Managing seizures and seizure disorders in children is a required skill for emergency medicine providers. Clearly we know to never let hypoglycemia fool us and to always consider other seizure mimics. Fortunately, most seizures will spontaneously resolve and then we…
As you all know, one of the common themes of the Ped EMMorsels is remaining vigilant. Clearly it requires our vigilance to find those elusive, rare, yet life-threatening conditions (ex, IEM, CHF, Coarctation) that mimic the more common and benign…
Like Homer, I have thinning hair and really enjoy a cool CAR! Unlike Homer, I always wear my seatbelt and know a CAR can be hazardous! Oh… and yeah,… I also have learned that not all cars have 8 cylinders…
The nose is important. Certainly our appreciation of the nasal cavity has increased during the current COVID-19 pandemic as we now ask everyone about their sense of smell, but let us not forget some other important nostril considerations. We know…
I often think of our medical knowledge as a collection of cross-referenced manilla folders that are stored in giant drawers in a large web of neurons. In the beginning, those folders have labels but are filled with sparse information. Through…
We all know that I am not a “fan” of rashes and this is why I have a general “approach to pediatric rashes.” Part of this approach is perception of “sick vs not sick” and an assessment of the mucous…
Evaluating patients and developing a differential diagnosis list can be a slippery slope. Multiple cognitive errors (ex, premature closure, confirmation bias) are potentially just waiting to push you down that slope in the wrong direction. One region that can be…
Caring for children who present in distress is clearly challenging. There are innumerable conditions and entities to rapidly consider (ex, IEM, Heart Failure, Aortic Coarctation, Asthma, Hypoglycemia, Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, Thyroid Storm, … Occult Abdominal Trauma) while deftly taking critical…
Soft tissue infections are commonly encountered when caring for children. From finger infections (Whitlow, Flexor Tenosynovitis) to faces (Periorbital cellulitis, Orbital cellulitis) and within pits and creases (Intertrigo, Perianal Strep), anywhere there is skin we may find an infection. Certainly,…
FEVER! It demands a lot of our attention when caring for children. Appropriately, it has also been baked into many delicious Morsels. Certainly, there are numerous Infectious Diseases to consider and, of course, there are concerns when we can’t discern…
There are many “medical myths” that require reconsideration from time to time (ex, cuffed ETTs). Some are less mythological and more misconceptions, misunderstandings, or just related to evolution of information and technology (ex, absorbable sutures for wound closure). This brings…
We know we must be vigilant! The constant search for clues for the covertly sick patient (ex, Leukemia in Neonates, Heart Failure, Pneumonia) has refined our vision and honed our intuition. That vigilance, however, can discover clues that we may…