Background: To assist clinicians with identifying children at risk of severe outcomes, we assessed the association between laboratory findings and severe outcomes among severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected children and determined if SARS-CoV-2 test result status modified the associations.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of participants tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection in 41 pediatric emergency departments in 10 countries. Participants were hospitalized, had laboratory testing performed, and completed 14-day follow-up.
Introduction: Evidence-based recommendations for paediatric community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) diagnosis and management are needed. Uncomplicated CAP is often caused by respiratory viruses, especially in younger children; these episodes self-resolve without antibiotic treatment. Unfortunately, there are no clinical criteria that reliably discriminate between viral and bacterial disease, and so the majority of children diagnosed with CAP are given antibiotics-even though these will often not help and may cause harm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Post-resuscitation debriefing (PRD) is the process of facilitated, reflective discussion, enabling team-based interpersonal feedback and identification of systems-level barriers to patient care. The importance and benefits of PRD are well recognized; however, numerous barriers exist, preventing its practical implementation. Use of a debriefing tool can aid with facilitating debriefing, creating realistic objectives, and providing feedback.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The aims of the study were (1) to determine how frequently patients with cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) present to the pediatric emergency department (ED) with CVS-related symptoms, (2) to identify variables in clinical presentation that occur frequently in patients with multiple ED visits, and (3) to compare ED management of CVS with recommended guidelines.
Methods: This study is a retrospective chart review of all ED visits for CVS between April 1, 2008, and April 1, 2018, at a single center. Patients were identified from a master list of patients diagnosed with CVS in a pediatric gastroenterology clinic at the same center between June 1, 2004, and June 19, 2018.
Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether suturing or conservative management of tongue lacerations results in differences in wound healing and functional outcome. The secondary aim was to identify whether antibiotics are required in the treatment of tongue lacerations.
Methods: Studies published between December 1954 and August 2020 were extracted from MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase via OVID, CINAHL via EBSCO, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library and evaluated for inclusion based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria by two independent reviewers in accordance with PRISMA guidelines.
Importance: Severe outcomes among youths with SARS-CoV-2 infections are poorly characterized.
Objective: To estimate the proportion of children with severe outcomes within 14 days of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 in an emergency department (ED).
Design, Setting, And Participants: This prospective cohort study with 14-day follow-up enrolled participants between March 2020 and June 2021.
Introduction: Streptococcal pharyngitis, which commonly occurs in children, should be treated with antibiotics. Clinical prediction rules to differentiate streptococcal pharyngitis from viral infection are not recommended in children. Rapid point-of-care (POC) antigen tests have limited sensitivity and so are not often used in Canadian paediatric emergency departments (EDs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric emergency department (ED) utilization and outcomes.
Methods: This study is an interrupted-time-series observational study of children presenting to 11 Canadian tertiary-care pediatric EDs. Data were grouped into weeks in 3 study periods: prepandemic (January 1, 2018-January 27, 2020), peripandemic (January 28, 2020-March 10, 2020), and early pandemic (March 11, 2020-April 30, 2020).
Importance: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common occurrence in childhood; consequently, evidence-based recommendations for its treatment are required.
Objective: To determine whether 5 days of high-dose amoxicillin for CAP was associated with noninferior rates of clinical cure compared with 10 days of high-dose amoxicillin.
Design, Setting, And Participants: The SAFER (Short-Course Antimicrobial Therapy for Pediatric Respiratory Infections) study was a 2-center, parallel-group, noninferiority randomized clinical trial consisting of a single-center pilot study from December 1, 2012, to March 31, 2014, and the follow-up main study from August 1, 2016, to December 31, 2019 at the emergency departments of McMaster Children's Hospital and the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
Objective: To assess the performance of a hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) severity score among children with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections and HUS by stratifying them according to their risk of adverse events. The score has not been previously evaluated in a North American acute care setting.
Study Design: We reviewed medical records of children <18 years old infected with STEC and treated in 1 of 38 participating emergency departments in North America between 2011 and 2015.
Purpose: This study aimed to synthesize qualitative and quantitative data on the diagnosis and effective management of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) in the adolescent population.
Methods: Using keywords, 1,334 studies published between December 1954 and December 2019 were extracted from MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase via OVID, CINAHL via EBSCO, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Studies were evaluated by two independent reviewers using predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Objective: To assess quantitative data on the presentation, investigative findings, patterns of lung injury, and interventions of pediatric cases of e-cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI) in the acute care setting.
Study Design: A literature search using keywords was performed on April 17, 2020, in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Three thousand five hundred fifty-eight articles were retrieved from MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase via OVID, CINAHL via EBSCO, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library.
Objectives: Postresuscitation debriefing (PRD) is a valuable educational tool in emergency medicine. It is recommended by international resuscitation guidelines, has been shown to improve both patient outcomes and resuscitation team performance, and is frequently requested by medical learners. However, there is limited research comparing standardized debriefing frameworks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: This study aims to better understand factors that impact management of patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in the pediatric emergency department (ED) by novel application of the threat-and-error model, commonly used in the aviation industry.
Methods: This study was a retrospective chart review of all patients diagnosed with DKA and managed in our pediatric ED during a 1-year period. A "flight plan" was created for each patient's ED visit, from triage to final disposition.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine and compare the efficacy of external fixation strategies of toddler's fracture (TF) in acute care settings. Specifically, we aim to identify whether immobilization optimizes clinical outcomes for patients (based on immobilization duration, time to weight-bear/ambulate, and associated complications) compared with nonimmobilization, with a systematic review.
Study Design: After PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines, 2 independent reviewers searched electronic databases OVID Medline, Embase, and CINAHL for studies evaluating the health outcomes of various treatment methods for TF (1937-2019).
Introduction The hidden curriculum is defined as a set of influences that function at the level of the organizational structure and culture to impact learning. Literature supports the significant impact of the hidden curriculum on all levels of learners in medical education. Our project aims to capture the messages being delivered to healthcare providers at our local facility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To synthesize quantitative and qualitative data on pharmacologic interventions of pediatric cyclic vomiting syndrome and their effectiveness in disease management in the acute care setting.
Study Design: Using keywords, 799 studies published up from December 1954 to February 2018 were extracted from MEDLINE via Pubmed, Embase via OVID, CINAHL via EBSCO, and Cochrane Controlled Trials Registry. Studies were evaluated for inclusion and exclusion by 2 independent reviewers using predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Background: Emergency department overcrowding has been associated with increased odds of hospital admission and mortality after discharge from the emergency department in predominantly adult cohorts. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between crowding and the odds of several adverse outcomes among children seen at a pediatric emergency department.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving all children visiting 8 Canadian pediatric emergency departments across 4 provinces between 2010 and 2014.