Adjunctive atropine is unnecessary during ketamine sedation in children.

BACKGROUND: The prophylactic coadministration of atropine or other anticholinergics during dissociative sedation has historically been considered mandatory to mitigate ketamine-associated hypersalivation. Emergency physicians (EPs) are known to omit this adjunct, so a prospective study to describe the safety profile of this practice was initiated. OBJECTIVES: To quantify the magnitude of excessive salivation, describe interventions for hypersalivation, and describe any associated airway complications. METHODS: In this prospective observational study of emergency department (ED) pediatric patients receiving dissociative sedation, treating physicians rated excessive salivation on a 100-mm visual analog scale and recorded the frequency and nature of airway complications and interventions for hypersalivation. RESULTS: Of 1,090 ketamine sedations during the 3-year study period, 947 (86.9%) were performed without adjunctive atropine. Treating physicians assigned the majority (92%) of these subjects salivation visual analog scale ratings of 0 mm, i.e., "none," and only 1.3% of ratings were >or= 50 mm. Transient airway complications occurred in 3.2%, with just one (brief desaturation) felt related to hypersalivation (incidence 0.11%, 95% confidence interval = 0.003% to 0.59%). Interventions for hypersalivation (most commonly suctioning) occurred in 4.2%, with no occurrences of assisted ventilation or intubation. CONCLUSIONS: When adjunctive atropine is omitted during ketamine sedation in children, excessive salivation is uncommon, and associated airway complications are rare. Anticholinergic prophylaxis is not routinely necessary in this setting.

Cardiac troponin I as a predictor of mortality for pediatric submersion injuries requiring out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

BACKGROUND: It is difficult to predict ultimate survivors to hospital discharge in children who are successfully resuscitated after a cardiorespiratory arrest associated with a submersion injury. Serum measurements of organ injury or dysfunction may serve as a surrogate marker of the degree of hypoxic injury. We designed a prospective study whose purpose was to assess the predictive value for outcome of serum cardiac troponin I measurements after submersion injury and cardiorespiratory arrest. METHODS: This is a prospective, observational study of children admitted to a postintensive care unit after experiencing an out-of-hospital cardiorespiratory arrest associated with a submersion event. Cardiac troponin I measurements were examined upon admission to the postoperative intensive care unit after successful emergency department resuscitation. RESULTS: Nine patients were admitted, and 2 patients (22%) survived to hospital discharge. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve is 0.786 (95% confidence interval, 0.481-1.0). This suggests that cardiac troponin I has a moderate degree of discriminatory power in selecting children who did not survive to hospital discharge.

Signs and symptoms of cerebrospinal fluid shunt malfunction in the pediatric emergency department.

OBJECTIVES: Pediatric patients with cerebrospinal fluid shunts frequently present to the emergency department for evaluation of possible shunt malfunction. Most shunt studies appear in the neurosurgical literature. To our knowledge, none have reviewed presenting signs and symptoms of shunt malfunction in patients who present to the pediatric emergency department. The study objective was to evaluate the medical record of children with cerebrospinal fluid shunts who presented to a pediatric emergency department to determine if any signs and/or symptoms were predictive of shunt malfunction. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted on 352 pediatric patients aged 0 to 18 years, who presented to the pediatric emergency department between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2002, with signs and/or symptoms that prompted an evaluation for possible shunt malfunction. RESULTS: Univariate analysis of all signs and symptoms revealed lethargy (odds ratio, 1.99; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-3.42; P = 0.02) and shunt site swelling (odds ratio, 2.56, 95% confidence interval, 1.08-6.07, P = 0.03) to be significantly predictive of shunt malfunction. Logistic regression analysis continued to show significance for lethargy (odds ratio, 2.20; bias-corrected 95% confidence interval, 1.11-3.63) and shunt site swelling (odds ratio, 3.10; bias-corrected 95% confidence interval, 1.38-9.05), but found no other study variable to be significant. Bootstrap resampling validated the importance of the significant variables identified in the regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, lethargy and shunt site swelling were predictive of shunt malfunction. Other signs and symptoms studied did not reach statistical significance; however, one must maintain a high index of suspicion when evaluating children with an intracranial shunt because the presentation of malfunction is widely varied. A missed diagnosis can result in permanent neurological sequelae or even death.

Rate of palivizumab administration in accordance with current recommendations among hospitalized children.

INTRODUCTION: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends palivizumab prophylaxis for children born premature or with chronic lung disease to reduce the severity of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. The purpose of the current study is to examine palivizumab administration among children hospitalized with RSV infection. METHOD: This is a retrospective medical record review at a tertiary care children's hospital. The study included children <2 years of age hospitalized between October 1, 2000, and April 1, 2001, with the diagnosis of RSV infection. RESULTS: The records of 264 children meeting inclusion criteria were reviewed. Forty children qualified for administration of palivizumab using American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations. Of these, 14 (35%) received palivizumab prior to admission. Palivizumab administration rate was not affected by age, race, or insurance coverage. DISCUSSION: Exact barriers to the administration of palivizumab remain unclear. The identification of high-risk children, prevention of RSV by use of palivizumab, and collaboration between hospital and community health care providers will help increase the use of palivizumab and decrease the incidence of RSV.

The removal of coins from the upper esophageal tract of children by emergency physicians: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: There are few reports in the medical literature describing removal of a coin from the upper esophageal tract of a child by an emergency physician. However, given the nature of their training and practice, emergency physicians are well suited to perform this common procedure. We describe our experience with this procedure. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of a continuous quality improvement data set from a university-based tertiary care pediatric emergency department between Nov. 1, 2003, and Mar. 31, 2004. RESULTS: Thirteen children, with a median age of 20 months, underwent rapid sequence intubation and had coins successfully removed from their upper esophageal tract by emergency physicians. In 10 cases, the coin was visible at laryngoscopy and removed with Magill forceps. In 3 cases this approach failed and a Foley catheter was used to remove the coin. One child suffered a tonsillar abrasion and two sustained minor lip trauma, but all were extubated and discharged home from the emergency department with no significant complications. Eleven of the 13 patients were successfully followed up, and the parents reported no problems. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study suggests that the removal of a coin from the upper esophageal tract by an emergency physician can be both safe and effective. A larger study is needed before this procedure can be generally recommended.

Investigation of afebrile neonates with a history of fever.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to describe clinically significant infections in a cohort of afebrile neonates who underwent an emergency department (ED) septic workup because of the history of a measured fever at home. METHODS: Retrospective medical record review of all infants (3/4)28 days of age who presented to our tertiary care pediatric ED between Jan. 1, 1999, and Aug. 22, 2002, underwent lumbar puncture in the ED, had a reported temperature at home of >or=38 degrees C, and an ED triage temperature of <38 degrees C. Laboratory and radiographic results were tabulated. RESULTS: During the study period, 206 neonates underwent lumbar puncture in our ED. Of these, 108 were excluded because their home temperature was not documented, and 71 were excluded because they were still febrile on presentation to the ED. The study group consisted of the remaining 27 subjects, 4 of whom had received acetaminophen prior to ED arrival. Infections were confirmed in 10 (37%) subjects (3 urinary tract infections, 2 aseptic meningitis, 1 enterovirus meningitis, 1 respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis, 1 rotavirus enteritis and 2 pneumonias). CONCLUSIONS: Clinically important infections are not uncommon among afebrile neonates undergoing ED septic workup because of a measured fever at home. Some diagnostic testing is warranted in this group, although the clinical utility and indications for specific test modalities remain unclear.

Blunt pediatric head trauma requiring neurosurgical intervention: how subtle can it be?

Recent literature on pediatric head injuries has suggested that important intracranial injuries might present to the ED without typical signs or symptoms. The objective of our study was to review our institutional experience with head-injured infants and young children to assess the subtlety of the ED presentation. We performed a retrospective medical record review of head-injured children

Cardiac troponin I as a predictor of respiratory failure in children hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections: a pilot study.

This pilot study was performed to assess the use of cardiac troponin I to predict respiratory failure in children admitted to the hospital with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections. We enrolled a prospective convenience sample of children under 5 years of age who were admitted to our university-based, tertiary care children's hospital from December 1, 2000, to February 1, 2002, with RSV infections. A cardiac troponin I was drawn at admission. We assessed the test characteristics for positive cardiac troponin I (defined as >0.3 ng/mL, the manufacturer's upper limit of normal) in correctly identifying children who had respiratory failure as evidenced by the need for endotracheal intubation. Twenty-five children from 9 days to 38 months of age were included. Ten children had a positive cardiac troponin I and 3 of these children had respiratory failure. A positive cardiac troponin I demonstrated a sensitivity of 100%, specificity 68%, positive predictive value of 30%, negative predictive value of 100%, and accuracy of 72%. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.939 (95% confidence interval, 0.820-1.0), suggesting a high degree of discriminatory power in selecting children with respiratory failure. A sample size calculation revealed that a follow-up study of 359 patients is needed before the clinical use of cardiac troponin I for this purpose.

Crotaline Fab antivenom for the treatment of children with rattlesnake envenomation.

OBJECTIVE: There is little data regarding safety or efficacy of Crotalinae polyvalent immune Fab (ovine) antivenom (crotaline Fab) in pediatric patients. Our objective was to provide the first information regarding safety and effectiveness of this new drug in children. METHODS: Data were collected prospectively and retrospectively for all consecutive pediatric patients bitten by rattlesnakes and treated at 2 urban hospitals during 2001. Cases were included if there were signs of envenomation at presentation, patient age was 13 years or less, and there was administration of crotaline Fab. Cases were excluded if antivenin (Crotalidae) polyvalent (equine origin, the conventional antivenom) was given. Primary outcome variables were snakebite severity scores throughout the course of therapy, number of vials of crotaline Fab administered, occurrence of allergic reactions, adjunct surgical therapy, and the presence of permanent sequelae or serum sickness identified at follow-up. RESULTS: In the 12 cases studied, ages ranged from 14 months to 13 years (mean: 6.9; standard deviation: 4.2). Presentation snakebite severity scores ranged from 2 to 9 (mean: 5.3; standard deviation: 2.3). Total crotaline Fab doses ranged from 4 to 22 vials (mean: 12.7; standard deviation: 5.4). Initial control of symptoms was achieved with 4 to 16 vials (mean: 7.7; standard deviation: 3.7), and severity scores stabilized or improved within 24 hours in all patients. Recurrence of local swelling occurred in 1 case despite scheduled repeat doses of antivenom. No cases required surgical intervention, and no permanent sequelae were identified. No immediate or delayed hypersensitivity reactions occurred. CONCLUSION: In this group of pediatric patients treated for rattlesnake envenomation, crotaline Fab antivenom was safe and seemed to be effective.

Crotalidae polyvalent immune Fab (ovine) antivenom is efficacious for envenomations by Southern Pacific rattlesnakes (Crotalus helleri).

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Southern Pacific rattlesnake (Crotalus helleri ) venom is not 1 of the 4 venoms used to produce Crotalidae polyvalent immune Fab (ovine) (CroFab; FabAV). There is currently no published clinical experience regarding the efficacy of this new antivenom for confirmed C helleri envenomation, and animal data suggest greatly diminished efficacy. We assessed the efficacy of FabAV for patients with confirmed C helleri envenomation. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study of 23 consecutive rattlesnake envenomations that were treated with FabAV at our center. Patients were excluded if the species of snake could not be confirmed, if FabAV antivenom was not given, or if Antivenin (Crotalidae) polyvalent (equine) was given. We collected serial physical examination and laboratory data over a 24-hour period to serially evaluate the severity score and performed follow-up to evaluate delayed reactions. RESULTS: There were 15 patients who received FabAV and had the species of rattlesnake confirmed (9 C helleri, 4 C scutulatus scutulatus, 1 C mitchellii pyrrhus, 1 C ruber ruber ). C helleri envenomations demonstrated similar improvement in serial snakebite severity scores to those of other species. Three patients treated with scheduled dosing had recurrence of progressive swelling (2 C helleri and 1 C mitchellii pyrrhus ) during the 24-hour study period. CONCLUSION: We observed similar improvement in FabAV-treated patients with C helleri envenomation compared with those of other species and conclude that this treatment in standard doses appears efficacious for bites by this species. Progressive swelling may recur despite scheduled dosing.