The diversity of complaints and presentations in the ED keeps us on our toes and requires our continued vigilance. It is not uncommon for me to say, “I did not know that that could happen” during a shift. While we…
A common theme amongst the Ped EM Morsels is remaining vigilant while maintaining a reasonable approach to the care of children. Many devastating conditions can be quite subtle in their initial presentation. Last week, a prior PEM graduate from Carolinas…
Abdominal trauma in children should garner an appropriate amount of respect and concern. The child’s abdominal wall, unfortunately, is not as protective of the internal structures compared to adults’ abdominal wall. Additionally, signs of trauma can be minimal or nonexistent.…
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…
Have you ever been told that something “isn’t a big deal” only to later find out that it was? Of course, any one who is in a significant relationship with another person has experienced this phenomenon. I, myself, may be…
We all know that traumatic brain injury is a significant concern when evaluating pediatric patients with head injury. Over the years, this concern has lead to significant shifts in imaging and management practices: some for the better and… others perhaps…
We know that children are super flexible and that is a good thing! Often kids will bend and won’t break! Unfortunately, there are events that still lead to childhood injuries. Some of these events are unfortunate and accidental (ex, Submersions), while…
We all know that kids like to test gravity and sometimes suffer the consequences (ex, Tongue Laceration, Eyelid Laceration, and Concussions). One of the most common consequences of testing gravity (or general poor coordination) is dental trauma. This is true…
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…
An estimated 2,815,600 children are harmed or endangered by their caretakers annually Bruises and Fractures are the most common injuries seen with abuse, but also occur frequently from accidents (I’ve certainly seen more accidental bruises and broken bones than abusive……
