Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Feb 2013
Evaluation of a high-dose continuous albuterol protocol for treatment of pediatric asthma in the emergency department.
This study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of a high-dose continuous nebulized albuterol (CNA) protocol for treatment of asthma in the pediatric emergency department (ED). A secondary objective included a cost-benefit analysis of protocol use. ⋯ We found the CNA protocol to be safe. Superior efficacy to a traditional treatment approach was not demonstrated. The mean cost of treatment was higher in the postprotocol group. Further prospective studies should be conducted to confirm the findings of this retrospective, observational study.
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Pediatric emergency care · Feb 2013
Adolescent synthetic cathinone exposures reported to Texas poison centers.
This study describes the pattern of adolescent synthetic cathinone exposures reported to a large, statewide poison center system. ⋯ Adolescent synthetic cathinone exposures reported to Texas poison centers were more likely to have occurred by inhalation. The adolescents were more likely to be male. The exposures more often occurred at the patient's own residence and were managed at a health care facility with a serious outcome. This pattern of exposures was similar to that observed among adults.
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We report a case of Klebsiella oxytoca sepsis as a complication of nonperforated appendicitis in an 11-year-old immunocompetent boy. Even if septicemia is not mentioned in major reviews as a complication of nonperforated appendicitis, several cases have occasionally been reported in adult patients in the literature. The pathogenesis of sepsis with nonperforated appendicitis is still not clear, but a mechanism of bacterial translocation has been taken into account to explain the spread of microorganisms from the intestinal lumen to the systemic blood stream. Clinicians should therefore be aware of this occurrence.
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Pediatric emergency care · Feb 2013
Case ReportsDisk battery ingestion: case series with assessment of clinical and financial impact of a preventable disease.
Commonly, foreign objects are incidentally ingested and pass harmlessly through the gastrointestinal tract; however, disk batteries present exceptional risk. In 2009, the American Association of Poison Control Centers listed disk batteries as the number 1 cause of fatal ingestions in children younger than 5 years. Lithium batteries are the most dangerous, and they are rapidly rising in use by manufacturers. Paralleling that rise, there has been a 6.7-fold increase in major or fatal outcomes between 1985 and 2009. This study describes the variability in patient presentations, the courses of patients' evaluations, and the clinical and financial consequences of disk battery ingestion. ⋯ Emergency medicine physicians, otolaryngologists, radiologists, gastroenterologists, and pediatric surgeons may be able to mitigate, albeit not entirely prevent, potential serious complications in patients with disk battery ingestions by proper diagnosis and timely treatment. Recommendations for management are presented, which highlight the need for emergent removal of any battery that is lodged and close follow-up of these patients once they are out of the hospital.
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Pediatric emergency care · Feb 2013
Case ReportsAn uncommon Salter-Harris I fracture of the distal femoral physis with marked epiphyseal dislocation.
This is a report of an uncommon Salter-Harris I fracture of the distal femoral physis with complete dislocation of the distal epiphysis. These fractures are most frequently sustained during sports injuries, with motor vehicle accidents as another leading cause. They are at high risk of nonanatomic healing with subsequent varus or valgus deformity or premature growth arrest of the physis with subsequent leg length difference. ⋯ This fracture-dislocation was reduced with intravenous opioid analgesia, gentle traction along the axis of the lower extremity, and firm but gentle manual reduction of the proximal femoral fragment. External casts alone have a high rate of failure in sustaining anatomic alignment, so percutaneous pinning is recommended as the definitive treatment. After reduction, this patient was transferred to a pediatric hospital capable of performing the necessary operative fixation.