Pediatric emergency care
-
Pediatric emergency care · Aug 2014
Effectiveness of Intravenous Levetiracetam as an Adjunctive Treatment in Pediatric Refractory Status Epilepticus.
Intravenous levetiracetam (LEV) has been shown to be effective and safe in treating adults with refractory status epilepticus (SE). We sought to investigate the efficacy and safety of intravenous LEV for pediatric patients with refractory SE. ⋯ The current study demonstrated that the adjunctive use of intravenous LEV was effective and well tolerated in pediatric patients with refractory SE, even in patients younger than 2 years. Intravenous LEV should be considered as an effective and safe treatment option for refractory SE in pediatric patients.
-
Pediatric emergency care · Aug 2014
J-Splint Use for Temporizing Management of Pediatric Femur Fractures: A Review of 18 Cases.
Pediatric femoral fractures are common injuries encountered in the field and in emergency departments. Currently described temporizing management strategies include skeletal traction, skin traction, traction splinting, and posterior splinting, all of which are suboptimal in some instances. J-splinting femur fractures may be advantageous in temporizing management of pediatric femur fractures. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of J-splint use for temporizing management of pediatric femur fractures. ⋯ The J-splint is a reliable, simple, and rapidly applied splint that prevents many of the complications and downfalls of other described temporizing measures and helps to provide excellent pain management in the acute setting.
-
Pediatric emergency care · Aug 2014
Case ReportsIncidental mucocele of the appendix in a 15-year-old girl.
Mucocele of the appendix is an exceedingly uncommon pathology in the pediatric population that may present with abdominal pain or represent an incidental finding after routine abdominal imaging. Etiologies may be inflammatory or neoplastic, but all share the commonality of chronic appendiceal obstruction. Early diagnosis is critical for positive long-term outcomes because the operative management will differ from that of a dilated appendix secondary to acute appendicitis.
-
Pediatric emergency care · Aug 2014
Motivation to Quit Smoking in Parental Smokers in the Pediatric Emergency Department.
To examine if motivation to quit is associated with parental smoker's perceived presence of a personal or child health illness or risk due to tobacco use. ⋯ A significant proportion of parental smokers who present to the pediatric emergency department endorse strong motivation to quit. Parents who endorse health risk or quitting-related health benefits in their child are more likely to have high motivation to quit smoking. Future studies are needed to determine if high motivation translates into smoking cessation.
-
Pediatric emergency care · Aug 2014
Case ReportsPneumonia and Purulent Pericarditis Caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae: An Uncommon Association in the Antibiotic Era.
Bacterial pericarditis in children has become a rare entity in the modern antibiotic era. The most common pathogen is Staphylococcus aureus, being Streptococcus pneumoniae an exceptional cause. We present 2 children, who were diagnosed of pneumonia complicated with a pleural effusion that developed a purulent pericarditis with signs of cardiac tamponade. ⋯ Pneumococcal antigens were positive in pleural and pericardial fluids in both cases, and S. pneumoniae was isolated from pleural effusion in one of them. Both children fully recovered, and none of them developed constrictive pericarditis, although 1 case presented a transient secondary left ventricular dysfunction. Routine immunization with 10- and 13-valent vaccines including a wider range of serotypes should further decrease the already low incidence.