First minutes matter: trauma training In a cardiac arrest, seizure or choking episode, every second counts. It is therefore important that we educate our community and equip them with the skills to manage time-critical medical events while waiting for help to arrive.
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Birdie’s Tree: Growing together through natural disasters We live in uncertain times, with COVID-19 and natural disasters dominating the news cycle for the past 18months. These events can be distressing for young children and it can be difficult for parents to know how best to navigate their child through these experiences.
Tillaux and triplane fractures Matthew, a 15year old boy presents with a painful, swollen ankle after a skateboarding accident. He has seen his GP who has arranged an X-ray in the community and the report states that he has a Tillaux fracture. You have never come across this type of fracture before and have no idea what this means!
Zero point survey Paediatric resuscitations can cause significant anxiety for health care professionals and this can impact team organisation and performance.
When preparing for a paediatric resuscitation you may prepare drugs and equipment, but do you take the time to prepare yourself, your team or your environment? Ultrasound guided venous access videos Securing venous access in paediatric patients can be technically challenging.
There is increasing evidence of the benefits of using ultrasound guidance when attempting venous access in all paediatric patients, not just those with difficult access. Decision aid: antibiotics for acute otitis media Acute otitis media (AOM) is really common, with evidence suggesting 90% of children will have at least one episode by the age of 6years.
We know that AOM can be caused by viral pathogens, bacteria or a combination of both. Pre-school wheeze The wheezy pre-schooler presenting to ED is very common, with evidence suggesting that 50% of children will have at least one episode of acute wheeze by the age of 6years.
Poisonous Plants A colleague recently highlighted some good resources for a clinical issue they had when they saw a young child who was unwell with vomiting and thought to have ingested a plant in their garden.
Ask Izzy When a family in crisis presents to the ED, it can be difficult to know where to direct them for help. Enter Ask Izzy.
Conquering Poos Constipation is really common, with approximately 10% of kids seeking medical attention at some stage.
Education and behaviour modification are essential aspects of management but unfortunately are often overlooked. Skin Deep Rashes are really common in the Paediatric ED and the diagnosis is usually made through pattern recognition.
Unfortunately, the majority of educational resources in Paediatrics are filled with pictures of children with light skin tones. This means that children with darker skin tones may be misdiagnosed or experience a delayed diagnosis. Skin Deep is attempting to correct this. Decision aid: antibiotics for sore throat It is estimated that Group A Strep is responsible for 15-30% of cases of acute tonsillitis.
Over the past few years we have seen a practice shift, moving away from prescribing antibiotics for all children presenting with acute tonsillitis, instead targeting therapy at those in high risk groups. DFTB - COVID-19 and children: what do you need to know? As our understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, it is becoming evident that the disease process in children is very different to that seen in adults.
This post from DFTB beautifully summarises the information available regarding COVID-19 infection in children and provides links to important resources and papers. DFTB Podcast - Antibiotic myth busting A must listen to podcast by the one and only DFTB team. Dr Ian Lewins speaking to Dr Alasdair Munro Clinical Research Fellow in Paediatric Infectious Diseases about antibiotics and some commonly held myths. Dermnet NZ - a dermatology resource Rashes are really common in the Paediatric ED and the diagnosis is usually made by pattern recognition:
Anaphylaxis action plans At times it can be challenging to deliver good discharge advice and ensure parental understanding. In the kid who presents with anaphylaxis it is vital that we get it right.
DFTB podcast - Eczema Eczema in kids is really common, particularly in infants under the age of 2 where the prevalence can be as high as 20% (ASCIA 2019). These children may present to ED at the first appearance of the rash, with an acute flare or with a superimposed infection.
Time Out! How long does a child with a streptococcal throat infection or impetigo need to be excluded from school/day care?
This great poster from Queensland Health contains the exclusion criteria for the most common infections we see in children. DKA Do yourself a favour and head over to DFTB to read a fantastic update on DKA. Check it out here.
Top 5 papers in Paediatric Surgery DFTB has published another great resource - Craig McBride discusses the top 5 papers in Paediatric surgery. Check it out here.
Okee App After listening to a colleague describe his experience of being a medical parent, I have been reflecting on how we prepare our patients and their parents for investigations and treatments.
He introduced me to some fantastic resources which I hope to share over the coming weeks The crying infant It’s 2am, the evening team are long gone and the department is just starting to look under control. A new patient appears, Sam is 6weeks old and presents with his exhausted parents, their chief complaint is that he ‘just won’t stop crying’.
ConSEPT and EcLiPSE Been doing some preparation for the next PEMS course - came across this fantastic summary of the ConSEPT and EcLiPSE trials and the implication for change in practice on DFTB - well worth checking out this excellent resource - well done to our DFTB's colleagues!! Check it out here
BoneXray.com This website is a repository of normal paediatric bone X-rays from birth to 15years. It is a great resource for when you are looking at a hand X-ray of an infant thinking 'Is this normal? Where are all the bones?!' Check it out here
Precious Wings Have you come across Precious Wings? This is a wonderful organisation that supports families who have experienced the death of a child. This video about their work is worth watching. *trigger warning if you have lost a child*
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October 2021
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