Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Nov 2005
Emergency department pediatric all-terrain vehicle injuries in West Central Illinois.
This study was prepared to evaluate pediatric all-terrain vehicle-related injuries treated in a tertiary care emergency department in West Central Illinois. ⋯ Overall, the incidence of all-terrain vehicle-related injuries in West Central Illinois in the emergency department is increasing, and local injury patterns correlate well with those reported on a national level.
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Pediatric patients with dilated cardiomyopathy can initially be present for medical attention with non-specific and misleading signs and symptoms. We present the case of a 7-year-old girl with vague complaints of fever, vomiting, and abdominal pain and cardiac murmur on physical exam who progressed to congestive heart failure before her dilated cardiomyopathy was diagnosed. Clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for dilated cardiomyopathy in any patient with cardiac murmur and systematic symptoms.
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Pediatric emergency care · Nov 2005
Case ReportsTracheoinnominate artery fistula: a rare and often fatal complication of indwelling tracheostomy tubes.
Fistula formation between the innominate artery and the trachea is a rare but potentially catastrophic complication after tracheostomy. Although surgery is the definitive treatment of tracheoinnominate artery fistula, the responsibility for making the proper diagnosis and stabilizing the patient before surgery often falls on the personnel in the emergency department. We describe the emergency department management of a 14-year-old girl with a tracheoinnominate artery fistula. A discussion of the risk factors, diagnostic considerations, and emergency department management strategies of tracheoinnominate artery fistula is presented.
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Pediatric emergency care · Nov 2005
Case ReportsPediatric body packing: drug smuggling reaches a new low.
The case of a 6-year-old boy presenting with severe clinical manifestations of an opioid intoxication and who is discovered to be an international "body packer" is presented and discussed. This article is the first to report on the phenomenon of body packing in young children. It also highlights the use of prescription opioids as cargo, which has not previously been addressed in the literature.