COVID-19, MIS-C, and long COVID in pediatric patients: an update.

COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, has been disruptive worldwide. It was primarily a respiratory disease that affected many of the medically vulnerable, but the true impact of postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC), which has been demonstrated to involve all organ systems, is now coming to light. In addition, a new disease entity emerged, multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), which has had significant morbidity and mortality associated with it. This issue reviews the presentation, evaluation, and management of patients with COVID-19, MIS-C, and PASC. Additionally, the current literature supporting public health measures, as well as COVID-19 vaccinations and their complications are discussed.

Arachnoid cysts in paediatrics.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Arachnoid cysts are incidentally found on neuroimaging at an increasing rate in the paediatric population. Hence, learning their clinical implications to better inform families is important. The purpose of this review is to outline the current understanding of epidemiology, disease and clinical features based on location, imaging and management of arachnoid cysts in paediatrics. RECENT FINDINGS: The prevalence of arachnoid cysts is 2.6% in paediatrics, with greater than 90% being asymptomatic. When they do cause symptoms, it is based primarily on their location and size. The most accurate diagnostic modality is MRI. Recent literature focuses primarily on the origin of arachnoid cysts, new approaches to treating symptomatic arachnoid cysts and long-term implications for patients. SUMMARY: Incidental arachnoid cysts are being found most often due to the more frequent use of neuroimaging. There is a higher prevalence for arachnoid cysts in men and they are more commonly found on the left side. Despite their impressive size or location, greater than 90% of these lesions are asymptomatic and require no intervention. However, follow up with neurosurgery to help determine the clinical significance of these lesions is essential.

Testing for and identification of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children in the pediatric emergency department.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The current article summarizes updates on multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) research and focuses on strategies to diagnose and manage these patients in the emergency department. RECENT FINDINGS: MIS-C is an inflammatory syndrome that occurs approximately 4-5 weeks after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. It is associated with symptoms such as fever, shock, abdominal pain, rash, and conjunctivitis along with laboratory abnormalities such as elevated inflammatory markers, coagulation factors, and cytokines. Patients fall into the following three subcategories: first, classic or incomplete Kawasaki; second, cardiogenic or distributive shock; or third, an inflammatory response that does not initially meet criteria of the other subcategories. Immediate treatment largely focuses on supportive care through fluid resuscitation and pressor support; however, inpatient management may also include intravenous immunoglobulin, steroids, anticoagulation and at times anti-inflammatory biologics. SUMMARY: Overall fatality rate remains low and short-term research has demonstrated self-limited sequelae. Pediatricians should focus on the timely diagnosis and identification of this inflammatory disease via clinical findings and laboratory evidence to best treat these patients.

Pediatric emergency department utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City.

OBJECTIVES: This study describes the utilization of a pediatric emergency department (ED) during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the initial U.S. epicenter, including the impact on visit acuity and incidences of common diagnoses. STUDY DESIGN: We performed an observational retrospective review of patients younger than 18 years old seen in a New York City pediatric ED from March 7th to May 6th 2020, and during the same time period in 2018 and 2019. Demographics, visit details, diagnoses, and dispositions were compared. Validated algorithms were utilized to create practical diagnosis groupings and to determine the probability of a visit requiring emergent evaluation. RESULTS: ED visits during the pandemic decreased by 56% to an average daily census of 67 patients, from an anticipated 152. Admission rates rose from 13.3% to 17.4% (p<0.001), and the proportion of triage Emergency Severity Index level 1 and 2 patients increased by 23.7% (p<0.001). Non-emergent visits dropped from 32.3% to 27.5% (p<0.001). Several common, often low-acuity diagnoses saw disproportionate reductions in visits including headache, chest pain, and minor injuries. Concerningly, visits for suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, or self-harm increased by 100% (p<0.001) and visits for evaluating abuse or neglect decreased by 89% (p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric ED utilization substantially deceased during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, but left relatively higher patient acuity. Healthcare systems in early epicenters must also prepare for the disproportionate impact a pandemic has on the most vulnerable pediatric patients, particularly those at risk for self-harm or abuse.

Outcomes for Children With a Nonvisualized Appendix on Ultrasound.

OBJECTIVES: Oftentimes while pursing the diagnosis of appendicitis, an ultrasound cannot visualize the appendix, and physicians must utilize other resources for evaluation. The primary objective of this study was to determine if there was a lower rate of appendicitis when the appendix was not visualized on ultrasound. Furthermore, we assessed the importance of specific clinical predictors in this population. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of all children who presented to our pediatric emergency department from 2011 to 2013 and had an abdominal ultrasound. We identified total numbers of ultrasounds with a nonvisualized appendix and then assessed follow-up for a randomly selected group of patients. We performed logistic regression to assess the predictive value of different clinical factors. RESULTS: A total of 3245 ultrasounds were analyzed, and in 54% of these, the appendix was nonvisualized. In total, 28% of the total patients and 11.9% of patients who received a nonvisualized ultrasound had appendicitis (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.3%-16.2%). Among those patients who had follow-up studies performed during the same visit, 21.2% had appendicitis (95% CI, 14.9%-28.8%), and of those discharged without a diagnosis, 1.5% had appendicitis (95% CI, 0.2%-5.4%). Male sex, leukocytosis, and an elevated absolute neutrophil count were each significantly associated with appendicitis after a nonvisualized appendix on ultrasound. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of patients with suspected appendicitis who had an initial nonvisualized appendix on ultrasound were ultimately diagnosed with appendicitis. Clinicians must be vigilant about pursuing a definitive diagnosis if an initial ultrasound is nondiagnostic.

Early Experience of COVID-19 in a US Children's Hospital.

OBJECTIVES: We aim to describe the demographics, clinical presentation, hospital course, and severity of pediatric inpatients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), with an emphasis on healthy, immunocompromised, and chronically ill children. METHODS: We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study of hospitalized children aged younger than 22 years with COVID-19 infection at Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center at Northwell Health. Cases were identified from patients with fever and/or respiratory symptoms who underwent a nucleic acid amplification-based test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. RESULTS: Sixty-five patients were identified. The median age was 10.3 years (interquartile range, 1.4 months to 16.3 years), with 48% of patients older than 12 years and 29% of patients younger than 60 days of age. Fever was present in 86% of patients, lower respiratory symptoms or signs in 60%, and gastrointestinal symptoms in 62%. Thirty-five percent of patients required ICU care. The white blood cell count was elevated in severe disease (P = .0027), as was the C-reactive protein level (P = .0192), compared with mild and moderate disease. Respiratory support was required in 34% of patients. Severity was lowest in infants younger than 60 days of age and highest in chronically ill children; 79% of immunocompromised children had mild disease. One death was reported. CONCLUSIONS: Among children who are hospitalized for COVID-19, most are younger than 60 days or older than 12 years of age. Children may have severe infection requiring intensive care support. The clinical course of immunocompromised patients was not more severe than that of other children. Elevated white blood cell count and C-reactive protein level are associated with greater illness severity.

Measles: taking steps forward to prevent going backwards.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The measles vaccine, first introduced in 1963, directly led to a dramatic decrease in the incidence of the disease. Measles transitioned from being a common childhood disease, affecting approximately three to four million children annually, to being eradicated in the United States in 2000. What was once an astounding victory for modern medicine, however, has recently seen a dramatic reversal in fortune, with a resurgence of measles cases in the United States. Hence, it merits careful discussion. RECENT FINDINGS: The United States has seen more measles cases in 2019 than in any prior year in the past 30 years. These outbreaks are because of many factors but a significant cause is the increase in vaccine refusal within sub-populations in America. This finding indicates that the current approach that healthcare workers take with families towards MMR vaccination could be more effective. SUMMARY: This article aims to educate the reader about the measles virus and its clinical presentation, the MMR vaccine and its overwhelming success, and the concerning current national and international trends in measles outbreaks. Importantly, we focus on positions proposed by hesitant vaccinators and determine how medical providers can participate in productive conversation about vaccination to better gain trust and guide improved shared clinical decision-making.

Management of vaso-occlusive episodes in the day hospital decreases admissions in children with sickle cell disease.

Acute vaso-occlusive episodes (VOE) are the most common reason for presentation to the Emergency Department (ED) and inpatient admission in people living with sickle cell disease (SCD). The goal of this study was to compare the hospital admission rate for VOE from our centre's day hospital (Pediatric Ambulatory Chemotherapy and Transfusion Unit; PACT) versus the ED, and to determine which factors influence admission rate. The study included a total of 370 visits involving 140 children with SCD with a mean age of 10·9 ± 5·5 years. The timing from triage to the first analgesic was significantly different between the PACT and the ED (median, 32 vs. 70 min, P < 0·0001). The initial choice of opioid dosage adhered to our centre's guidelines 84% of the time in the PACT v. 45% in the ED for morphine (P = 0·0003) and 100% in the PACT vs. 43% (P = 0·002) for hydromorphone. The admission rate from the ED (57%) was significantly higher than that of the PACT (29%) even when accounting for differences in baseline variables (P = 0·0001). In conclusion, the odds of being admitted were 3·8 times higher if the patient was treated in the ED. Timely administration and appropriate dosing of intravenous opioids may change this outcome in the future.

Focused Medical Assessment of Pediatric Behavioral Emergencies.

There is no uniformly accepted standard of care for medical clearance of pediatric patients with psychiatric complaints. Emerging data argue for a thorough history and physical examination and against routine laboratory testing. The differential diagnosis of patients presenting with psychiatric health complaints is extensive and includes both medical and psychiatric disorders. Providers should remain mindful of anchoring or diagnosis momentum bias when caring for these patients, especially patients with a psychiatric history.

Best practices in managing child and adolescent behavioral health emergencies.

Behavioral health emergencies most commonly present as depression, suicidal behavior, aggression, and severe disorganization. Emergency clinicians should avoid relying solely on past medical history or previous psychiatric diagnoses that might prematurely rule out medical pathologies. Treatments for behavioral health emergencies consist of de-escalation interventions aimed at preventing agitation, aggression, and harm. This issue reviews medical pathologies and underlying causes that can result in psychiatric presentations and summarizes evidence-based practices to evaluate, manage, and refer patients with behavioral health emergencies.

Pneumothorax In Pediatric Patients: Management Strategies To Improve Patient Outcomes.

The clinical presentation of pneumothorax is highly variable. Spontaneous pneumothoraces may present with subtle symptoms when a small air leak is present, but can progress to hemodynamic instability in the setting of tension physiology. The etiologies are broad and the severity can vary greatly. A trauma patient with a pneumothorax may also have the added complexity of other potentially life-threatening injuries. While there is a wealth of evidence-based guidelines for the management of pneumothoraces in the adult literature, the approach to pediatric patients is largely extrapolated from that literature without a significant evidence base. In this issue, aspects of the history and physical examination, the use of various diagnostic imaging modalities, and the range of interventions available to the emergency clinician are discussed.

The Correlation of Workplace Simulation-Based Assessments With Interns' Infant Lumbar Puncture Success: A Prospective, Multicenter, Observational Study.

INTRODUCTION: Little data are available to guide supervisors' decisions regarding when trainees are prepared to safely perform their first procedure on a patient. We aimed to describe the correlation of simulation-based assessments, in the workplace, with interns' first clinical infant lumbar puncture (ILP) success. METHODS: This is a prospective, observational subcomponent of a larger study of incoming interns at 33 academic medical centers (July 2010 to June 2012) assessing the impact of just-in-time training. When an intern's patient required an ILP, a just-in-time simulation-based skills refresher was conducted with his or her supervisor. At the end of the refresher, supervisors assessed interns' ILP skills on a simulator in the workplace before clinical performance using a four point anchored scale. The primary outcome was the correlation of supervisors' assessment and interns' procedural success. The number needed to assess for this instrument (1 / absolute risk reduction) was calculated. RESULTS: A total of 1600 interns were eligible to participate, and 1215 were enrolled. A total of 297 completed an assessment and a subsequent clinical ILP. Success rates for each scale rating were 29% (18/63) for novice, 39% (51/130) for beginner, 55% (46/83) for competent, and 43% (9/21) for proficient. The correlation coefficient was 0.161 (95% confidence interval, 0.057-0.265), indicating a weak correlation between supervisor rating and success. Success rate was 53% for the ratings of competent or proficient compared with 35% for the ratings of novice or beginner. Using the global rating scale for the summative assessment to determine procedural readiness could lead to 1 fewer patient experiencing a failed ILP for every 6 interns tested (6.2; 95% confidence interval, 4.0-8.5). CONCLUSIONS: A simulation-based assessment of interns conducted in the workplace before their first ILP has some value in predicting clinical ILP success.

Minor head injury: limiting patient exposure to ionizing radiation, risk stratification, and concussion management.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We review recommendations from recent publications on the evaluation of minor head trauma. We focus on the risks of radiation from computed tomographies (CTs), the establishment of patient risk stratifications to help guide the necessity of emergent neuroimaging, and current thoughts regarding concussions. RECENT FINDINGS: Pediatric minor head injury is a common complaint in ambulatory settings. There is a significant amount of parental and practitioner anxiety regarding prognosis and whether or not to obtain CT imaging. New evidence has demonstrated the significant harmful effects of ionizing radiation. Recent studies have risk-stratified patients to identify those at risk of clinically important traumatic brain injury, to minimize the exposure to ionizing radiation for those who are at a low risk of any significant disorder. SUMMARY: Pediatric minor head injury is a common complaint, but the vast majority of those injured will suffer no significant consequences. The Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network has created an algorithm to identify minor head trauma patients who require emergent head CTs versus those at low risk who do not require neuroimaging. Additionally, in recent years there has been an increase in the occurrence of concussions. We describe the characteristics of concussions, appropriate management, and the return-to-play guidelines.

Her belly button is leaking: a case of patent urachus.

Patent urachus is one of the least commonly seen of the urachal anomalies. In this report, we present a case of a patent urachus in a15-day-old female who presented with leakage from the umbilical site. The purpose of this article is to discuss the embryology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and management of patent urachus.

Not Just Painless Bleeding: Meckel's Diverticulum as a Cause of Small Bowel Obstruction in Children-Two Cases and a Review of the Literature.

Physicians are educated with the classical teaching that symptomatic patients with Meckel's diverticulum (MD) most often present with painless rectal bleeding. However, a review of the literature reveals that young patients with MD will most commonly present with signs of intestinal obstruction, an etiology not frequency considered in patients presenting to the emergency department with obstruction. We present two cases of intestinal obstruction diagnosed in our emergency department, with Meckel's diverticulum being the etiology.

Interns' success with clinical procedures in infants after simulation training.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Simulation-based medical education (SBME) is used to teach residents. However, few studies have evaluated its clinical impact. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of an SBME session on pediatric interns' clinical procedural success. METHODS: This randomized trial was conducted at 10 academic medical centers. Interns were surveyed on infant lumbar puncture (ILP) and child intravenous line placement (CIV) knowledge and watched audiovisual expert modeling of both procedures. Participants were randomized to SBME mastery learning for ILP or CIV and for 6 succeeding months reported clinical performance for both procedures. ILP success was defined as obtaining a sample on the first attempt with <1000 red blood cells per high-power field or fluid described as clear. CIV success was defined as placement of a functioning catheter on the first try. Each group served as the control group for the procedure for which they did not receive the intervention. RESULTS: Two-hundred interns participated (104 in the ILP group and 96 in the CIV group). Together, they reported 409 procedures. ILP success rates were 34% (31 of 91) for interns who received ILP mastery learning and 34% (25 of 73) for controls (difference: 0.2% [95% confidence interval: -0.1 to 0.1]). The CIV success rate was 54% (62 of 115) for interns who received CIV mastery learning compared with 50% (58 of 115) for controls (difference: 3% [95% confidence interval: -10 to 17]). CONCLUSIONS: Participation in a single SBME mastery learning session was insufficient to affect pediatric interns' subsequent procedural success.