Trauma

Fast Facts: Traumatic Bladder Rupture

By Brad Sobolewski, MD, MEd|2023-10-11T10:05:59-04:00October 11th, 2023|Fast Facts, Trauma|

Bladder rupture is a rare but serious injury seen in blunt abdominal trauma in children

My commotio cordis podcast episode

By Brad Sobolewski, MD, MEd|2023-01-06T10:41:04-05:00January 6th, 2023|Briefs, Cardiology, Podcasts, Trauma|

Commotio cordis is caused by the blunt impact of a hard object directly over the heart occurring during a specific window of ventricular repolarization leading to immediate collapse, ventricular fibrillation, and cardiac arrest. This episode focuses on risk factors and management of this rare but catastrophic injury.

Tools you should use: PECARN Pediatric Head Injury/Trauma Algorithm

By Brad Sobolewski, MD, MEd|2022-01-11T12:15:06-05:00January 11th, 2022|Radiology, Trauma|

I think it's amazing that the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network has been turned into a verb. As in, "I PEACARN'ed that kid with the head injury and we don't need a CT." This is one of the most widely used tools in our arsenal when caring for injured children in the ED.

A podcast on concussions and closed head injuries

By Brad Sobolewski, MD, MEd|2021-09-01T15:04:13-04:00September 1st, 2021|Trauma|

Concussions and closed head injuries are incredibly common in the Pediatric Emergency Department and in general Emergency Department, especially as we head into fall contact sports season. In this episode, featuring Brielle Stanton, MD, a Pediatric Emergency Medicine fellow from The UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, you will learn how to differentiate clinically important traumatic brain injuries from milder trauma - specifically when to get a CT, and how to diagnose and manage concussions.

Why we do what we do: Hypertonic saline for elevated intracranial pressure

By Brad Sobolewski, MD, MEd|2021-03-10T11:21:07-05:00March 10th, 2021|Neurology, Neurosurgery, Trauma, What We Do|

3% hypertonic saline is a critical treatment for children with elevated intracranial pressure. Learn about how to administer this crucial medication with a focus on the evidence behind its use.

Injuries sustained by the bandits in Home Alone that I (probably) won’t see when I work Christmas this year

By Brad Sobolewski, MD, MEd|2020-12-22T20:35:22-05:00December 22nd, 2020|Trauma|

I'm working Christmas Day this year and I probably won't see any of these injuries - but you never know, the Emergency Department can be an unpredictable place. Let's take a look at some of the calamities that befell the outmatched wet bandits from the holiday classic from John Hughes.

Does early and aggressive administration of crystalloid fluids harm injured children?

By Brad Sobolewski, MD, MEd|2020-06-23T14:25:35-04:00June 23rd, 2020|Trauma|

It's high time that we carefully consider aggressively resuscitating injured children with multiple crystalloid boluses. A recent multicenter study provides a powerful reminder to go to blood sooner.

New CDC Concussion Guideline From JAMA Pediatrics

By Brad Sobolewski, MD, MEd|2018-09-04T14:53:34-04:00September 4th, 2018|Trauma|

This guideline from the Centers for Disease Control is based on a previous systematic review of the literature and includes clinical recommendations for mild traumatic brain injury in children. — Read on jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2698456 I'd definitely consider this a must read.

A better way to perform a needle thoracostomy

By Brad Sobolewski, MD, MEd|2018-03-09T11:16:34-05:00March 9th, 2018|Trauma, Video|

Sure, you could just jam a 14 gauge angiocath into the intercostal space and listen for the whoosh of air that may and may not come... But why not try this method, which takes a few seconds longer to set up, but gives you better feedback and allows you to temporarily close the system in preparation for a formal chest tube.