Isr Med Assoc J
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Observational Study
Point-of-Care Ultrasound in a Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Surgery.
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is becoming a common tool for routine use in emergency medicine, anesthesiology and intensive care for diagnostic and interventional purposes. When a portable ultrasound device became available for the department of Pediatric and Adolescent Surgery at the Schneider's Children Medical Center of Israel, we added POCUS assessments to the physician's daily rounds. POCUS is performed by pediatric surgeons trained in basic ultrasonography skills. Starting September 2015 all POCUS examinations were documented. ⋯ The ability and availability to perform multiple POCUS exams by the attending physician proved to be a valuable aide to the classical physical and laboratory examinations of surgical patients, and we predict its increasing use in quotidian practice.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Medical Clowns and Cortisol levels in Children Undergoing Venipuncture in the Emergency Department: A Pilot Study.
Medical clowns are increasingly used for diminishing pain and anxiety during painful procedures being performed on children in the hospital setting. Cortisol levels rise as a response to emotional distress. ⋯ In this pilot study, medical clowns reduced the distress from venipuncture in children. No effect on cortisol levels was observed.
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Trauma is the leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. Abdominal bleeding is one of the common causes of mortality due to trauma. Angiography and embolization are well recognized as the primary treatments in certain cases of acute traumatic hemorrhage in adults; however, evidence is lacking in the pediatric population. ⋯ We propose that emergency transcatheter angiography and arterial embolization be considered following resuscitation in the ED as initial treatment in children with ongoing bleeding after blunt abdominal trauma or iatrogenic renal injury. Implementation of this policy demands availability and cooperation of the interventional radiology services.