Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 2001
Review Case ReportsSeat belt syndrome in children: a case report and review of the literature.
Characteristic patterns of injury to children in automobile crashes resulting from lap and lap-shoulder belts have been described for many years. These injuries are known as the "seat belt syndrome." We present a typical case of seat belt syndrome involving a 4-year-old boy and review the current literature on the topic, highlighting proposed mechanisms of intra-abdominal and spine injuries. In addition, recent research findings identifying a new pattern of injuries associated with inappropriate seat belt use in young children are reviewed. Emergency physicians must consider these seat belt-related injuries in the initial evaluation of any child involved in a motor vehicle crash who was restrained with the vehicle seat belt.
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 2001
Multicenter StudyApplicability of Ottawa knee rule for knee injury in children.
Previous studies have shown that the application of the Ottawa knee rule (OKR) reduces the need for radiographs in adults with acute knee injuries. Our objectives were to describe the epidemiology and incidence of knee injuries in children with acute knee trauma and to validate the OKR in a pediatric population. ⋯ In the pediatric population studied, the OKR did not identify all patients with knee fractures. Future studies may consider modifying the OKR to accommodate the differences between pediatric and adult patients to improve the sensitivity of the rule while maintaining its specificity, before it can be applied routinely in clinical practice.
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 2001
Use of the Pediatric Risk of Mortality Score as predictor of death and serious neurologic damage in children after submersion.
To evaluate the Pediatric Risk of Mortality score (PRISM score) as a tool to evaluate the vital and neurologic prognosis of patients after submersion. ⋯ PRISM score enables the determination of either absence or presence of serious impairment or death in pediatric patients after submersion, if they present extreme values on this scale. However, in patients with intermediate PRISM scores, it is not possible to establish a reliable prognosis.
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 2001
Prehospital evaluation of non-transported pediatric patients by a large emergency medical services system.
1) To determine whether demographic characteristics of prehospital pediatric patients evaluated, but not transported, by emergency medical services (EMS) personnel were different than those of transported patients in a large metropolitan area, 2) to determine whether chart documentation for non-transported (NT) patients by EMS personnel varied among paramedic and ambulance units, and 3) to describe the most common complaints of pediatric non-transported patients. ⋯ In this large metropolitan population, non-transport was less common in children under 2 years of age and during the early morning hours. Hispanic children were more likely to be transported. Ambulance units were significantly less likely than paramedic units to document contact with OLMC. Injuries were the most common complaints of pediatric NT patients.