Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Sep 1989
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialThe impact of a didactic session on the success of feline endotracheal intubation by paramedics.
Clinical reports of endotracheal (ET) intubation of infants by paramedics suggest suboptimal success rates. Methods to improve the performance of paramedics in ET intubation should be explored. The small, anesthetized cat may be utilized to evaluate infant ET intubation performance. ⋯ Serious complications occurred in 50% of attempted intubations. There was a poor correlation between performance and measures of paramedic experience. Development of educational methods is required to improve infant ET intubation success and reduce complications.
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Pediatric emergency care · Sep 1989
Indications for chest roentgenogram in the febrile young infant.
A combined retrospective and prospective analysis of infants 60 days of age or less evaluated for fever (greater than or equal to 38.3 degrees C) or history of fever who received chest roentgenogram over a one-year period was performed to determine whether clinical characteristics were predictive of pneumonia. Of the 209 patients studied, 115 were reviewed prospectively and 94 retrospectively. ⋯ However, infants with the following nine factors did not have pneumonia; illness in the summer months; absence of cough, dyspnea, and respiratory distress (grunting/flaring/retracting); respiratory rate less than 60; absence of rales and decreased breath sounds; presence of normal color; and white blood cell count less than 19,000/mm3. We recommend that these clinical characteristics be utilized to determine whether chest roentgenogram is warranted in the young infant evaluated for fever.