There are many conditions to consider when dealing with a patient who presents with altered mental status. Is there a significant intracranial pathology (ex, AVM, Trauma)? Is there a serious bacterial infection? Is there a terrible abdominal catastrophe (ex, Intussusception)?…
Despite what some may think, medical school wasn’t that long ago for me (stop laughing people!). I remember learning by making associations. Rash on “palms and soles” meant to think of syphilis. Horner Syndrome meant to think of a pancoast…
When managing critically ill adults or even adults with “odd complaints,” we often think of the thyroid gland and its potential disorders. The same ease of contemplation when dealing with a child is not as effortless, but there are occasions…
Children have very few responsibilities and even fewer jobs (just ask my kids). The one job young children have is growing. We have discussed some Growth and Development topics previously (ex, Milestones, Infant Formula, Growth Estimates). Occasionally, that single job…
In the Emergency Department, we are constantly juggling large lists of differential diagnoses. We become facile at sorting through the vast Ddx for seizures (ex, simple febrile seizures, complex seizures, neonatal seizures, eclampsia, seizure mimics) and syncope (ex, hair grooming…
Certainly there are many issues to consider while diagnosing and managing diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), like the possibility of cerebral edema. Often, these ill patients complain of significant nausea and abdominal / chest pain as well. Before we just attribute those…
Humans are complex creatures and caring for them is challenging (to say the least). In order to provide superior care for all of the kids we see, we need to know the critical (ex, SHOCK, Difficult Airway, and Necrotizing Enterocolitis),…
Unquestionably, a lot of electrolyte panel laboratory studies get ordered reflexively and have little true clinical utility. The healthy kid (or adult for that matter) with vomiting and diarrhea for two days does not typically benefit from the “Chem 200”…
Recently, @EMHighAK (Alex Koyfman) asked about any “teaching points” with respect to Pediatric DKA and Cerebral Edema. In addition to referencing an oldie, but a goodie morsel on Cerebral Edema, I also mentioned that we should all be careful not…
Tobacco smoke is a health hazard for children (and us children of all ages). We know this. So it seems like movement away for cigarettes is good for everyone; however, the thirst for nicotine is still quite strong and is…