The Current State of Advanced Pediatric Emergency Medicine Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Training: Exploring Recent POCUS Fellowship Application Trends and Alternate Training Models.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to assess the current state of advanced pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) training in North America, including trends in dedicated PEM POCUS fellowships and alternative advanced POCUS training pathways, to better guide future educational efforts within the field. METHODS: We identified and surveyed 22 PEM POCUS fellowship directors across the United States and Canada regarding PEM POCUS fellowship application trends, potential barriers to pursuing additional POCUS training, and novel training models that meet the needs of the PEM POCUS workforce. RESULTS: The past 5 years have seen a growth in both PEM POCUS fellowship program number and trainee positions available, with a general impression by fellowship directors of a high demand for faculty who have these training credentials. However, there was a discordant drop in fellowship applicants and corresponding match rate in 2022, the cause of which is not clear. A number of programs are offering alternative advanced training options including combined PEM/POCUS fellowships and POCUS tracks within PEM fellowship. CONCLUSION: As POCUS use within PEM evolves, a growing number of advanced training options are being developed. Understanding the motivations and barriers for pursuing advanced POCUS training can help to shape these options going forward, to ensure the experience incorporated within each model meets the needs of trainees, the needs of PEM divisions, and the future needs of our field.

The Gender Landscape of Academic Pediatric Emergency Medicine: An Observational Study of Leadership Positions as Described by Fellowship Programs' Online Presence.

OBJECTIVES: Although many areas of medicine are male dominated, pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) is a female-dominated subspecialty. Despite this, executive leadership within PEM remains male dominated. The aim of this study was to describe the gender landscape of the key positions within academic PEM fellowship programs within the United States, as described by PEM fellowships' online presence. METHODS: Using the 2021-2022 Electronic Residency Application Service American Association of Medical Colleges Pediatric Fellowships ( services.aamc.org/eras/erasstats/par/ ) application service, we were able to identify published information from 84 academic PEM fellowship programs in the United States. Each program's Web site was evaluated to determine which individuals held the position of chief or chair, medical director, and fellowship director. These individuals' genders were then cross-referenced with the National Provider Inventory database. RESULTS: There were 154 executive leadership roles (division chief or medical director) in total. The executive leadership role was significantly different by gender ( z score: 2.54, P < 0.01), with greater male representation (n = 61; 62.9%) among identified executive leadership roles (n = 97). There were significantly more men for the medical director role ( z score: 2.06, P < 0.05). Female representation was greater than male in the fellowship program director role (n = 53; 67.9%) among listed roles ( z score: -3.17, P < 0.001). This gender landscape among key leadership positions was not influenced by the geographic location of the PEM fellowship program. CONCLUSIONS: Although PEM is a female-dominated specialty, executive leadership positions continue to be male dominated. To promote improved gender representation within leadership positions in PEM, PEM fellowship programs must provide consistent and easily accessible executive leadership descriptions within their online storefront.

Establishing the international research priorities for pediatric emergency medicine point-of-care ultrasound: A modified Delphi study.

BACKGROUND: The Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) Point-of-care Ultrasound (POCUS) Network (P2Network) was established in 2014 to provide a platform for international collaboration among experts, including multicenter research. The objective of this study was to use expert consensus to identify and prioritize PEM POCUS topics, to inform future collaborative multicenter research. METHODS: Online surveys were administered in a two-stage, modified Delphi study. A steering committee of 16 PEM POCUS experts was identified within the P2Network, with representation from the United States, Canada, Italy, and Australia. We solicited the participation of international PEM POCUS experts through professional society mailing lists, research networks, social media, and "word of mouth." After each round, responses were refined by the steering committee before being reissued to participants to determine the ranking of all the research questions based on means and to identify the high-level consensus topics. The final stage was a modified Hanlon process of prioritization round (HPP), which emphasized relevance, impact, and feasibility. RESULTS: Fifty-four eligible participants (16.6%) provided 191 items to Survey 1 (Round 1). These were refined and consolidated into 52 research questions by the steering committee. These were issued for rating in Survey 2 (Round 2), which had 45 participants. At the completion of Round 2, all questions were ranked with six research questions reaching high-level consensus. Thirty-one research questions with mean ratings above neutral were selected for the HPP round. Highly ranked topics included clinical applications of POCUS to evaluate and manage children with shock, cardiac arrest, thoracoabdominal trauma, suspected cardiac failure, atraumatic limp, and intussusception. CONCLUSIONS: This consensus study has established a research agenda to inform future international multicenter PEM POCUS trials. This study has highlighted the ongoing need for high-quality evidence for PEM POCUS applications to guide clinical practice.

Infected Urachal Cyst Masquerading as Acute Appendicitis on Point-of-care Ultrasound.

CASE PRESENTATION: A seven-year-old male presented to the pediatric emergency department with one day of abdominal pain. His physical exam was significant for rebound, guarding, and tenderness in the right lower quadrant, and his labs demonstrated a leukocytosis. Both a point-of-care ultrasound and radiology-performed ultrasound were concerning for acute appendicitis with a periappendiceal abscess, but on emergent laparoscopy the patient was found to have an infected urachal cyst. DISCUSSION: Infected urachal remnants are a rare but important cause of pediatric abdominal pain. In this case, inflammation surrounding the patient's midline urachal cyst triggered a serositis that involved the appendix and pulled the cyst to the right. This created a clinical and radiologic presentation similar to appendicitis. This atypical presentation of an already rare anomaly highlights the importance of maintaining a broad differential during the work-up of pediatric abdominal pain.

Development of a Consensus-Based Definition of Focused Assessment With Sonography for Trauma in Children.

Importance: The wide variation in the accuracy and reliability of the Focused Assessment With Sonography for Trauma (FAST) and the extended FAST (E-FAST) for children after blunt abdominal trauma reflects user expertise. FAST and E-FAST that are performed by experts tend to be more complete, better quality, and more often clinically valuable. Objective: To develop definitions of a complete, high-quality, and accurate interpretation for the FAST and E-FAST in children with injury using an expert, consensus-based modified Delphi technique. Design, Setting, and Participants: This consensus-based qualitative study was conducted between May 1 to June 30, 2021. It used a scoping review and iterative Delphi technique and involved 2 rounds of online surveys and a live webinar to achieve consensus among a 26-member panel. This panel consisted of international experts in pediatric emergency point-of-care ultrasonography. Main Outcomes and Measures: Definitions of complete, high-quality, and accurate FAST and E-FAST studies for children after injury. Results: Of the 29 invited pediatric FAST experts, 26 (15 men [58%]) agreed to participate in the panel. All 26 panelists completed the 2 rounds of surveys, and 24 (92%) participated in the live and asynchronous online discussions. Consensus was reached on FAST and E-FAST study definitions, and the panelists rated these 5 anatomic views as important and appropriate for a complete FAST: right upper-quadrant abdominal view, left upper-quadrant abdominal view, suprapubic views (transverse and sagittal), and subxiphoid cardiac view. For E-FAST, the same FAST anatomic views with the addition of the lung or pneumothorax view were deemed appropriate and important. In addition, the panelists rated a total of 32 landmarks as important for assessing completeness. Similarly, the panelists rated 14 statements on quality and 20 statements on accurate interpretation as appropriate. Conclusions and Relevance: This qualitative study generated definitions for complete FAST and E-FAST studies with high image quality and accurate interpretation in children with injury. These definitions are similar to those in adults with injury and may be used for future education, quality assurance, and research. Future research may focus on interpretation of trace volumes of abdominal free fluid and the use of serial FAST.

Learning Pediatric Point-of-Care Ultrasound: How Many Cases Does Mastery of Image Interpretation Take?

OBJECTIVES: Using an education and assessment tool, we examined the number of cases necessary to achieve a performance benchmark in image interpretation of pediatric soft tissue, cardiac, lung, and focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) applications. We also determined interpretation difficulty scores to derive which cases provided the greatest diagnostic challenges. METHODS: Pediatric emergency physicians participated in web-based pediatric POCUS courses sponsored by their institution as a credentialing priority. Participants deliberately practiced cases until they achieved diagnostic interpretation scores of combined 90% accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. RESULTS: Of the 463 who enrolled, 379 (81.9%) completed cases. The median (interquartile range) number of cases required to achieve the performance benchmark for soft tissue was 94 (68-128); cardiac, 128 (86-201); lung, 87 (25-118); and FAST, 93 (68-133) (P < 0001). Specifically, cases completed to achieve benchmark were higher for cardiac relative to other applications (P < 0.0001 for all comparisons). In soft tissue cases, a foreign body was more difficult to diagnose than cobblestoning and hypoechoic collections (P = 0.036). Poor cardiac function and abnormal ventricles were more difficult to interpret with accuracy than normal (P < 0.0001) or pericardial effusion cases (P = 0.01). The absence of lung sliding was significantly more difficult to interpret than normal lung cases (P = 0.028). The interpretation difficulty of various FAST imaging findings was not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant variation in number of cases required to reach a performance benchmark. We also identified the specific applications and imaging findings that demonstrated the greatest diagnostic challenges. These data may inform future credentialing guidelines and POCUS learning interventions.

Development of a novel pediatric point-of-care ultrasound question bank using a modified Delphi process.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Measuring pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellow competency in point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is important for ensuring adequate training and performance. Assessment may include direct observation, image review, quality assessment, and written examination. The purpose of this study was to develop a pediatric POCUS question bank that could subsequently be used as a POCUS assessment for graduating PEM fellows. METHODS: We organized a 10-person question writing group (QWG). Eight hold expertise in POCUS and two hold expertise in medical education. Members of the QWG created questions within four domains: interpretation/diagnosis (50% of questions), anatomy (30%), physics (10%), and pitfalls (10%). POCUS faculty ascertained content validity and the medical education faculty revised questions for syntax and readability. In 2016, we recruited 31 pediatric POCUS experts. The majority were members of the P2 Network, an international group of experts and leaders in PEM POCUS, to participate in three iterative rounds of a modified Delphi process to review, revise, and establish consensus on the question bank. RESULTS: Thirty-one pediatric POCUS experts participated in the three rounds of the modified Delphi process and evaluated 437 questions developed by the expert panel. Forty-nine percent (n = 216) of the questions were accepted in round 1, 30% (n = 130) in round 2, and 11% (n = 47) in the final round. The final question bank included 393 questions covering 17 pediatric POCUS applications. CONCLUSION: We developed a 393-question bank to aid in the assessment of PEM POCUS competency. Future work includes piloting the questions with PEM fellows to evaluate the response process and implementing the assessment tool to establish a minimum passing score.

Core Content for Pediatric Emergency Medicine Ultrasound Fellowship Training: A Modified Delphi Consensus Study.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) fellowships exist to provide learners with expertise in ultrasound (US) education, administration, and research oversight. Currently, there are no standardized goals or objectives for these programs, resulting in considerable variability in PEM POCUS fellowship training. METHODS: A modified Delphi survey of PEM and general emergency medicine (EM) POCUS experts in Canada and the United States was conducted to obtain consensus regarding the most important curricular components of a PEM POCUS fellowship training program. Participants were solicited from the P2 Network mailing list and from PEM and EM POCUS fellowship directors listed on the Society of Clinical Ultrasound Fellowships and the Canadian Society of POCUS-EM Fellowships websites. Curricular components considered as part of the survey included US skills, educational skills, administrative skills, and research requirements. Consensus was considered to have been reached when ≥80% of respondents agreed to either include or exclude the component in fellowship training. RESULTS: Round 1 of the survey was sent to 311 participants. A total of 118 (37.9%) completed eligibility for the survey, and 92 (78.0%) met eligibility criteria. Of those, 80 (67.8% of eligible participants) completed the first round of the survey. Round 2 of the survey was sent to those who completed part 1, and 64 (80.0%) completed that round. During Round 1, consensus was achieved for 15 of 75 US applications, seven of seven educational skills, nine of 11 administrative skills, and four of six research requirements. In Round 2 of the survey, consensus was reached on two additional US skills, but no additional administrative skills or research requirements. CONCLUSIONS: With a consensus-building process, the core content for PEM POCUS fellowship training was defined. This can help POCUS educators formulate standardized curricula to create consistent training in POCUS fellowship graduates.

Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Undifferentiated Abdominal Pain in a Pediatric Patient: A Proposed Algorithm.

Abdominal pain is a common presentation in the pediatric emergency department and may pose a diagnostic challenge to the physician. Although most abdominal pain is benign, the presence of abdominal pain may represent a surgical emergency. We present an atypical presentation of perforated appendicitis in a child with 2 weeks of abdominal pain, in whom point-of-care ultrasound expedited diagnosis and patient disposition. We then recommend a diagnostic approach for using point-of-care ultrasound in a pediatric patient with undifferentiated abdominal pain.

Consensus Core Point-of-care Ultrasound Applications for Pediatric Emergency Medicine Training.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) physicians have variably incorporated point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) into their practice. Prior guidelines describe the scope of POCUS practice for PEM physicians; however, consensus does not yet exist about which applications should be prioritized and taught as fundamental skills for PEM trainees. Members of the PEM POCUS Network (P2Network) conducted a consensus-building process to determine which applications to incorporate into PEM fellowship training. METHODS: A multinational group of experts in PEM POCUS was recruited from the P2Network and greater PEM POCUS community if they met the following criteria: performed over 1,000 POCUS scans and had at least 3 years of experience teaching POCUS to PEM fellows, were a local academic POCUS leader, or completed a formal PEM POCUS fellowship. Experts rated 60 possible PEM POCUS applications for their importance to include as part of a PEM fellowship curriculum using a modified Delphi consensus-building technique. RESULTS: In round 1, 66 of 92 (72%) participants responded to an e-mail survey of which 48 met expert criteria and completed the survey. Consensus was reached to include 18 items in a PEM fellowship curriculum and to exclude two items. The 40 remaining items and seven additional items were considered in round 2. Thirty-seven of 48 (77%) experts completed round 2 reaching consensus to include three more items and exclude five. The remaining 39 items did not reach consensus for inclusion or exclusion. CONCLUSION: Experts reached consensus on 21 core POCUS applications to include in PEM fellowship curricula.

"Full Stomach" Despite the Wait: Point-of-care Gastric Ultrasound at the Time of Procedural Sedation in the Pediatric Emergency Department.

OBJECTIVES: The objective was to use gastric point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to assess gastric contents and volume, summarize the prevalence of "full stomach," and explore the relationship between fasting time and gastric contents at the time of procedural sedation. METHODS: This was a prospective study of patients aged 2 to 17 years fasting prior to procedural sedation. A single sonographer scanned each patient's gastric antrum in two positions: supine with the upper body elevated and right lateral decubitus (RLD). Gastric content (empty, liquid, or solid) was noted, and the gastric volume (mL/kg) was estimated from antral cross-sectional area (CSA). "Full stomach" was defined as any solid content or >1.2 mL/kg of liquid gastric content. RESULTS: We enrolled 116 subjects, with a median fasting time of 5.8 hours. Of the 107 with evaluable images, 74 patients, 69% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 60%-77%), were categorized as having a full stomach. Each hour of fasting was associated with lower odds (odds ratio = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.65-0) of a full stomach. However, the knowledge of fasting time alone provides little ability to discriminate between risk groups (C-index = 0.66). CONCLUSIONS: Gastric POCUS classified many patients as having a full stomach at the time of expected procedural sedation, despite prolonged fasting times. These findings may inform risk-benefit considerations when planning the timing and medication choice for procedural sedation.

Point-of-Care Ultrasound Assessment of Bladder Fullness for Female Patients Awaiting Radiology-Performed Transabdominal Pelvic Ultrasound in a Pediatric Emergency Department: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Radiology-performed transabdominal pelvic ultrasound, used to evaluate female patients with suspected pelvic pathology in the pediatric emergency department (ED), is often delayed by the need to fill the bladder. We seek to determine whether point-of-care ultrasound assessment of bladder fullness can predict patient readiness for transabdominal pelvic ultrasound more quickly than patient sensation of bladder fullness. METHODS: We performed a randomized controlled trial of female patients aged 8 to 18 years who required transabdominal pelvic ultrasound in a pediatric ED. Patients were randomized to usual care or point-of-care ultrasound and then assessed every 30 minutes for subjective bladder fullness (0 to 4 ordinal scale) and qualitative bladder fullness by point-of-care ultrasound. Patients were sent for pelvic ultrasound when they reported 3 or 4 on the subjective fullness scale (usual care) or a large bladder was visualized (point-of-care ultrasound). Primary outcome was time from enrollment to completion of pelvic ultrasound. Secondary outcome was success rate of pelvic ultrasound on first attempt. RESULTS: One hundred twenty patients were randomized and 117 had complete outcomes (59 usual care, 58 point-of-care ultrasound). Kaplan-Meier curves differed between groups (P<.001). Median time to successful completion of pelvic ultrasound was 139 minutes (usual care) and 87.5 minutes (point-of-care ultrasound), with difference in medians 51.5 minutes (95% confidence interval [CI] 23.4 to 77.2 minutes). All point-of-care ultrasound patients had successful transabdominal pelvic ultrasound on the first attempt compared with 84.7% in the usual care group, with difference -15.3% (95% Bayesian credible interval -5.3% to -25.0%). Weighted κ for interrater agreement was 0.83 (95% CI 0.79 to 0.87). CONCLUSION: Point-of-care ultrasound assessment of bladder fullness decreases time to transabdominal pelvic ultrasound and improves first-attempt success rate for female patients in the pediatric ED.

Evidence into practice: pediatric orthopaedic surgeon use of removable splints for common pediatric fractures.

OBJECTIVES: Removable splints when compared with circumferential casts in randomized trials have been shown to be a safe and cost-effective method of managing many common minor distal radius and fibular fractures. This study estimated the extent to which this evidence is being implemented in clinical practice, and determined the perceived barriers to the adoption of this evidence. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of practicing orthopaedic surgeon members of the Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeons of North America (POSNA) was conducted, using a 22-item online questionnaire, and distributed using a modified Dillman technique. Survey questions were derived from and validated by literature review, expert opinion, and pilot-testing on the targeted sample before implementation. RESULTS: Of the 826 eligible participants, 558 (67.6%) responded to the survey. Of these, 505 (90.5%) had completed a fellowship in pediatric orthopaedics, 335 (60.0%) worked in a university-affiliated setting, and 377 (67.6%) had been in practice for <20 years. Only 158/543 [29.1%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 25.28, 32.92] reported using a removable splint to treat buckle fractures of the distal radius; 32 (5.9%; 95% CI, 3.9, 7.9) and 8 (1.5%; 95% CI, 0.5, 2.5) would use such splints for minimally displaced greenstick and transverse fractures of the distal radius, respectively. For distal fibular avulsion fractures, 122 (22.5%; 95% CI, 19.0, 26.0) would use a removable splint; 57 (10.5%; 95% CI, 7.9, 13.1) and 28 (5.6%; 95% CI, 3.7, 7.5) would do so for nondisplaced Salter-Harris I and II fractures of the distal fibula, respectively. The most commonly reported perceived barriers to application of a removable device were concerns about patient compliance, potential complications, and possible medicolegal implications. CONCLUSIONS: Only a relatively small proportion of practicing POSNA use such splints for minor distal radius and distal fibular fractures. These data support the need for implementation of knowledge translation strategies (eg, education) targeted at all the stakeholders to encourage pediatric orthopaedic surgeons to change practice in keeping with the best evidence for these common and stable injuries. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II.

Evidence into practice: emergency physician management of common pediatric fractures.

OBJECTIVES: Randomized trials have shown that removable immobilization devices are at least as good as circumferential casts for the management of common specific types of pediatric wrist and ankle fractures. Our main objective was to determine the proportion of emergency physicians who prescribe removable devices for distal radius buckle fractures and/or nondisplaced distal fibular Salter-Harris I fractures. We also examined follow-up referral patterns for these injuries. METHODS: This was an online survey of members of 2 national emergency physician associations in Canada: Pediatric Emergency Research Canada and the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians. RESULTS: Of the 849 eligible participants, 447 responded to the survey, yielding an aggregate response rate of 52.7%. Organization-specific response rates were 169 (70.4%) of 240 for the Pediatric Emergency Research Canada and 278 (45.6%) of 609 for the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians. Overall, 263 of 416 (63.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 58.6-67.8) of emergency physicians treat buckle fractures of the distal radius with a removable splint and refer 212 of 398 (53.3%; 95% CI, 48.4-58.2) of these injuries to the primary care physician for follow-up. For Salter-Harris I fractures of the distal fibula, emergency physicians treat 201 of 416 (48.3%; 95% CI, 43.5-53.1) with a removable ankle support and refer 94 of 398 (23.6%; 95% CI, 19.4-27.8) to the primary care physician for follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: At least 50% of the surveyed Canadian emergency physicians treat distal radius buckle fractures and/or Salter-Harris I fibular fractures with a removable immobilization device, and the primary care physician follow-up of these injuries occur with some regularity for both these injuries.

Evaluating the hematoma block as an adjunct to procedural sedation for closed reduction of distal forearm fractures.

OBJECTIVES: Although procedural sedation using intravenous agents is highly effective for forearm fracture reduction, the process is both resource and time intensive. Our objective was to determine whether the use of a hematoma block as an adjunct to procedural sedation with ketamine and midazolam reduces (1) pain during the procedure (scored using the Observational Score for Behavioral Distress-Revised score) or (2) the excess sedation time, defined by the time between procedure completion and discharge from sedation. Our secondary outcome measure was total ketamine dose administered during the procedure. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted. Before fracture reduction, children 3 to 17 years of age randomly received 2% lidocaine (L) or normal saline (NS) into the hematoma of their fracture site during sedation with intravenous ketamine and midazolam. RESULTS: Ninety patients were randomized: 50 to L and 40 to NS. The groups were similar with regard to age, sex, type of fracture, and prior administration of pain medication. Median Observational Score for Behavioral Distress-Revised scores were 1.11 and 1.69 for the L and NS groups, respectively (P = 0.23). Excess sedation time was not significantly different between the groups (P = 0.36), with a median excess sedation time of 33.0 and 36.0 minutes for the L and NS groups, respectively. Mean ketamine dose administered was not different between the groups (P = 0.42). The mean total dose administered was 1.00 mg/kg and 1.07 mg/kg in the L and NS groups, respectively. Mean midazolam dose was 0.05 mg/kg for both groups. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a hematoma block as an adjunct to procedural sedation with ketamine and midazolam for forearm fracture reduction conferred no additional benefit and did not decrease observed pain scores, excess sedation time, or total ketamine dose administered.

Pediatric emergency physician opinions on ankle radiograph clinical decision rules.

OBJECTIVES: The Low Risk Ankle Rule (LRAR) is a validated clinical decision rule (CDR) about the indications for ankle radiographs in children with acute blunt ankle trauma. Although application of the LRAR has the potential to safely reduce the rate of ankle radiography by 60%, current x-ray rates in most emergency departments (EDs) in the United States and Canada remain unnecessarily high (85%-100%). To evaluate this gap between knowledge and practice, physicians who treat pediatric ankle injuries in EDs were surveyed to determine physician awareness and use of the LRAR, acceptability of the LRAR as measured by the Ottawa Acceptability for Decision Rules Scale (OADRS), and perceived barriers to the use of a validated pediatric ankle x-ray rule. METHODS: An on-line survey of members of two national pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) physician associations in the United States and Canada was conducted using a modified Dillman technique. RESULTS: Response rates were 75.6% (149/197) in Canada and 45.7% (352/770) in the United States, yielding an aggregate rate of 51.8%. Only 119 of 478 respondents (24.9%) had heard of the LRAR, and 53 of 432 (12.3%) were sufficiently familiar with the LRAR to apply it. The LRAR scored a mean (+/- standard deviation [SD]) OADRS score of 4.28 out of 6 (+/-0.67), comparable to published OADRS scores for two well-known CDRs used in adults. Of the respondents, 434 of 471 (92.1%) at least "slightly agreed" that ankle x-ray CDRs would be useful in their practice, with no significant differences between the two sides of the border (p = 0.28). Ankle x-ray rules were felt to save time by 342 (72.6%) of the participants, and the pediatric ankle exam was considered easy enough to apply a CDR by 306 (65.0%). The most common barriers reported for use of any ankle x-ray rule included perceived reduction in family satisfaction without imaging in 380 (80.7%), nurse-initiated x-ray protocols not based on ankle x-ray rules in 285 (60.5%), concerns about missing a significant fracture in 248 (52.7%), and a preference for own clinical judgment in 246 (52.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Although the LRAR had a high acceptability score among respondents in this survey, this validated CDR is not widely known and is even less frequently applied by PEM physicians in the United States and Canada. Barriers were identified that will guide efforts to improve the knowledge translation of the LRAR into pediatric EDs.

The use of local anesthetic techniques for closed forearm fracture reduction in children: a survey of academic pediatric emergency departments.

BACKGROUND: Although local anesthetic techniques (hematoma blocks, nerve blocks, intravenous regional anesthesia) for forearm fracture reduction are well described and commonly used in adults, it is unclear how often these techniques are used in children. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the use of local anesthesia for pediatric closed forearm fracture reduction by pediatric and orthopedic physicians practicing in teaching hospitals in Canada and the United States. METHODS: An on-line survey targeting physicians practicing in hospitals with pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellowships in Canada and the United States was sent to the PEM fellowship director and orthopedic department head at each hospital. RESULTS: Sixty-three orthopedic surgeons and 69 PEM physicians were invited to participate in the survey, and 63% responded of all invited participants. All respondents routinely use sedation for forearm fracture reduction. Local anesthesia is used by 78% of respondents (55% rarely, 28% sometimes, and 17% frequently). Hematoma blocks are used by 92% of respondents who use local anesthesia; 20% use Bier blocks, and 2% use cubital blocks. Among respondents who never use local anesthesia, all believe that sufficient analgesia is obtained from procedural sedation alone, and 35% believe that local anesthesia is ineffective. CONCLUSIONS: Local anesthetic techniques are used only occasionally by those surveyed. More studies examining the use of local anesthesia for forearm fractures in children are necessary to evaluate the need for more widespread use.