J Emerg Med
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Review Case Reports
Acute cerebellar ataxia in a toddler: case report and literature review.
Acute cerebellar ataxia (ACA) is an inflammatory CNS disease that is characterized by rapid onset of ataxia in a child under 6 years of age. Symptoms typically occur in association with a relatively benign viral illness and have been reported after vaccination as well. ⋯ The emergency approach should be focused on excluding more significant illnesses, such as meningitis or an intracranial mass lesion. Here we present a case of a young girl with ACA and review the relevant literature.
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Numerous studies have described the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and treatment of the many forms of congenital heart disease (CHD), but none has specifically addressed the reasons CHD patients present to the Emergency Department (ED). The objective of this study was to provide a descriptive analysis of the ED presentations of acute and seriously ill pediatric CHD patients. We intended to capture a subset of acutely ill CHD patients who had presenting signs and symptoms that were potentially attributable to their underlying CHD. ⋯ Patients with complex CHD are often very difficult to correctly diagnose and manage in the ED. They often require extensive inpatient observation and evaluation. A low threshold for inpatient management of these high-risk patients is warranted.
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Cephalhematomas rarely lead to serious complications such as infection, osteomyelitis and skull fractures. However, we present a newborn infant with hyperkalemia in the context of a serious complication believed to be caused by hemolysis of a large cephalhematoma. The patient was treated with urgent peritoneal dialysis and discharged with a successful outcome. In conclusion, neonates with massive cephalhematoma should be closely examined in terms of bilirubin counts as well as electrolyte counts.
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Case Reports
Emergency department presentations of a rare tumor--extraosseous cervical paraspinal Ewing's sarcoma.
We report the case of a 9-year-old boy who presented to our community-based Pediatric Emergency Department with complaints of neck pain, stiffness and upper extremity weakness. The symptoms were later identified to be due to cervical extraosseous paraspinal Ewing's sarcoma. ⋯ Ewing's sarcoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of children presenting with complaints of unremitting or recurring non-specific back or neck pain or neurological deficits. Appropriate diagnostic evaluation and treatment should be actively pursued.