Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in pediatric emergency. Presentation and disposition.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the demographics and common presentations of pediatric coronavirus disease 2019  patients in the emergency department (ED), as well as their contact with positive COVID-19 cases, return visits, and patients' disposition from the ED. Methods: A retrospective chart review of confirmed cases of COVID-19 presenting to the Pediatric ED from March 2020 until June 2020 was conducted. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients were identified, with a higher frequency of male patients. Forty-four (85%) patients were discharged from the ED, and 8 (15%) required admission. Three patients were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit and 2 died, resulting in a mortality rate of 3.8%. The most frequent presentations were fever (85%), cough (48%), and diarrhea (23%). Conclusion:  In our study, the second most affected system after the respiratory tract was the gastrointestinal tract, which was also the system responsible for the most return visits due to diarrhea. Coronavirus disease 2019 poses clinical and operational challenges given its variable clinical presentations.

Point-of-Care Ultrasound detecting testicular rupture in pediatric emergency.

Acute scrotal pain is a true emergency that needs to be identified, diagnosed, and managed quickly to avoid any testicular tissue loss. In pediatric emergency, testicular torsion has been the most worrisome diagnosis that needs to be included or excluded as fast as possible. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has been reported to be a game changer. However, because testicular rupture is an extremely rare entity in the pediatric age group, there are limited reports about POCUS use in diagnosing the condition. We describe a case of a 4-year-old boy who presented with acute scrotal pain secondary to trauma 2 days previous, where POCUS was able to identify and diagnose testicular rupture in a timely fashion that facilitated management and intervention.

Assessment of pediatric residents burnout in a tertiary academic centre.

OBJECTIVES: To study burnout among pediatric residents at King  Abdulazaiz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey that was administered to all pediatric residents enrolled in the Saudi Paediatric Board program (PGY1-PGY4) in a large tertiary academic hospital in the Western region of Saudi Arabia (King Abdulaziz University Hospital). The survey were sent via E-mail to 50 registered general pediatric residents.  Results: Seventy percent of the pediatric residents completed the survey. More than 70% of residents experiencing severe burnout. Forty-three percent suffering emotional exhaustion, 71.8% experiencing depersonalization and 40.6% suffering from low accomplishment. CONCLUSION: Burnout syndrome appear to be a serious threat to resident well-being in our program. Moreover, pediatric residents in our institute experienced higher levels of depersonalization than their peers nationally and internationally.

Emergency Point-of-Care Ultrasound Detection of Cancer in the Pediatric Emergency Department.

The use of point-of-care ultrasound in the pediatric emergency department is evolving beyond conventional applications as users become more expert with the technology. In this case series, we describe the potential utility of recognizing abnormal anatomy to impact care in the context of possible cancer in pediatric patients. We describe 4 patients with Langerhans histiocytosis, neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor, and rhabdomyosarcoma, in which point-of-care ultrasound was used to facilitate the diagnoses.