Paramedic Identification of Pediatric Seizures: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Objective: Pediatric seizures commonly trigger emergency medical services (EMS) activation and account for approximately 5-15% of all pediatric 911-EMS calls. More than 50% of children with active seizure activity do not receive prehospital antiepileptic drugs, potentially because they are not recognized by EMS. The purpose of this study is to evaluate specificity and sensitivity of paramedic identification of pediatric seizures and to describe the characteristics of unrecognized seizures.

Active Seizures in Children Are Often Subtle and Unrecognized by Prehospital Providers.

Early recognition and treatment of seizures is essential for optimal patient outcomes. Seizure activity, particularly in young children, can be subtle and often go unrecognized by providers. This case series retrospectively identified 7 cases of pediatric patients (14 years and younger) who presented to the emergency department with active seizure activity that was unrecognized by the prehospital care providers.

Roller Coaster-Induced Subdural Hematoma in a Previously Healthy Teenager.

Of the multitude of neurologic injuries related to roller-coaster rides, a majority of them are reported about adults. In this case, we present a patient who presented to the pediatric emergency department with new-onset seizure and hemiplegia 2 days after a roller-coaster ride. She was ultimately diagnosed with a subdural hematoma.

Flipping the Classroom in Medical Student Education: Does Priming Work?

Introduction: The emergency medicine (EM) clerkship curriculum at Los Angeles County + University of Southern California Medical Center includes monthly lectures on pediatric fever and shortness of breath (SOB). This educational innovation evaluated if learning could be enhanced by "priming" the students with educational online videos prior to an in-class session. Factors that impacted completion rates were also evaluated (planned specialty and time given for video viewing).

Involuntary Psychiatric Holds in Preadolescent Children.

Introduction: Little is known about the use of involuntary psychiatric holds in preadolescent children. The primary objective was to characterize patients under the age of 10 years on involuntary psychiatric holds.

Methods: This was a two-year retrospective study from April 2013 - April 2015 in one urban pediatric emergency department (ED).