Clinical pediatrics
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Clinical pediatrics · Dec 2012
Comparative StudySerial procalcitonin levels to detect bacteremia in febrile neutropenia.
Our objective was to evaluate serial procalcitonin (PCT) levels compared with an initial PCT level at admission in predicting bacteremia in pediatric febrile neutropenic oncology patients. ⋯ Elevated PCT levels are predictive of bacteremia. Using serial PCT levels within 24 hours allowed a better prediction of bacteremia than the PCT level at t0.
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Clinical pediatrics · Dec 2012
Comparative StudyEffectiveness of a breath-actuated nebulizer device on asthma care in the pediatric emergency department.
The breath-actuated nebulizer (BAN) is a new respiratory device to deliver short-acting β-agonists to patients with asthma exacerbations. This pediatric convenience sample experimental study compares the BAN with conventional nebulizers and demonstrates that the BAN allows for shorter treatment times to achieve improved clinical asthma scores with less albuterol, shorter emergency department length of stay, and fewer hospitalizations.