Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) Pearls

Created in 2015, this series is hosted by Dr. Jessica Chow and Dr. Josh Bukowski who are authors and editors for this series which focuses on evidence-based care in the realm of pediatric emergency medicine.

PEM Pearls: Pediatric Lung Ultrasound for Diagnosing Pneumonia | The Wave of the Future

The standard for diagnosing pneumonia is a combination of the clinical history, physical examination, and chest x-ray (CXR) findings. However, lung ultrasound (US) has been shown to be a reasonable alternative to CXR in children, and may be an appropriate alternative diagnostic imaging modality in the Emergency Department (ED).

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By Jessica Zhang, MD|2017-12-30T10:55:04-08:00Dec 30, 2017|PEM Pearls, Ultrasound|

Pediatric Trick of the Trade: Finger Immobilization Technique

A 3 year-old boy presents with a deep laceration of the distal phalanx, through the nail bed, after slamming his fingers in a car door. He is crying, anxious, and uncooperative. How do you make this situation easier to evaluate and repair?

Nail bed and finger laceration repairs can be challenging, and even more challenging in young patients. Preparation is key to getting a good outcome. Here we present a pediatric trick of the trade on immobilizing a finger for digit or nail bed procedures.

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By Josh Bukowski, MD|2017-11-13T10:18:47-08:00Nov 13, 2017|Orthopedic, PEM Pearls, Trauma, Tricks of the Trade|

PEM Pearls: Treatment of Pediatric Diabetic Ketoacidosis and the Two-Bag Method

Insulin does MANY things in the body, but the role we care about in the Emergency Department is glucose regulation. Insulin allows cells to take up glucose from the blood stream, inhibits liver glucose production, increases glycogen storage, and increases lipid production. When insulin is not present, such as in patients with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM), all of the opposite effects occur.

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By Jason Woods, MD|2018-04-02T02:54:56-07:00Jul 3, 2017|Endocrine-Metabolic, Pediatrics, PEM Pearls|

PEM Pearls: Search & Rescue of Ear Foreign Bodies – Picking the Right Tool

While ear foreign bodies can happen at any age, the majority occur in children less than 7 years of age.¹ The younger the patient, the less likely they are cooperative with the exam and, therefore, the less chance of successful foreign body removal. The first attempt at removal is the best, so it is important to make it count. Similarly, different types of foreign bodies call for different “tools” for removal. It is important to understand when to attempt removal in the emergency department (ED) and what tools are available. This blog post will help you optimize your first pass success at foreign body removal by understanding what tools are at your disposal.

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By Josh Bukowski, MD|2017-10-26T14:32:51-07:00May 8, 2017|ENT, Pediatrics, PEM Pearls|

PEM Pearls: 2017 AAP Section of EM’s Guide to Pediatric Community Acquired Pneumonia

Pediatric community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an acute, common, and potentially serious infection of the pulmonary parenchyma in children. In November 2010, the American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed “The management of community-acquired pneumonia in infants and children older than 3 months of age: clinical practice guidelines by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.” [PDF]¹Based on this guideline, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Emergency Medicine’s Committee on Quality Transformation developed a clinical algorithm for CAP in the ED setting.

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By Shabnam Jain, MD, MPH|2019-09-05T17:28:22-07:00Mar 16, 2017|Pediatrics, PEM Pearls, Pulmonary|

PEM Pearls: Pediatric Sepsis Management – Understanding the Basics

Just as in adults, pediatric sepsis is a complex topic with continued research. In the United States, there are an estimated 75,000 cases per year of pediatric severe sepsis with an in-hospital mortality of 5-10%.^1,2 This is one of the deadliest conditions treated in children. In addition, after the Rory Staunton case, New York State passed regulations requiring all hospitals to have pediatric specific recognition, treatment, and data reporting systems. Several other states have adopted, or are considering, similar requirements. Thus it is critical that emergency physicians understand at least the basics of pediatric sepsis management.

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By Jason Woods, MD|2017-10-26T14:33:06-07:00Mar 1, 2017|Infectious Disease, Pediatrics, PEM Pearls|

PEM Pearls: Calming techniques while repairing a laceration

Most children who come into the Emergency Department present with pain or experience pain during their ED stay.¹,²,³ Pain and distress during a procedure can leave a lasting impact on a child and contribute to mistrust of the medical system and compliance with future procedures.¹ ,⁴,⁵ Children who use active forms of coping report less pain and distress during a procedure.³ To help with coping, when feasible, involve parents or family, nursing and a child life specialist. If the parents are willing, try to get them involved in all parts of the medical procedure.²,³ This includes positioning the patient with a parent in a secure parental-hugging hold or maintaining close physical contact throughout the procedure.⁶ This can easily replace immobilization of a child or the use of restraints which can cause increased fear and escalate the degree of anxiety in a child.²

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By Ashley Foster, MD|2019-02-19T18:54:16-08:00Feb 7, 2017|Pediatrics, PEM Pearls, Trauma, Tricks of the Trade|

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