Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 2005
Sledding-related injuries among children requiring emergency treatment.
The aims of the study were to describe sledding-related injuries among children requiring emergency treatment and assess the use of safety measures before and after these injuries. ⋯ More than 50% of sledding-related injuries were to the head/neck region, but only 3% of patients were wearing a helmet at the time of injury. A program to increase helmet use while sledding could have a significant impact on reducing head injuries. Because most injuries occurred when sledders struck a stationary object in their path, checking the sledding location for the presence of obstacles is also an important preventive measure.
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 2005
Case ReportsSeizures in a 20-month-old native of Minnesota: a case of neurocysticercosis.
A 20-month-old child, native of Minnesota, was diagnosed with neurocysticercosis. He had no history of international travel or pork consumption. This case and review of the literature emphasize the need to consider neurocysticercosis in any child with nonfebrile seizures in the United States because international travel and exposure to international travelers have become so common throughout the world.
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 2005
Procalcitonin as a diagnostic aid in osteomyelitis and septic arthritis.
Plasma procalcitonin (PCT) increases rapidly during bacterial infections but remains low in viral infections and other inflammatory processes. High plasma PCT typically occurs in children with bacterial meningitis, severe bacterial infections, particularly in cases of septic shock or bacteremia, and in renal parenchymal damage. The aim of this study was to test the usefulness of plasma PCT analysis in the diagnosis of osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, and other skeletal inflammatory diseases in pediatric patients admitted because of fever and limping. ⋯ In this study, PCT was found to be a useful marker in the diagnosis of osteomyelitis and not in septic arthritis. A larger group of patients needed to be studied to confirm our findings.
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 2005
Case ReportsTraumatic spinal epidural hematoma-unusual cause of torticollis in a child.
Traumatic spinal epidural hematoma is rare in children. The presentation could be nonspecific, leading to a delay in diagnosis. ⋯ Irritability and torticollis after a neck trauma in an afebrile child should alert to the possibility of spinal cord compression. Early imaging and early decompression will minimize morbidity.