PECARN prediction rules for CT imaging of children presenting to the emergency department with blunt abdominal or minor head trauma: a multicentre prospective validation study.

Background: The intra-abdominal injury and traumatic brain injury prediction rules derived by the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) were designed to reduce inappropriate use of CT in children with abdominal and head trauma, respectively. We aimed to validate these prediction rules for children presenting to emergency departments with blunt abdominal or minor head trauma.

Methods: For this prospective validation study, we enrolled children and adolescents younger than 18 years presenting to six emergency departments in Sacramento (CA), Dallas (TX), Houston (TX), San Diego (CA), Los Angeles (CA), and Oakland (CA), USA between Dec 27, 2016, and Sept 1, 2021.

Validation of Prediction Rules for Computed Tomography Use in Children With Blunt Abdominal or Blunt Head Trauma: Protocol for a Prospective Multicenter Observational Cohort Study.

Background: Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and intra-abdominal injuries (IAIs) are 2 leading causes of traumatic death and disability in children. To avoid missed or delayed diagnoses leading to increased morbidity, computed tomography (CT) is used liberally. However, the overuse of CT leads to inefficient care and radiation-induced malignancies.

Child Maltreatment and Neglect.

Emergency medicine clinicians are mandated reporters, legally, which obligates clinicians to report any behavior suspicious for child maltreatment to local authorities. Pediatric patients often present to the emergency department with concern for physical injury and other pervasive complaints. In some cases, these injuries are nonaccidental.

Neonatal Gallstones Serendipitously Discovered by Point-of-Care Ultrasound in the Pediatric Emergency Department.

Cholelithiasis in children was once thought to be uncommon, but the prevalence has increased in recent years. We present a case of a 3-month-old infant brought to the pediatric emergency department for vomiting and increased fussiness. A point-of-care ultrasound was performed to rule out pyloric stenosis but revealed multiple stones within the gallbladder.