Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Sep 2005
Comparative StudyWitnessed and unwitnessed esophageal foreign bodies in children.
The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical presentation of children with either an unwitnessed or witnessed esophageal foreign body. ⋯ Children who present to the emergency department two years old and younger, who have a documented fever and with respiratory findings should be considered at risk for having a retained esophageal foreign body. Children with esophageal abnormalities may also be at risk for retained esophageal foreign bodies.
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Although young victims of intentional violence are commonly cared for in emergency departments, minimal information exists regarding the characteristics of these young people. This study fills that knowledge gap. ⋯ Young persons who are victims of interpersonal violence have a high rate of delinquency and drug abuse than nonvictimized youth. Physicians caring for these youth need to be cognizant of the special psychosocial issues of these victims.
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Pediatric emergency care · Sep 2005
Case ReportsSigmoid sinus thrombosis following mastoiditis: early diagnosis enhances good prognosis.
Sigmoid sinus thrombosis following mastoiditis is a rare, but potentially life-threatening, condition. Its treatment usually consists of systemic antibiotics and mastoidectomy. In this report, we describe a pediatric case of sigmoid sinus thrombosis following mastoiditis, presenting with nonspecific symptoms such as fever, otalgia, and headache. ⋯ In conclusion, mastoiditis may present few clinical symptoms. In case of treatment failure or new-onset neurologic deficit in children with acute otitis media, life-threatening complications associated with mastoiditis should be considered. Early diagnosis is important, as favorable prognosis can be achieved with conservative management without performing any surgical intervention.
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Pediatric emergency care · Sep 2005
Case Reports Comparative StudyHospital pharmacy and emergency department availability of parenteral pyridoxine.
Pyridoxine is a recommended antidote that should be available in emergency departments (EDs). A pediatric use of this preparation is the treatment of acute seizures secondary to pyridoxine dependency or responsiveness. Two cases of children with pyridoxine-dependent and pyridoxine-responsive seizures whose treatment was affected by the unavailability of pyridoxine in local EDs are presented. These cases prompted the development of a survey to ascertain the availability of parenteral pyridoxine in the pharmacies and EDs of both children's and general hospitals in the United States. ⋯ Given the number of possible uses of parenteral pyridoxine in the ED, it is suggested that there is a case for all pediatric and general hospital pharmacies to have it on the formulary and further for all EDs in these hospitals to have injectable pyridoxine available for immediate use.