Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Feb 2025
Minor Head Trauma in Children Younger Than 3 Months and Clinical Predictors of Clinically Important Traumatic Brain Injuries.
Major studies have defined clinical rules to regulate the use of computed tomography in children after head trauma. Infants younger than 3 months are considered at higher risk of brain injuries than older children and at the same time at higher risk of radiation-induced damage. Hence, it would be desirable to have clinical decision rules more adapted to this subset of patients. The objectives of this study are to compare the rate of brain injuries in children younger than 3 months or 3 to 24 months and to assess predictors of clinically important traumatic brain injuries (ciTBIs) (the ones causing death, neurosurgical intervention, long intubation, or hospitalization for 2 days or more) in the former group. ⋯ Children younger than 3 months presenting after minor head trauma constitute a relevant population. Available clinical predictors well correlate with ciTBIs in this age group.
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Pediatric emergency care · Feb 2025
The National Emergency Department Overcrowding Scale and Perceived Staff Workload: Evidence for Construct Validity in a Pediatric Setting.
The aim of the study is to determine if there is a correlation between perceived staff workload, measured by the NASA Task Load Index (TLX), and the National Emergency Department Overcrowding Scale (NEDOCS) in a pediatric ED. ⋯ NEDOCS does not have a strong correlation with individual responses on questionnaires of perceived workload for staff in a pediatric ED. NEDOCS, as a measure of overcrowding, may be better correlated with perceived workload during periods with elevated crowding or when interpreted categorically as yes/no "severely overcrowded".
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Pediatric emergency care · Feb 2025
Oral Ketamine and Midazolam for Procedural Sedation in the Pediatric Emergency Department: A Retrospective Study.
Needle-free procedural sedation (PS) is an attractive option for children presenting to the emergency department (ED) who require a painful procedure, as it avoids inflicting additional pain either with intravenous line placement or intramuscular injection. While use of oral (PO) ketamine has been reported in the literature, limited information is available to guide ED-based use in children. ⋯ PO ketamine with or without midazolam resulted in procedure completion of a variety of procedures in the pediatric ED with minimal AE, no SAE, and without need for additional sedative medications in 86.2% (50). This regimen is an option for needle-free moderate PS in this setting. Further study is needed to clarify the benefit of the addition of midazolam to PO ketamine, rates of AE and SAE, sedation duration, and recovery times.
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Pediatric emergency care · Feb 2025
The Incidence and Severity of Pediatric Injuries Sustained by Electric Bikes and Powered Scooters: The Experience of an Urban, Tertiary Pediatric Emergency Department.
This study aimed to describe the incidence and severity of electrical bicycle (E-bike)- and power scooter (P-scooter)-related injuries and their secular trends among pediatric patients presenting to a pediatric emergency department (ED). ⋯ The incidence and severity of E-bike and P-scooter injuries and fatalities continue to increase within the pediatric population. Current personal and road safety regulations are providing inadequate in preventing these injuries, highlighting an urgent need for revision and stricter enforcement.