Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2008
Comparative StudyPrescribing errors in a pediatric emergency department.
To determine the frequency, prescriber, and type of prescribing errors in written in-house orders and ambulatory prescriptions in a pediatric emergency department (PED). ⋯ Prescribing errors are common in both written in-house orders and ambulatory prescriptions in a PED. Targeting safety interventions toward groups with less practice in prescribing pediatric doses and reeducating groups on safe medication writing techniques could decrease this error rate.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2008
Case ReportsThe importance of a multidisciplinary approach in a child with major abdominal penetrating trauma.
We present a case of a 2-year-old girl who had a lawn mower accident with subtotal gut evisceration, multiple ischemic intestinal lesions, hepatic and gastric wounds, amputation of the left forearm, and hypovolemic shock. Prompt and adequate management was carried out in tertiary level institution, based upon quick evaluation of the lesions, fluid resuscitation, surgical repair, and postoperative admission to the pediatric intensive care unit.
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The clinical spectrum of infectious causes of upper airway obstruction has changed dramatically in the last few decades, especially after the introduction of vaccines against diphtheria and Haemophilus influenzae. Nevertheless, infectious causes of upper airway obstruction remain an important source of morbidity and potential mortality in the pediatric age group. ⋯ Despite the virtual elimination of invasive H. influenzae type B infection, it is important for physicians caring for children to understand the management issues surrounding patients with supraglottitis to avoid disastrous outcomes. As illustrated in the following case, these children may not always present with classic features of supraglottitis.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2008
Case ReportsA child with abdominal pain and hyperglycemia: is it diabetic ketoacidosis?
Hyperglycemia, abdominal pain, and vomiting are the most common manifestations of diabetic ketoacidosis in pediatric patients. The absence of ketonemia in these patients should prompt a consideration of acute pancreatitis. We report a case of an 11-year-old girl with acute necrotizing pancreatitis, who was initially diagnosed as having new onset diabetes with nonketotic hyperglycemia.
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The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the incidence of embedded earrings as a chief complaint among children presenting to a pediatric emergency department (ED), (2) to describe the age distribution of children presenting to the ED with embedded earrings, and (3) to describe local experience with the evaluation and treatment of these children. ⋯ Embedded earring is an uncommon complaint among children presenting to a pediatric ED. Young children are likely overrepresented in the occurrence of this problem, which supports the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation to postpone ear piercing until self-care is achievable.