Starvation Ketosis in the Pediatric Emergency Department: A Prospective Estimate of Prevalence.

Objectives: Starvation ketosis may occur in children during intercurrent illnesses due to metabolic adaptation to fasting, resulting in significant ketonemia and sometimes ketoacidosis. Also known as accelerated starvation, common symptoms are vomiting, lethargy, and seizures. Previous studies found the prevalence of ketotic hypoglycemia to be 4 per 100,000 presentations to the emergency department (ED).

Informing diversion strategy: A comparison of parent and general practitioner-referred paediatric patients presenting to a metropolitan hospital.

Objective: To determine whether the characteristics and outcomes of parent-referred children differ substantially from general practitioner (GP)-referred children attending a metropolitan ED.

Methods: Prospective cross-sectional observational study of consecutive patients aged less than 16 years of age attending a mixed adult and paediatric metropolitan teaching hospital ED in Melbourne. Data collected included patient characteristics (age, sex, arrival mode and triage category) and outcomes (admission, specialty consultation, treatment time >1 h, intravenous or nasogastric therapy, procedural sedation, procedures, imaging studies and pathology collection).