Archives of disease in childhood
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To investigate causes, characteristics and temporal trends of paediatric major trauma. ⋯ This study demonstrated no change in the incidence of paediatric major trauma over an 11-year period. Given the potential lifelong impacts of serious injury in children, additional investment and coordination of injury prevention activities are required.
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To describe trends in clonidine exposures in children under 6. Clonidine has become increasingly popular for management of paediatric behavioural disorders. Clonidine has a narrow therapeutic index, and toxicity can occur with inadvertent double dosing. Clonidine is not recommended for use in children under 6 years. ⋯ Clonidine exposures in children under 6 are increasing, and this trend is not isolated to Australia. Exposures have a high hospital referral rate and high morbidity. Caution should be exercised when prescribing clonidine, and parent/carer education is important for safe storage and increased vigilance when dosing.
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Observational Study
Prospective observational study of point-of-care ultrasound for diagnosing pneumonia.
The clinical diagnosis of pneumonia lacks specificity and may lead to antibiotic overuse, whereas radiological diagnoses can lack sensitivity. Point-of-care lung ultrasound is an emerging diagnostic tool. There are limited prospective data, however, on the accuracy of sonologists in the paediatric emergency department setting. We aimed to test the diagnostic accuracy of lung ultrasound for pneumonia using chest radiograph (CR) as the reference standard. ⋯ Lung ultrasound may have a role as first-line imaging in patients with possible pneumonia, with higher specificity for consolidations exceeding 1 cm.