Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 2024
Connecticut Pediatric Opioid Poisoning Trends Surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Opioids are common substances involved in poisonings with increasing rates in fentanyl-related mortality since 2014. The COVID-19 pandemic compromised school attendance and supervision, which may have increased the risk of opioid ingestions in children. Our objective was to evaluate pediatric opioid poisonings in Connecticut before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ Results of our study showed a rise in opioid poisonings among non-Hispanic Black and elementary school-aged children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future prevention efforts may choose to further investigate and understand the trends in the more vulnerable groups.
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 2024
Spinal Anatomy Ultrasound in Young Infants With Implications for Lumbar Puncture.
Lumbar puncture (LP) in young infants may challenge clinicians due to the infrequency of the procedure and anatomic variability. The use of ultrasound (US) to characterize young infant spinal anatomy prior to performing an LP may help determine the most favorable site for intervention. ⋯ Spinal canal width and SAW were consistently measured to be larger at more cephalad sites, suggesting there is a larger target fluid volume available at higher interspaces. Subarachnoid fluid width was measured to be small, highlighting the importance of precise movements. Location of the needle site did not change expected needle depth (approximately 1 cm across all sites). The conus medullaris was not often visualized while scanning the L2/L3-L5/S1 interspaces. Weight can be used to estimate optimal NID; although, it is unclear such small differences would have clinical significance.
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 2024
Firearm Injury Risk Prediction Among Children Transported by 9-1-1 Emergency Medical Services: A Machine Learning Analysis.
Among children transported by ambulance across the United States, we used machine learning models to develop a risk prediction tool for firearm injury using basic demographic information and home ZIP code matched to publicly available data sources. ⋯ Among pediatric patients transported by ambulance, basic demographic information and neighborhood measures can identify children and adolescents at elevated risk of firearm injuries, which may guide focused injury prevention resources and interventions.
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 2024
The Use of POCUS to Identify Subgaleal Fluid Collections and Intracranial Infections.
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has been useful in describing soft tissue infections, such as cellulitis and abscesses. There has been limited use of ultrasound to describe findings of intracranial infections, such as Pott's puffy tumor, in cases of forehead prominence and signs of infection. ⋯ Ultrasound findings revealed subgaleal fluid collections with associated periosteal lifting of the frontal bone in cases of Pott's Puffy tumor and intracranial infection, but no bony disruption or periosteal lifting in the patient with traumatic soft tissue edema. As pediatric intracranial infections may continue to have uncharacteristic seasonal peaks, POCUS may be considered as a first-line imaging technique for patients presenting with forehead swelling for differentiating infectious and traumatic etiologies as well as judging the need for further imaging techniques such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 2024
Understanding Strategies to Reduce the Impact of Non-urgent Visits to the Pediatric Emergency Department: A Scoping Review.
The pediatric emergency department (PED) is increasingly being used for non-urgent reasons. This impacts PED input and throughput, and contributes to overcrowding. To identify solutions, it is essential to identify and describe the approaches that have been trialed. ⋯ Consistent definitions of non-urgent visits and standardized outcome measures may allow for more precise comparisons between studies. We identify 3 commonly employed strategies that may help reduce the impact of non-urgent visits on the PED.