Pediatric emergency care
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Group A streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus are the most common bacterial etiologies of skin and soft tissue infections that range in virulence from very mild to limb/life threatening. Antibiotic coverage recommendations are varying and subject to controversy. ⋯ Rapid bacterial identification using mass spectrometry is on the horizon. Therapeutic considerations should include cost and adherence issues.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2017
Case ReportsA Novel Method of Intraosseous Infusion of Adenosine for the Treatment of Supraventricular Tachycardia in an Infant.
Supraventricular tachycardia is a common arrhythmia faced by emergency physicians in the pediatric population. In most cases, antecubital intravenous access can be established, and adenosine can be administered in a rapid and timely fashion. The role and administration of intraosseous adenosine are poorly established. We describe a case where the administration of adenosine was successful via a mixed method administration.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2017
Observational StudyReliability of the Faces, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability Scale in Assessing Acute Pain in the Pediatric Emergency Department.
The Faces, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability (FLACC) scale is one of the most widely utilized observational pain assessment scales in clinical practice. Although designed and validated to assess postoperative pain, the tool is currently applied to assess acute pain in multiple settings, including the emergency department. Scarce literature exists evaluating the reliability of the FLACC scale in the nonsurgical population and none in the emergency department. We sought to investigate the reliability of the FLACC scale in assessing acute pain in the pediatric emergency department and to examine the sensitivity of FLACC scores after the administration of analgesia. ⋯ The FLACC scale demonstrated high interrater reliability for both individual FLACC items and total scores in a convenience sample of patients aged 6 months to 5 years in a pediatric emergency department. It seems to be an appropriate observational tool to assess acute pain in this population.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2017
Case ReportsReturn of Viable Cardiac Function After Sonographic Cardiac Standstill in Pediatric Cardiac Arrest.
Sonographic cardiac standstill during adult cardiac arrest is associated with failure to get return to spontaneous circulation. This report documents 3 children whose cardiac function returned after standstill with extracorporeal membranous oxygenation. Sonographic cardiac standstill may not predict cardiac death in children.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2017
Mental Health Screening Among Adolescents and Young Adults in the Emergency Department.
To determine if a new, non-validated mental health screener can detect the prevalence of alcohol/drug abuse, traumatic exposure, and behavioral symptoms in adolescents and young adults seeking care in a pediatric emergency department (ED) for medical complaints. ⋯ Although patients present to the ED with medical complaints, they may be at risk for concomitant mental health problems potentially discoverable using the ED-DRS.