Continuing onward with the next in the top ten articles presented at the recent AAP NCE in San Diego is a study of the use of hypertonic saline (HTS) in bronchiolitis. I'll stray a bit form the usual format in that this paper was presented in a point counterpoint fashion. I've also posted on this topic previously as a part [...]
With the recent influenza epidemic you may have also seen a rise in the number of cases of parotitis. This should not be a surprise, as acute parotitis is usually viral, self-limited and treated with supportive measures - just like the flu! Learn more by listening to this edition of PEM Currents, which is all about acute parotitis. Check it [...]
Let's check out another in the top ten articles presented at the recent AAP NCE in San Diego. This study examined the relationship between time to antibiotics and morbidity and mortality in pediatric sepsis. Links PubMed Critical Care Medicine The bottom line Early administration of antibiotics in sepsis reduces mortality. What they did The authors performed a retrospective observational study of 130 children [...]
You may have recently heard about an outbreak of mumps in the National Hockey League but after seeing several cases of unilateral facial swelling over the angle of the mandible in a school age child you're probably wondering what's going on at your home institution as well. Has the MMR vaccine failed? Is everyone suddenly worshipping at the church of Jenny McCarthy? Let's [...]
Continuing onward with the top ten articles presented at the recent AAP NCE in San Diego is a randomized control trial comparing lorazepam versus diazepam for pediatric status epilepticus. Links PubMed JAMA The bottom line Lorazepam and diazepam are equally efficacious and safe choices for the treatment of status epilepticus in pediatric patients. What they did The authors conducted a [...]
I'm a visual learner, and I suspect that many of you are as well. Throughout 2014 I posted a number of educational videos and in this post I'll share them with you.
During the past year it was my absolute pleasure to share a wide array of topics with you. I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight just a few of them. Briefs Briefs are single topic posts that drop on select Thursdays. The goal is to answer a single question about a common ED topic that will serve as a review [...]
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 in death, neurosurgery, intubation for >24 hours, or hospitalization for ≥2 nights and a comparison [...]
I'm sure that many of you are seeing significant volumes in your Emergency Departments. Certainly a lot of it is being driven by flu/concerns about flu/rumors about flu etc,. Here are a few things I want you to remember; In a meta-analysis of 60 studies of rapid influenza antigen tests in children, the pooled sensitivity of rapid influenza antigen [...]
The pupils can be thought of as a window to the brain in patients with altered mental status. This brief video reviews some of the important findings that you should recognize.
