Pediatrics
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Venipuncture and intravenous cannulation are among the most common and widespread medical procedures performed on children today. Therefore, effective treatment of venous access pain can benefit from an integrated systems approach that enlists multiple players in the health care system. ⋯ Common themes that arise from these case studies include the importance of a multidisciplinary evidence-based approach to advocate change; a system-wide protocol for the administration of local anesthetics; convenient access to topical local anesthetics; department and hospital-wide support for educational efforts, including training in nonpharmacologic techniques used by child life specialists; and ongoing quantification of the overall success of any program. Implementation of these strategies can result in significant improvements in the pediatric venous access experience.
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Increasing evidence has demonstrated that pain from venipuncture and intravenous cannulation is an important source of pediatric pain and has a lasting impact. Ascending sensory neural pain pathways are functioning in preterm and term infants, yet descending inhibitory pathways seem to mature postnatally. Consequently, infants may experience pain from the same stimulus more intensely than older children. ⋯ Similarly, older children have reported greater pain during follow-up cancer-related procedures if the pain of the initial procedure was poorly controlled, despite improved analgesia during the subsequent procedures. Fortunately, both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic techniques have been found to reduce children's acute pain and distress and subsequent negative behaviors during venipuncture and intravenous catheter insertion. This review summarizes the evidence for the importance of managing pediatric procedural pain and methods for reducing venous access pain.
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Procalcitonin has been identified as a useful blood marker of serious bacterial infection in febrile infants. Many infants present with a febrile reaction after receiving immunizations. The effects of immunization on procalcitonin have not been investigated. ⋯ Among febrile infants with recent immunization, procalcitonin levels are increased compared with patients with fever and no identified bacterial infection. Despite this increase, procalcitonin can still reliably discriminate infants with serious bacterial infection.
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Comparative Study
Increased mortality rates of young children with traumatic injuries at a US army combat support hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, 2004.
The objective of this study was to determine whether age
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Comparative Study
Effects of flow amplitudes on intraprong pressures during bubble versus ventilator-generated nasal continuous positive airway pressure in premature infants.
The goal were to characterize the flow dependence of bubble nasal continuous positive airway pressure delivery in a cohort of preterm infants and to compare the actual (delivered) intraprong continuous positive airway pressure with the intended (set) nasal continuous positive airway pressure for both ventilator-generated nasal continuous positive airway pressure and bubble nasal continuous positive airway pressure delivery. A range of set values and constant flow rates were studied in the same preterm infants. ⋯ Prong pressure during bubble nasal continuous positive airway pressure delivery is highly variable and depends on the interaction of submersion depth and flow amplitudes.