Thromboelastography and Its Use in Pediatric Trauma Patients.

Background/purpose: Thromboelastography's (TEG's) use in pediatric trauma patients is not widely studied. Identifying clotting cascade defects can direct decision making regarding blood product transfusion.

Methods: We performed a single-center retrospective review of all level 1 pediatric trauma patients.

Outcomes of children with severe diabetic ketoacidosis managed outside of a pediatric intensive care unit.

Objectives: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a life-threatening complication of type 1 diabetes. Our objective was to determine if children with severe DKA without alteration in mental status can be managed safely on a general children's medical unit.

Methods: Single center retrospective study of 191 patient encounters among 168 children admitted to the children's medical unit (CMU) at Primary Children's Hospital between 2007 and 2017 with severe DKA (pH <7.

Is my baby normal? A review of seemingly worrisome but normal newborn signs, symptoms and behaviors.

Infant patients are a unique challenge to emergency department (ED) physicians as the spectrum of normal infant signs, symptoms and behaviors are often difficult to differentiate from abnormal and potentially life-threatening conditions. In this article, we address some common chief complaints of neonates and young infants presenting to the ED, and contrast reassuring neonatal and young infant signs and symptoms against those that need further workup and intervention.

Accuracy of Parental-Reported Tetanus Vaccination Status for Children With Lacerations.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine whether emergency department (ED) providers are able to accurately assess whether a child with a laceration needs tetanus prophylaxis.

Methods: We conducted an 8-month prospective cross-sectional study of children presenting with a laceration to a pediatric ED. We asked ED providers whether tetanus prophylaxis was necessary.

Pediatric Appendicitis: Association of Chief Complaint With Missed Appendicitis.

Objectives: We evaluated the association between the emergency department (ED) triage chief complaint and rate of missed appendicitis in children.

Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of patients who presented to a pediatric ED and were diagnosed with appendicitis over 5 years (July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2014). We reviewed the medical record for any additional ED visits in the 7 days preceding the diagnosis of appendicitis.

ED pharmacist monitoring of provider antibiotic selection aids appropriate treatment for outpatient UTI.

Objective: We sought to determine whether an emergency department (ED) pharmacist could aid in the monitoring and correction of inappropriate empiric antibiotic selection for urinary tract infections in an outpatient ED population.

Methods: Urine cultures with greater than 100 000 CFU/mL bacteria from the University of Utah Emergency Department over 1 year (October 2011-Sept 2012) were identified using our electronic medical record system. Per ED protocol, an ED pharmacist reviews all cultures and performs a chart review of patient symptoms, diagnosis, and discharge antibiotics to determine whether the treatment was appropriate.

Development and assessment of a new 3D neuroanatomy teaching tool for MRI training.

A computerized three-dimensional (3D) neuroanatomy teaching tool was developed for training medical students to identify subcortical structures on a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) series of the human brain. This program allows the user to transition rapidly between two-dimensional (2D) MRI slices, 3D object composites, and a combined model in which 3D objects are overlaid onto the 2D MRI slices, all while rotating the brain in any direction and advancing through coronal, sagittal, or axial planes. The efficacy of this tool was assessed by comparing scores from an MRI identification quiz and survey in two groups of first-year medical students.