If you recall from my previous post we were considering when to get a head CT on a pediatric patient with a closed head injury, and specifically how to approach this with the family. In general I find that its best to be honest and [...]
I ended up seeing three patients, all of whom presented by smacking their heads on hard surfaces. I've changed their names and ages to protect the innocent, and to avoid the wrath of Hungry Hungry HIPAA. 10 year old after a bike accident The first [...]
In adults calculating the ankle-brachial index (ABI) is a relatively simple way to confirm the clinical suspicion of lower extremity arterial occlusive disease. In pediatric lower extremity limb injury patients where vascular compromise is a concern (think bad fractures, lawnmower calamities) it may also be a helpful test. [...]
It's cold out and people are trying to warm themselves up by any means necessary. In the Emergency Department that means you may end up seeing some burns. It is important not only to assess these burns, but also determine what percentage of the body [...]
Continuing onward with the top ten articles presented at the recent AAP NCE in San Diego is yet another secondary analysis of the original PECARN study on clinically important TBI (ciTBI). This time looking at children with isolated loss of consciousness (LOC). The outcomes were ciTBI which resulted [...]
Next up from the top ten articles presented at the recent AAP NCE in San Diego is a secondary analysis from the PECARN head injury study published in Lancet in 2009. I'm sure that most have you have seen a child who hit their head with vomiting [...]
Think about what you do in the ED? Do you recognize how the following studies have impacted your practice? National Emergency X-Radiography Utilization Study Multicenter, prospective, observational study of patients with blunt trauma for whom cervical spine X-rays were obtained. Get C-spine films if: Patients [...]
In the ED we certainly see a significant number of head injuries. There are an estimated 1.7 million per year in the US. Fortunately most of these are not associated with intracranial bleeding. However, that certainly does not mean that there aren't important diagnoses to consider. [...]
I encourage you all to check out the topic review that was posted yesterday on Academic Life in Emergency Medicine. It focuses on the well trodden topic of when to get a head CT in a child with a head injury and offers a great [...]
This week on Briefs I wanted to present - with limited comment - a synopsis of the NEXUS and Canadian C-Spine rules. In general, the most common reason we end up getting cervical spine films in the Peds ED is for midline C-Spine pain. I [...]