Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physicians' Perceptions of Colleagues' Clinical Performance Over Career Span.

OBJECTIVE: The US physician workforce is aging, prompting concerns regarding clinical performance of senior physicians. Pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) is a high-acuity, multitasking, diagnostically complex and procedurally demanding specialty. Aging's impact on clinical performance in PEM has not been examined. We aimed to assess PEM physician's' perceptions of peers' clinical performance over career span. METHODS: We surveyed 478 PEM physician members of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Section on Emergency Medicine survey study list-serve in 2020. The survey was designed by the investigators with iterative input from colleagues. Respondents rated, using a 5-point Likert scale, the average performance of 4 age categories of PEM physicians in 9 clinical competencies. Additional items included concerns about colleague's performance and preferences for age of physician managing a critically ill child family member. RESULTS: We received 232 surveys with responses to core initial items (adjusted response rate, 49%). Most respondents were 36 to 49 (34.9%) or 50 to 64 (47.0%) years old. Fifty-three percent reported ever having concern about a colleague's performance. For critical care-related competencies, fewer respondents rated the ≥65-year age group as very good or excellent compared with midcareer physicians (36-49 or 50-64 years old). The ratings for difficult communications with families were better for those 65 years or older than those 35 years or younger. Among 129 of 224 respondents (58%) indicating a preferred age category for a colleague managing a critically ill child relative, most (69%) preferred a 36 to 49-year-old colleague. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric emergency medicine physicians' perceptions of peers' clinical performance demonstrated differences by peer age group. Physicians 65 years or older were perceived to perform less well than those 36 to 64 years old in procedural and multitasking skills. However, senior physicians were perceived as performing as well if not better than younger peers in communication skills. Further study of age-related PEM clinical performance with objective measures is warranted.

Impact of Personal Protective Equipment on the Performance of Emergency Pediatric Tasks.

OBJECTIVES: Personal protective equipment (PPE) is worn by health care providers (HCPs) to protect against hazardous exposures. Studies of HCPs performing critical resuscitation tasks in PPE have yielded mixed results and have not evaluated performance in care of children. We evaluated the impacts of PPE on timeliness or success of emergency procedures performed by pediatric HCPs. METHODS: This prospective study was conducted at 2 tertiary children's hospitals. For session 1, HCPs (medical doctors and registered nurses) wore normal attire; for session 2, they wore full-shroud PPE garb with 2 glove types: Ebola level or chemical. During each session, they performed clinical tasks on a patient simulator: intubation, bag-valve mask ventilation, venous catheter (IV) placement, push-pull fluid bolus, and defibrillation. Differences in completion time per task were compared. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in medical doctor completion time across sessions. For registered nurses, there was a significant difference between baseline and PPE sessions for both defibrillation and IV placement tasks. Registered nurses were faster to defibrillate in Ebola PPE and slower when wearing chemical PPE (median difference, -3.5 vs 2 seconds, respectively; P < 0.01). Registered nurse IV placement took longer in Ebola and chemical PPE (5.5 vs 42 seconds, respectively; P < 0.01). After the PPE session, participants were significantly less likely to indicate that full-body PPE interfered with procedures, was claustrophobic, or slowed them down. CONCLUSIONS: Personal protective equipment did not affect procedure timeliness or success on a simulated child, with the exception of IV placement. Further study is needed to investigate PPE's impact on procedures performed in a clinical care context.

Impact of Personal Protective Equipment on Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Performance: A Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine whether personal protective equipment (PPE) results in deterioration in chest compression (CC) quality and greater fatigue for administering health care providers (HCPs). METHODS: In this multicenter study, HCPs completed 2 sessions. In session 1 (baseline), HCPs wore normal attire; in session 2, HCPs donned full PPE. During each session, they performed 5 minutes of uninterrupted CCs on a child manikin. Chest compression rate, depth, and release velocity were reported in ten 30-second epochs. Change in CC parameters and self-reported fatigue were measured between the start and 2- and 5-minute epochs. RESULTS: We enrolled 108 HCPs (prehospital and in-hospital providers). The median CC rate did not change significantly between epochs 1 and 10 during baseline sessions. Median CC depth and release velocity decreased for 5 minutes with PPE. There were no significant differences in CC parameters between baseline and PPE sessions in any provider group. Median fatigue scores during baseline sessions were 2 (at start), 4 (at 2 minutes), and 6 (at 5 minutes). There was a significantly higher median fatigue score between 0 and 5 minutes in both study sessions and in all groups. Fatigue scores were significantly higher for providers wearing PPE compared with baseline specifically among prehospital providers. CONCLUSIONS: During a clinically appropriate 2-minute period, neither CC quality nor self-reported fatigue worsened to a significant degree in providers wearing PPE. Our data suggest that Pediatric Basic Life Support recommendations for CC providers to switch every 2 minutes need not be altered with PPE use.

Expert Consensus Guidelines for Stocking of Antidotes in Hospitals That Provide Emergency Care.

We provide recommendations for stocking of antidotes used in emergency departments (EDs). An expert panel representing diverse perspectives (clinical pharmacology, medical toxicology, critical care medicine, hematology/oncology, hospital pharmacy, emergency medicine, emergency medical services, pediatric emergency medicine, pediatric critical care medicine, poison centers, hospital administration, and public health) was formed to create recommendations for antidote stocking. Using a standardized summary of the medical literature, the primary reviewer for each antidote proposed guidelines for antidote stocking to the full panel. The panel used a formal iterative process to reach their recommendation for both the quantity of antidote that should be stocked and the acceptable timeframe for its delivery. The panel recommended consideration of 45 antidotes; 44 were recommended for stocking, of which 23 should be immediately available. In most hospitals, this timeframe requires that the antidote be stocked in a location that allows immediate availability. Another 14 antidotes were recommended for availability within 1 hour of the decision to administer, allowing the antidote to be stocked in the hospital pharmacy if the hospital has a mechanism for prompt delivery of antidotes. The panel recommended that each hospital perform a formal antidote hazard vulnerability assessment to determine its specific need for antidote stocking. Antidote administration is an important part of emergency care. These expert recommendations provide a tool for hospitals that offer emergency care to provide appropriate care of poisoned patients.

Seizures After Pediatric Vilazodone Ingestion: A Case Series.

Vilazodone hydrochloride is the first member in a new class of antidepressants called indolealkylamines and was approved for use in the United States in 2011 for major depressive disorder. It has a combined mechanism of action of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and a partial agonist of serotonin 5-HT1A receptors. It has not been approved for use in the pediatric population, and toxicity from exploratory vilazodone ingestion has been rarely described to date. We describe 2 children with laboratory-confirmed vilazodone ingestions that led to significant toxicity including refractory status epilepticus in 1 patient and likely transient seizure activity in the other. Both patients required multiple doses of benzodiazepines; in the more severe case, barbiturates were added to control seizure activity. These children returned to baseline and had no prolonged neurologic complications. Pediatric experience with vilazodone is limited; however, the literature demonstrates 3 additional case reports of children experiencing seizure after vilazodone ingestion. With the 2 new cases presented here, it seems prudent to educate prescribers and families of the potential dangers of ingestion of vilazodone tablets by young children.

Laundry detergent "pod" ingestions: a case series and discussion of recent literature.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to present and explore the clinical presentation of the increasingly common pediatric exposure to the widely available single-use laundry packets or "laundry pods." METHODS: This is a case report of 4 pediatric patients with significant toxicity due to laundry pod detergent exposure and a review of the available literature including abstract-only publications. RESULTS: An unexpectedly severe clinical pattern was noted; 3 of the 4 children required intubation for management, airway injury was noted in 1 of them, and 2 of them had hospital courses of at least 1 week. The literature suggests that laundry pod exposures are associated with increased morbidity compared to traditional laundry detergent exposures. To date, no specific contaminant or component has been identified as being responsible for the injury, although some evidence points to the surfactant component. CONCLUSIONS: A different approach to the triage and management of pediatric exposures to laundry detergent pod ingestions is required compared with nonpod ingestions. Although the exact cause is not known, practitioners should be vigilant for rapid onset of neurological impairment and inability to protect the airway in addition to its caustic effects.

Recent Trends in Marijuana-Related Hospital Encounters in Young Children.

OBJECTIVE: Multiple states have passed legislation permitting marijuana use. The impact of legalization on trends in hospital encounters for marijuana exposures in young children across states remains unknown. We aimed to describe trends in marijuana-related hospital encounters over time in children <6 years and assess the association of state-level marijuana legislation with the rate of marijuana-related hospitalizations. METHODS: We identified inpatient, emergency department and observation encounters for children <6 years with marijuana exposures (defined by International Classification of Diseases diagnosis codes) unique on the patient-year level at 52 children's hospitals in the Pediatric Health Information System database from 01/01/2004 to 12/31/2018. Trends in encounters across the study period were evaluated using negative binomial regression with outcome of marijuana-related hospital encounters and year as the predictor variable accounting for clustering by hospital. We then estimated a negative binomial regression difference-in-difference model to examine the association between the main outcome and state recreational and medical marijuana legalization. RESULTS: Of the 1296 included unique patient-year encounters, 50% were female with mean age 2.1 years (standard deviation = 1.4). Fifty percent were inpatient (n = 645) and 15% required intensive care with 4% requiring mechanical ventilation. There was a 13.3-fold increase in exposures in 2018 compared to 2004 (P< .001). We did not find an effect of state legalization status for recreational (P = .24) or medical (P = .30) marijuana. CONCLUSIONS: The observed dramatic increase in marijuana-related hospital encounters highlights the need for prevention strategies aimed at reducing unintentional marijuana exposures in young children, even in states without legislation permitting marijuana use.

Use of lipid emulsion in the resuscitation of a patient with prolonged cardiovascular collapse after overdose of bupropion and lamotrigine.

Animal studies show efficacy of intravenous lipid emulsion in the treatment of severe cardiotoxicity associated with local anesthetics, clomipramine, and verapamil, possibly by trapping such lipophilic drugs in an expanded plasma lipid compartment ("lipid sink"). Recent case reports describe lipid infusion for the successful treatment of refractory cardiac arrest caused by parenteral administration of local anesthetics, but clinical evidence has been lacking for lipid's antidotal efficacy on toxicity caused by ingested medications. A 17-year-old girl developed seizure activity and cardiovascular collapse after intentional ingestion of up to 7.95 g of bupropion and 4 g of lamotrigine. Standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation for 70 minutes was unsuccessful in restoring sustained circulation. A 100-mL intravenous bolus of 20% lipid emulsion was then administered, and after 1 minute an effective sustained pulse was observed. The patient subsequently manifested significant acute lung injury but had rapid improvement in cardiovascular status and recovered, with near-normal neurologic function. Serum bupropion levels before and after lipid infusion paralleled triglyceride levels. This patient developed cardiovascular collapse because of intentional, oral overdose of bupropion and lamotrigine that was initially refractory to standard resuscitation measures. An infusion of lipid emulsion was followed rapidly by restoration of effective circulation. Toxicologic studies are consistent with the lipid sink theory of antidotal efficacy.

New and novel antidotes in pediatrics.

Antidotal therapy can be lifesaving in the management of poisoned children. Although supportive care is sufficient in many cases, a specific antidote can significantly reduce morbidity and mortality in a number of poisoning scenarios, and so the pediatric emergency medicine practitioner must be familiar with its indications for use, dosage and administration, and contraindications. A number of new antidotes have emerged in recent years. This review discusses the pediatric uses and limitations of intravenous N-acetylcysteine, octreotide, crotaline Fab antivenom, fomepizole, atropine and pralidoxime autoinjectors and provides some brief discussion on newer antidotes for which data is only starting to emerge.

A baby with a lot of nerve.

An infant presented with bilateral disk edema and an acute left sixth cranial nerve (CN VI) palsy because of pseudotumor cerebri (PTC). PTC is rare in infants where it is often associated with endocrine abnormalities, medications, viral infections, systemic conditions, and nutritional etiologies such as vitamin A toxicity. We report a case of PTC in an infant associated with hypervitaminosis A with an unlikely source-a common prenatal vitamin.

Pediatric body packing: drug smuggling reaches a new low.

The case of a 6-year-old boy presenting with severe clinical manifestations of an opioid intoxication and who is discovered to be an international "body packer" is presented and discussed. This article is the first to report on the phenomenon of body packing in young children. It also highlights the use of prescription opioids as cargo, which has not previously been addressed in the literature.

Tick paralysis: atypical presentation, unusual location.

We present 2 unrelated cases of tick paralysis presenting within a 2-month period in the greater Philadelphia region, a geographic area in which this disease is highly unusual. Our first patient demonstrated early onset of prominent bulbar palsies, an atypical presentation. Our second patient, residing in a nearby but distinct community, presented with ascending paralysis 2 months after the first. The atypical presentation of our first patient and the further occurrence within a few months of a second patient, both from the Northeastern United States where this diagnosis is rarely made, suggest the need to maintain a high index of suspicion for this disease in patients presenting with acute onset of cranial nerve dysfunction or muscle weakness. Through simple diagnostic and therapeutic measures (ie, careful physical examination to locate and remove the offending tick), misdiagnosis and unnecessary morbidity can be avoided.

Medical management of vulnerable populations and co-morbid conditions of victims of bioterrorism.

Planning for the medical response to bioterrorism has primarily focused around the needs of the population as a whole. There has been little discussion pertaining to certain vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant women, or immunocompromised patients, yet they will likely comprise a significant subset of the exposed population. In addition, they will be at increased risk for morbidity and mortality following an attack. The emergency response to bioterrorism will be more complex as it relates to these vulnerable populations. Careful consideration of their special needs, some of which are presented in this article, may refine our efforts.

Medical management of the suspected victim of bioterrorism: an algorithmic approach to the undifferentiated patient.

We have purposely expanded on the well-known ATLS paradigm to aid EHCPs in their approach to a potential bioterrorism event. By building on a process that is already familiar, we hope this will aid the EHCP to remember a systematic approach to such an incident. By following this ten-step process, we believe that all EHCPs, and especially those practicing at the first echelons of care in urgent care clinics and EDs, can approach the daunting problem of biological defense with a good deal more confidence. This same model advocated for bioterrorism also may apply to natural infectious disease epidemics, particularly of emerging or re-emerging diseases, that might not be optimally managed by reliance on the conventional public health strategy that requires physician-dependent definitive diagnosis and active reporting mechanisms. The authors hope the acquired knowledge and skills one might gain will rarely be needed, but if the events surrounding the dispersal of anthrax-contaminated mail in the fall of 2001 are any indication of the future, such competencies will be invaluable.