Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Sep 2012
Multicenter StudyConducted electrical weapon (TASER) use against minors: a shocking analysis.
Conducted electrical weapons (CEWs) such as the TASER are often used by law enforcement (LE) personnel during suspect apprehension. Previous studies have reported an excellent safety profile and few adverse outcomes with CEW use in adults. We analyzed the safety and injury profile of CEWs when used during LE apprehension of children and adolescents, a potentially vulnerable population. ⋯ None of the minor suspects studied sustained significant injury, and only 20% reported minor injuries, mostly from the expected probe puncture sites. These data suggest that adolescents are not at a substantially higher risk than adults for serious injuries after CEW use.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jun 2012
Multicenter StudyEffect of cough and cold medication withdrawal and warning on ingestions by young children reported to Texas poison centers.
This study examined whether the withdrawal of over-the-counter cough and cold medication labeled for use in children younger than 2 years in October 2007 and the warning against use of the products in children younger than 4 years in October 2008 affected cough and cold medication ingestions by young children reported to a statewide poison system. ⋯ The voluntary withdrawal and subsequent voluntary warning of over-the-counter cough and cold medications appear to have resulted in a decline in ingestions reported to Texas poison centers not only among children aged 0 to 1 and 2 to 3 years but also among children aged 4 to 5 years, although the degree of decline was greatest for the youngest age groups. The decrease was observed not only among therapeutic errors and adverse drug reactions, but also in other circumstances of ingestion, although the decrease was greater for the former circumstances.
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Pediatric emergency care · Apr 2012
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyIs pediatric emergency department utilization by pregnant adolescents on the rise?
This study evaluates trends of pregnant adolescents' utilization of pediatric emergency departments (PEDs), describes patient demographics, and reviews common pregnancy-related conditions seen in the PED. ⋯ Pregnant adolescents make up a small (<1%) but growing proportion of overall visits to PEDs. Future direction should include an evaluation of the educational opportunities provided during pediatric residency and pediatric emergency medicine fellowship training and, if inadequacies exist, work to develop an innovative curriculum for this particular patient population.
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Pediatric emergency care · Apr 2012
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyIs spontaneous pneumothorax really a pediatric problem? A national perspective.
Research on spontaneous pneumothorax (SP) has focused on management strategies in adolescents and adults, yet pediatric population-based data are lacking. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of SP in the pediatric population in different age groups. ⋯ Although uncommon in children, SP appears to be primarily a condition of males and adolescents and appears to be increasing in incidence in this population. According to these data, a large portion of children are being managed without procedural intervention.
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Pediatric emergency care · Mar 2012
Multicenter StudyComputed tomographic scan diagnosis of appendicitis in children by pediatric and adult radiologists.
Computed tomographic (CT) scans are an accepted radiographic mode to the diagnosis of appendicitis. Radiologists play a critical role in its diagnostic accuracy. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a difference in the diagnostic accuracy between pediatric and general radiologists interpreting pediatric abdominal/pelvic CT scans for appendicitis. ⋯ There is a similar accuracy rate in the interpretation of CT scans positive for appendicitis between general and pediatric radiologists, but pediatric radiologists were more definitive.