Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · May 2009
Parental preference for rehydration method for children in the emergency department.
To determine which rehydration method, oral or intravenous, parents would choose for their child when given the opportunity to make an informed decision and to determine factors influencing preference. ⋯ When given the opportunity to make an informed decision, more parents chose intravenous rehydration. However, the prospect of an effective oral antiemetic medication might lead more parents to choose oral rehydration.
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Reducing cycle times in pediatric emergency medicine is an ongoing challenge to practitioners and institutions who strive to provide outstanding medical care in a caring and efficient manner amid the chaotic environment of a busy emergency department. For institutions that wish to undertake such a task, there is scant pediatric literature on these topics. The objectives of this study were to reduce emergency department cycle times and to set a benchmark in these areas for pediatric emergency medicine. ⋯ At 1 year, we were able to reduce cycle times in the main EC and QK and time of pain medication administration for patients with suspected fractures. These results were sustainable over time and in the face of increasing patient volume. We anticipate this work will set benchmarks in pediatric emergency medicine for process improvement and support the development of similar programs to reduce cycle times and improve operational efficiency.
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Pediatric emergency care · May 2009
Do all pediatric patients who have a febrile seizure require transport by advanced life support?
In the state of New Jersey, all pediatric patients who are transported to the hospital by emergency medical services for seizures are evaluated by both advanced life support (ALS) and basic life support (BLS) units. The state triage protocol mandates that a paramedic unit be dispatched. The purpose of this study is establish that the subset of those patients who experience simple febrile seizures could be safely transported by BLS, subsequently freeing much needed ALS resources. ⋯ Simple febrile seizure patients are suitable for transport via BLS. Further studies should be done to confirm this conclusion.
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Pediatric emergency care · Apr 2009
Case ReportsHemolytic anemia induced by ingestion of paradichlorobenzene mothballs.
Hemolytic anemia and methemoglobinemia are well-known adverse effects that follow ingestion of naphthalene mothballs. They are only rarely reported in association with ingestion of paradichlorobenzene mothballs. An asymptomatic boy presented to our pediatric emergency department after ingesting paradichlorobenzene mothballs. Three daysafter the ingestion, the boy returned with hemolysis and mild methemoglobinemia.