Pediatric emergency care
-
Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2022
Observational StudyStarvation Ketosis in the Pediatric Emergency Department: A Prospective Estimate of Prevalence.
Starvation ketosis may occur in children during intercurrent illnesses due to metabolic adaptation to fasting, resulting in significant ketonemia and sometimes ketoacidosis. Also known as accelerated starvation, common symptoms are vomiting, lethargy, and seizures. Previous studies found the prevalence of ketotic hypoglycemia to be 4 per 100,000 presentations to the emergency department (ED). We hypothesized that the prevalence had been underestimated due to the retrospective nature and restricted definitions of previous studies. Our aim was to determine if a prospective study would confirm a higher prevalence of starvation ketosis in pediatric patients presenting to the ED. ⋯ This prospective observational study using a targeted testing regimen found the prevalence of both starvation ketosis and hypoglycemia to be much greater than previous studies which used retrospective analyses. A simple capillary test for ketones should be considered in unwell children younger than 10 years who present with vomiting or lethargy, as this may identify the need for specific therapy to resolve ketosis.
-
Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2022
"Good Catch, Kiddo"-Enhancing Patient Safety in the Pediatric Emergency Department Through Simulation.
Adverse events that affect patient safety are a significant concern in pediatrics. Increasing situational awareness, identifying errors and near misses, and reporting them using organizational incident reporting systems enables mitigation of harm. ⋯ The simulation training enabled learners to identify hazards and near misses and enhanced their ability to report hazards through organizational incident reporting systems. Learners at all levels of training identified safety hazards at comparable rates, which demonstrates the role that trainees play in critically observing clinical settings with fresh eyes and identifying and reporting patient safety hazards. Interventions to promote patient safety need to prioritize building situational awareness of potential hazards associated with EHR use.
-
Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2022
Which Device Is Favorable for Intubation Attempts of Pediatric Residents on Four Different Pediatric Airway Simulations?
Endotracheal intubation is an essential skill for the pediatric airway management. Although direct laryngoscopy (DL) is the standard method, several videolaryngoscopes (VLs) have been recently enhanced as an alternative especially for difficult intubations. We aimed to compare McGrath MAC (McG) and Storz C-MAC PM (ST) VLs with DL in terms of intubation success rate, time to intubation (TTI), and duration of obtaining glottis view of intubation attempts performed by pediatric residents on different pediatric airway manikins. ⋯ The attempts of pediatric residents on infant normal airway and Pierre-Robin sequence infant airway simulations resulted with enhanced glottis view by the utilization of Storz C-MAC PM, but both 2 VLs did not provide the improvement of intubation success rate and TTI compared with DL on these 4 different pediatric manikins. Further clinical studies of different VLs in different clinical courses are required for a reliable utilization in children.
-
Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2022
Analysis of Missed Sepsis Patients in a Pediatric Emergency Department With a Vital Sign-Based Electronic Sepsis Alert.
To characterize the cohort of missed sepsis patients since implementation of an electronic sepsis alert in a pediatric emergency department (ED). ⋯ In an ED with an electronic sepsis alert, missed patients often had positive sepsis alerts but were not treated for sepsis. Missed patients were more likely than sepsis pathway patients to require escalation of care after admission and less likely to receive timely antibiotics.
-
Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2022
Utilizing Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to Identify Pediatric Trauma Patients Needing Lifesaving Interventions (LSIs): A Retrospective Study.
The aim of this study was to investigate the role of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in identifying pediatric trauma patients who required lifesaving interventions (LSIs). ⋯ Pediatric trauma patients with somatic NIRS less than 70% within 30 minutes of emergency department arrival are associated with the need for LSIs. Continuous NIRS monitoring in the pediatric trauma population should be evaluated prospectively.