Point of care lung ultrasound of children with acute asthma exacerbations in the pediatric ED.

OBJECTIVES: Primary objective was to characterize lung ultrasound findings in children with asthma presenting with respiratory distress to the emergency department (ED). Secondary objectives included correlating these findings with patients' clinical course in the ED. METHODS: Eligible patients 2-17years of age, underwent a lung ultrasound by the study sonographer between November 2014 to December 2015. Positive lung ultrasound was defined as the presence of ≥1 of the following findings: ≥3 B-lines per intercostal space, consolidation and/or pleural abnormalities. The treating physician remained blinded to ultrasound findings; clinical course was extracted from the medical chart. RESULTS: A total of sixty patients were enrolled in this study. Lung ultrasound was positive in 45% (27/60) of patients: B-line pattern in 38%, consolidation in 30% and pleural line abnormalities in 12%. A positive lung ultrasound correlated with increased utilization of antibiotics (26% vs 0%, p=0.03), prolonged ED length of stay (30% vs. 9%, p=0.04) and admission rate (30% vs 0%, p=0.03). Inter-rater agreement between novice and expert sonographers was excellent with a kappa of 0.92 (95% CI: 0.84-1.00). CONCLUSIONS: This study characterized lung ultrasound findings in pediatric patients presenting with acute asthma exacerbations; nearly half of whom had a positive lung ultrasound. Positive lung ultrasounds were associated with increased ED and hospital resource utilization. Future prospective studies are needed to determine the utility and reliability of this tool in clinical practice.

An unusual presentation of small bowel intussusception.

A previously healthy 2-year-old boy presented to the emergency department with a decreased level of consciousness. A physical examination was unremarkable except for miosis and atypical limb movements. The patient underwent an extensive workup, including the search for metabolic, infectious, neurologic, and toxicologic etiologies. An abdominal ultrasound was performed because the child continued to remain neurologically impaired with no cause identified on other investigations. The ultrasound revealed a persistent uncomplicated ileoileal intussusception. The patient was taken to the operating room for surgical reduction. The child recovered fully postoperatively. This case illustrates the rare presentation of intussusception encephalopathy, which can be a diagnostic dilemma, especially when none of the symptoms of intussusception are present. Endogenous opioid poisoning is hypothesized to be the cause of the miosis and may hint at the diagnosis and aid in early management.