Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Jul 2008
Comparative Study Clinical TrialComparing the frequency of unrecognized attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in injured versus noninjured patients presenting for care in the pediatric emergency department.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common pediatric mental health problems but often goes unrecognized. Children with ADHD have an increased risk of injuries. Whether injured children presenting to the emergency department (ED) have an increased frequency of unrecognized ADHD symptoms compared to noninjured children is not known. ⋯ Children presenting with injuries are no more likely than a noninjured age- and sex-matched group to have unrecognized ADHD based on parental screen. Targeting injured children for ADHD screening is not supported by this study.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jul 2008
ReviewPediatric disaster preparedness: best planning for the worst-case scenario.
Natural and man-made disasters are unpredictable but certainly will include children as victims. Increasingly, knowledge of pediatric disaster preparedness is required of emergency and primary care practitioners. A complete pediatric disaster plan comprises the following elements: appropriate personnel and equipment, disaster- and venue-specific training, and family preparedness. ⋯ Exercise content depends on local hazard vulnerabilities and learner training needs. Postexercise evaluations follow a stepwise process that culminates in improved disaster plans. This article will review disaster planning and the design, implementation, and evaluation of pediatric disaster exercises.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jul 2008
ReviewChildren's mental health emergencies--part 2: emergency department evaluation and treatment of children with mental health disorders.
The emergency physician should be familiar with the wide spectrum of pediatric mental health emergencies because they are commonly encountered in emergency medical practice. ⋯ The actions and directions taken in the ED are a crucial part of the child's long-term care and treatment. The ED evaluation and management of pediatric mental health emergencies may vary depending on the complaint and includes differentiation from organic etiologies, medical stabilization, and occasionally in depth psychosocial interview.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jul 2008
Inter-rater reliability for noninvasive measurement of cardiac function in children.
A transcutaneous ultrasound monitor has recently been developed which noninvasively and quickly measures cardiac output. Validity and reliability testing has been reported in adults. No reliability testing has been undertaken in the pediatric population. ⋯ Transcutaneous Doppler ultrasound technique demonstrates acceptable inter-rater agreement for measuring CI and SVI in children.