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”…
The patient complaint of “headache” often causes me to have a headache. There are so many things to ponder. We have previously covered some important conditions to consider when evaluating headache (ex, AVM, RMSF, Meningitis, Post-LP, Moyamoya, Migraine, Pseudotumor, and Pheochromocytoma).…
Cough is a very common symptom in children. Certainly, we need to consider that an ominous cause may be lurking (Asthma, Occult Aspirated Foreign Body, Croup, Sinusitis, Pneumonia, Acute Chest Syndrome, etc.). Most often, though, the cough is due to a…
Certainly, one of the most common procedures in the Ped ED is the lumbar puncture. We have discussed efforts to ensure that our first attempt is our best attempt: good positioning and analgesia are critical. We have also discussed how to deal with the…
We have previously explored some issues with one of my “favorite” topics: Apparent Life Threatening Events (See ALTE and Never Trust a Neonate). Recently, it has been recommended that the term “Apparent Life Threatening Event / ALTE” be removed from…
Kids, while adorable, can be a real pain in the neck (at least for their parents). Of course, occasionally, they will have pains in their own necks. We have addressed several potential causes of the neck pain previously (ex, Torticollis, Strep…
Unquestionably, automobiles pose a significant health risk for both adults and children. Trauma related to car collisions are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children. Obviously this deserves much attention (Injury Prevention, Childhood Injury), but let us not…