Koplik Spots
We all know that our diagnosis is built upon the foundation of the history and physical exam. One of the challenges in caring for children in the ED is that the physical exam can be, at times, difficult to…
Category Procedures / Tips
Inguinal Hernia
The patient with a swollen and/or painful scrotum will usually not go unnoticed. We have previously discussed testicular torsion and the association of the acute scrotum and HSP. We have also discussed the presentation of Varicoceles. Now let us look…
Low Risk for Intra Abdominal Trauma
We have discussed pediatric trauma several times within the PedEM Morsels (Splenic Injury, Head Injury, Pneumothorax, etc), because it is often a source of trepidation, confusion and concern. This often leads to over-reliance on ionizing radiation to help alleviate concern. Naturally, this is…
Lactate Level in Kids
Patients’ families often present to us requesting “bloodwork” to make sure that the child is not “sick” or to tell them “what’s wrong.” While we all know that no lab can be used to proclaim complete certainty of a patient’s…
Rectal Prolapse
Parental concerns, appropriately, drive a lot of the traffic to our Emergency Departments. Managing concerns and expectations is part of the art of what we do. When a child develops Rectal Prolapse, there are often a lot of concerns,…
Occult Abusive Abdominal Injury
Numerous trauma related topics have been covered within the Morsels (ex, pneumothorax, c-spine injury, aortic trauma, head trauma), but, unfortunately, not all trauma that children suffer is accidental. Non-accidental Trauma / Child Abuse is a prevalent concern for us as we care…
Pneumomediastinum
Every so often you encounter a patient that has a finding that catches you by surprise. Like having air in places that should not have air in them. We have discussed spontaneous pneumothorax and traumatic pneumothorax in children as well as how to…