Patterns of paediatric emergency presentations to a tertiary referral centre in the Northern Territory.

Objective: To describe epidemiological data concerning paediatric attendances at the ED of Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of paediatric emergency presentations to the RDH ED during 2004 and 2013. Epidemiological data, including demographics, admission rates and diagnostic grouping, were analysed using descriptive and comparative statistical methods.

Success rate of BladderScan-assisted suprapubic aspiration.

Objective: Suprapubic aspiration (SPA) is the gold standard for obtaining uncontaminated urine specimens in young febrile children. The use of real-time ultrasound (RTUS) has been shown to increase the success rate of SPA. The BladderScan (BSUS) Verathon(®) is an alternative portable ultrasound device designed to provide automated measurement of bladder volume.

Assessing bladder volumes in young children prior to instrumentation: accuracy of an automated ultrasound device compared to real-time ultrasound.

Objectives: Automated bladder ultrasound (ABUS) devices are portable and designed to provide automated measurement of bladder volume. They are simple and require minimal training compared to conventional real-time ultrasound (RTUS). Their most common application in the acute pediatric setting is to assess bladder volumes prior to performing invasive urine collection such as suprapubic aspiration (SPA) in children younger than 2 years of age.