominal pain seen in pediatric emergency departments (EDs). We present the case of an 11-year-old boy with a 4-month history of chronic constipation and abdominal pain who presented to the children's ED. He was found to have a large abdominal mass that was determined to be a myxoid liposarcoma. An extensive review of the medical literature did not reveal any previous cases of this type of tumor presenting to the ED as chronic constipation.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jul 2014
Observational Study of Family Member Presence for Pediatric Emergency Department Procedures.
The aim of this study was to observe the proportion of family members who choose to remain present during children's pediatric emergency department procedures in actual clinical situations. ⋯ Family members remain present during actual children's emergency department procedures less often than they indicate they would in hypothetical scenario surveys.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jul 2014
Case ReportsAn atypical presentation of atypical kawasaki disease.
Kawasaki disease (KD) is a well-known inflammatory disorder that, despite its classic description, can pose a diagnostic challenge. We report a case of a 3-year-old girl who presented to the emergency department with a limp and urinary incontinence who was ultimately diagnosed with KD. She was found to have a large coronary artery aneurysm on echocardiogram. We discuss the challenges in diagnosing incomplete KD.