Pediatric emergency care
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A growing number of adolescents are being diagnosed with acute myocarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations. This case describes an adolescent who presented to the emergency department with chest pain and tachycardia following the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination. Point-of-care ultrasound was performed prior to the return of laboratory studies and revealed depressed left ventricular systolic function. Point-of-care ultrasound may be a tool used to rapidly diagnose or risk stratify patients with potential post-COVID-19 vaccine myocarditis.
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There are many tick-borne infections that affect children and adolescents in the United States. These illnesses often begin with non-specific flulike symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, and myalgia, so obtaining a good travel history is important. ⋯ Often, treatment should commence before formal illness identification, as delays may cause more severe disease, and rapid laboratory confirmation is difficult. One of the most important issues is prevention of tick bites with insect repellents, accompanied by thorough tick checks after being outdoors in a tick-infested region.
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Pediatric emergency care · Nov 2021
ReviewCardiovascular Effects of Energy Drinks in the Pediatric Population.
Consumption of energy drinks in the pediatric population is correlated with more emergency department visits and causes adverse reactions, such as neurological, psychiatric, gastrointestinal, renal, and cardiovascular effects. These cardiovascular complications include increased cardiometabolic risk with high intake of sugar, short-term blood pressure increases and a decrease in cerebral blood flow due to the caffeine content, increased or decreased blood pressure from taurine, unmasked cardiac conditions, such as channelopathies, and atrial and ventral fibrillations. ⋯ Combining energy drinks with alcohol also precipitates adverse cardiovascular events, posing a risk to the health of children and adolescents. This review further explores the ingredients in energy drinks and their mechanism of action in causing these cardiovascular complications.