Venous Thromboembolism in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Case-Control Study.

OBJECTIVES: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Despite this recognized risk, there are limited data and no anticoagulation guidelines for hospitalized pediatric IBD patients. The objectives of this study were to characterize pediatric IBD patients with VTE and determine risk factors. METHODS: This was a nested case-control study comparing hospitalized children with IBD diagnosed with VTE to those without VTE over a decade at a large referral center. Standard descriptive statistics were used to describe the VTE group. Multivariable conditional logistic regression was used to assess risk factors. RESULTS: Twenty-three cases were identified. Central venous catheter (CVC) presence (odds ratio [OR] 77.9; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.9--880.6; P < 0.001) and steroid use (OR 12.7; 95% CI: 1.3--126.4; P = 0.012) were independent risk factors. Median age at VTE was 17 years (interquartile range [IQR] 13.5--18.2), and in 48%, VTE was the indication for admission. Median duration of anticoagulation was 3.8 months (IQR 2.3--7.6), and there were no major bleeding events for patients on anticoagulation. There were no patients with known sequelae from VTE, though 22% had severe VTE that required interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric patients with IBD are at risk for VTE, although the absolute risk remains relatively low. The safety and efficacy of pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis needs to be further evaluated in this population with attention to risk factors, such as steroid use and presence of CVC.

COVID-19: Emergency Medicine Physician Empowered to Shape Perspectives on This Public Health Crisis.

COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) has sparked a remarkable public response in the United States. The following publication highlights the integral role that Emergency Medicine (EM) providers are afforded as a result of the public health circumstances. By embracing the unique outlet of direct patient coordination of care, EM providers can correct public misconceptions and promote more appropriate social distancing practices to the greater community.

A Novel Call to Fix Medical Education: Pragmatic Steps to Encourage Dialogue and Advocacy for Providers and Medical Students.

Medical education in both undergraduate and graduate institutions has remained largely unchanged since the 1970s. Indeed, the demographics of providers have diversified accordingly to that of society's shifting sociocultural perspectives, this heightened transformation to represent women and minority populations have contrastingly not gained similar traction in medical education as the need for incorporating student creativity and humanities coursework in the training process of medical school. To adequately address the stagnant acceptance of liberal arts and humanities coursework for future physicians, it is critical to begin with restructuring the larger framework of medical education. More specifically, by increasing student participation in reflective and administrative discussions, and allowing trainees to be encouraged rather than hindered from creative modalities of their training. These initial systemic changes will provide the needed environment to allow providers to honestly discuss not only the humanities as a means of enriching physician as healers prating the art of medicine, but just as important, transforming the community to accept creative ideologies fosters a more refined means of supporting the future healers in our communities.

A Young Patient with Painful Penile Lesions.

Chancroid is a rare infection in the United States and many other developed countries. Infrequently identified as a cause of genital ulcer disease, chancroid's atypical presentation has only been reported in approximately 20 cases annually in the United States since 2011. Infection with the causative organism, Haemophilus ducreyi, leads to an erythematous papule that rapidly evolves into a pustule. Infected individuals commonly have more than one ulcer about 2 cm in diameter that is typically noted as painful. The base of the ulcer is usually covered with a gray or yellow purulent exudate and bleeds when scraped. Despite a heavy focus in preclinical medical education, the notably rare chance to see and diagnose chancroid in clinical practice adds to the complicated profile of this infection's identification and subsequent treatment. Such lack of familiarity contributes to reports of accuracy of clinical diagnosis ranging from 30% to 80%.