Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Oct 2005
Case ReportsAcute myeloid leukemia presenting as spinal cord compression.
We report the findings of a 10-year-old boy who presented to a pediatric emergency department with symptoms of spinal cord compression. Radiological imaging demonstrated multiple soft tissue masses in the head and spine. ⋯ These findings were consistent with those observed on bone marrow aspiration. The characteristics and management of extramedullary leukemia are discussed.
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This article uses a case report and discussion to demonstrate the removal of magnets which have become lodged in the nasal cavity as a result of using magnet-backed earrings to decorate the alae. If bi-alar decoration is used, removal of nasal magnets can present more of a challenge than other nasal foreign bodies. This is because of their attraction to each other through the septum and because of the edema that can form around the magnets. This case discusses that removal of magnets lodged in the nares can be easily achieved with minimal trauma, by the use of a household pocket magnet.
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Pediatric emergency care · Sep 2005
A reexamination of the feasibility of the administration of routine childhood vaccines in emergency departments in the era of electronic vaccine registries.
To determine if electronic vaccine records facilitate successful routine childhood vaccination in the emergency department (ED). ⋯ Assuming that the electronic vaccination record performed such as an online vaccine registry, the effort to access the registry might find a substantial number of children late for a routine childhood vaccination. In this setting, we found that approximately one sixth of the children with electronic vaccine records would be found late for vaccination, and based on physician assessment and parental survey, one half of those children would receive that vaccination if available in the ED. These rates offer health care planners a sense of the magnitude of the vaccination rates in the ED as we move toward regional vaccination registries with online capabilities to be accessed by EDs.
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Pediatric emergency care · Sep 2005
Case ReportsIs it acute omphalitis or necrotizing fasciitis? Report of three fatal cases.
We describe 3 Costa Rican newborns that developed acute omphalitis, complicated with fulminant abdominal wall and genital necrotizing fasciitis. The emergency practitioner should be capable of distinguishing promptly between acute omphalitis and early necrotizing fasciitis. Prompt medical treatment and surgical debridement should be encouraged to decrease the high associated morbidity and mortality rates.