Adult Chest Pain in the Pediatric Emergency Department: Treatment and Timeliness From Door In To Door Out.

OBJECTIVES: The American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association guidelines for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) recommend immediate aspirin (ASA) administration, an electrocardiogram (ECG) in less than 10 minutes, and a door-in to door-out (DIDO) time less than 30 minutes for interfacility transfer. We sought to determine if compliance is hindered when adults with suspected ACS present to pediatric facilities. METHODS: Visits to the 2 tertiary care emergency departments of a pediatric healthcare system using an adult chest pain protocol were examined from October 2006 to September 2012. Patients older than 18 years with a diagnosis suggestive of ACS and an initial ECG interpretation were identified. Proportions of patients receiving ASA were calculated as well as median times to ECG and DIDO. Bivariate analysis of ECG and DIDO time and the proportion of the patients receiving ASA was conducted for ECG findings positive and negative for ACS. RESULTS: One hundred thirteen patients were identified. Aspirin was administered in 69% of eligible cases. Electrocardiogram and DIDO times met recommended intervals in 42% (median, 12 minutes) and 5% (median, 59 minutes) of the patients, respectively. No significant differences between positive (22% of total) and negative (78% of total) ECG findings groups were detected in median DIDO time (57 vs 59 minutes, P = 0.99), time to ECG (14 vs 12 minutes, P = 0.45), or the proportion receiving ASA (84% vs 64%, P = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the use of an emergency department protocol, compliance with the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association guidelines for adults with suspected ACS remained challenging at this pediatric center. The ECG findings did not seem to impact ASA administration, ECG time, or DIDO time.

A randomized trial of Plasma-Lyte A and 0.9 % sodium chloride in acute pediatric gastroenteritis.

BACKGROUND: Compare the efficacy and safety of Plasma-Lyte A (PLA) versus 0.9 % sodium chloride (NaCl) intravenous (IV) fluid replacement in children with moderate to severe dehydration secondary to acute gastroenteritis (AGE). METHODS: Prospective, randomized, double-blind study conducted at eight pediatric emergency departments (EDs) in the US and Canada (NCT#01234883). The primary outcome measure was serum bicarbonate level at 4 h. Secondary outcomes included safety and tolerability. The hypothesis was that PLA would be superior to 0.9 % NaCl in improvement of 4-h bicarbonate. Patients (n = 100) aged ≥6 months to <11 years with AGE-induced moderate-to-severe dehydration were enrolled. Patients with a baseline bicarbonate level ≤22 mEq/L formed the modified intent to treat (mITT) group. RESULTS: At baseline, the treatment groups were comparable except that the PLA group was older. At hour 4, the PLA group had greater increases in serum bicarbonate from baseline than did the 0.9 % NaCl group (mean ± SD at 4 h: 18 ± 3.74 vs 18.0 ± 3.67; change from baseline of 1.6 and 0.0, respectively; P = .004). Both treatment groups received similar fluid volumes. The PLA group had less abdominal pain and better dehydration scores at hour 2 (both P = .03) but not at hour 4 (P = 0.15 and 0.08, respectively). No patient experienced clinically relevant worsening of laboratory findings or physical examination, and hospital admission rates were similar. One patient in each treatment group developed hyponatremia. Four patients developed hyperkalemia (PLA:1, 0.9 % NaCl:3). CONCLUSION: In comparison with 0.9 % NaCl, PLA for rehydration in children with AGE was well tolerated and led to more rapid improvement in serum bicarbonate and dehydration score. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT#01234883 (Registration Date: November 3, 2010).

Prospective validation of a biomarker panel to identify pediatric ED patients with abdominal pain who are at low risk for acute appendicitis.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study is to prospectively validate the diagnostic accuracy of a biomarker panel consisting of white blood cell, C-reactive protein, and myeloid-related protein 8/14 levels in identifying pediatric patients with abdominal pain who are at low risk for appendicitis. METHODS: This prospective observational study enrolled subjects aged 2 to 20 years presenting to 29 US emergency departments with abdominal pain suggesting possible acute appendicitis. Blood samples were analyzed for white blood cell, C-reactive protein, and myeloid-related protein 8/14 levels from which the composite biomarker panel results were calculated, then correlated with the final diagnosis either positive or negative for acute appendicitis. RESULTS: A total of 2201 patients were enrolled, with 1887 completing all aspects of the study. Prevalence of appendicitis in this cohort was 25.3%. The biomarker panel exhibited a sensitivity of 97.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 95.1%-98.2%), negative predictive value of 97.4% (95% CI, 95.8%-98.5%), negative likelihood ratio of 0.08 (95% CI, 0.05-0.13), with a specificity of 37.9% (95% CI, 35.4%-40.4%) for appendicitis. The panel correctly identified 534 (37.8%) of 1410 patients who did not have appendicitis with 14 false negatives (2.9%). Overall, 23.7% (132/557) of computed tomographic (CT) scans were done for patients with negative biomarker panel results, including 31.2% (131/420) of patients who had CT but did not have appendicitis. CONCLUSION: This biomarker panel exhibited high sensitivity and negative predictive value for acute appendicitis in this large prospective cohort. This panel may be useful in identifying pediatric patients who are at low risk for appendicitis and might be followed clinically, potentially reducing the dependence on CT in the evaluation for acute appendicitis.

A randomized clinical trial of recombinant human hyaluronidase-facilitated subcutaneous versus intravenous rehydration in mild to moderately dehydrated children in the emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Alternative treatment of dehydration is needed when intravenous (IV) or oral rehydration therapy fails. Subcutaneous (SC) hydration facilitated by recombinant human hyaluronidase offers an alternative treatment for dehydration. This clinical trial is the first to compare recombinant human hyaluronidase-facilitated SC (rHFSC) rehydration with standard IV rehydration for use in dehydrated children. OBJECTIVE: This Phase IV noninferiority trial evaluated whether rHFSC fluid administration can be given safely and effectively, with volumes similar to those delivered intravenously, to children who have mild to moderate dehydration. METHODS: The study included mild to moderately dehydrated children (Gorelick dehydration score) aged 1 month to 10 years. They were randomized to receive 20 mL/kg of isotonic fluids using rHFSC or IV therapy over 1 hour and then as needed until clinically rehydrated. The primary outcome was total volume of fluid administered (emergency department [ED] plus inpatient hospitalization). Secondary outcomes included mean volume infused in the ED alone, postinfusion dehydration scores and weight changes, line placement success and time, safety, and provider and parent/guardian questionnaire. RESULTS: 148 patients (mean age, 2.3 [1.91] years]; white, 53.4%; black, 31.8%) were enrolled in the intention-to-treat population (73 rHFSC; 75 IV). The primary outcome, mean total volume infused, was 365.0 (324.6) mL in the rHFSC group over 3.1 hours versus 455.8 (597.4) mL in the IV group over 6.6 hours (P = 0.51). The secondary outcome of mean volume infused in the ED alone was 334.3 (226.40) mL in the rHFSC group versus 299.6 (252.33) mL in the IV group (P = 0.03). Dehydration scores and weight changes postinfusion were similar. Successful line placement occurred in all 73 rHFSC-treated patients and 59 of 75 (78.7%) IV-treated patients (P < 0.0001). All IV failures occurred in patients aged <3 years; rHFSC rescue was successful in all patients in whom it was attempted. Both treatments were well tolerated. Clinicians rated fluid administration as easy to perform in 94.5% (69 of 73) of the rHFSC group versus 65.3% (49 of 75) of the IV group (P < 0.001). Parents/caregivers were satisfied or very satisfied with fluid administration in 94.5% (69 of 73) of rHFSC-treated patients and 73.3% (55 of 75) of IV-treated patients. CONCLUSIONS: In mild to moderately dehydrated children, rHFSC was inferior to IV hydration for the primary outcome measure. However, rHFSC was noninferior in the ED phase of hydration. Additional benefits of rHFSC included time and success of line placement, ease of use, and satisfaction. SC hydration facilitated with recombinant human hyaluronidase represents a reasonable addition to the treatment options for children who have mild to moderate dehydration, especially those with difficult IV access. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00773175.

Subcutaneous rehydration: updating a traditional technique.

Subcutaneous (SC) rehydration therapy (SCRT), originally referred to as "hypodermoclysis," shows promise as an alternative to intravenous (IV) fluid administration for treatment of dehydration. A simple, safe, and effective technique, SCRT is indicated for treatment of mild-to-moderate dehydration. Augmentation of SCRT with administration of a recombinant human formulation of the hyaluronidase enzyme at the infusion site gives rise to SC fluid administration rates up to 5-fold faster than those achieved without the enzyme, making the technique more clinically practical. Unlike older, animal-derived forms of hyaluronidase, recombinant human hyaluronidase has a lower chance of allergic reactions with repeated dosing. Clinical trials have demonstrated that recombinant human hyaluronidase effectively and safely facilitates fluid delivery in adults and children and is well accepted by parents and clinicians. In the emergency department setting, SCRT may be an appropriate alternative to IV fluid administration in certain situations because it is less invasive and generally less painful, while still permitting administration of appropriate volumes of rehydration fluids. Subcutaneous rehydration therapy appears to be particularly useful in patients who present with mild-to-moderate dehydration and have had failed attempts at oral rehydration. The SC route also provides benefits in patients with small, collapsed, or difficult-to-visualize veins or in those who may be agitated or distressed by IV catheterization. Continued research will further clarify the role of recombinant human hyaluronidase-facilitated SCRT in the rehydration treatment algorithm.

Etomidate versus pentobarbital for computed tomography sedations: report from the Pediatric Sedation Research Consortium.

OBJECTIVE: To compare efficacy, sedation duration, and adverse events after administration of etomidate or pentobarbital for diagnostic computed tomography (CT) scans. METHODS: A cohort of children sedated for CT scans between July 2004 and October 2005 was identified from a prospectively generated Pediatric Sedation Research Consortium database. The 24 Pediatric Sedation Research Consortium institutions prospectively record consecutive sedation data and adverse events on a Web-based tool. This study included all patients of American Society for Anesthesiologists (ASA) class I or II, between 6 months and 6 years old, sedated with etomidate or with intravenous pentobarbital with or without midazolam. Outcomes included sedation efficacy, duration (time from drug administration until cessation of monitoring), and complication rate. RESULTS: Of 3397 pediatric sedations for CT scans, 2587 met age and ASA criteria. Etomidate was administered by pediatric emergency physicians as the sole sedative for 446 sedation service cases; pentobarbital with or without midazolam was used in 396 sedations by a variety of providers. Sedation was "not ideal" for 11 pentobarbital sedations and 1 etomidate sedation. Median etomidate dose was 0.33 mg/kg (intraquartile rank, 0.30-0.44 mg/kg); median pentobarbital dose was 4 mg/kg (intraquartile rank, 3.2-4.8 mg/kg). Mean etomidate sedation (34 minutes; 95% confidence interval [CI], 32-36 minutes) was shorter than pentobarbital (144 minutes; 95% CI, 139-150 minutes). Etomidate patients were younger (24 vs. 29 months), whereas pentobarbital patients were more often of ASA class II (52% vs. 34%), both P < 0.001. Adverse events were more common with pentobarbital (4.5% vs. 0.9%; relative risk, 3.38%; 95% CI, 1.28%-9.45%). One etomidate and 2 pentobarbital patients experienced apnea. CONCLUSIONS: Etomidate as given by emergency physicians was more effective and efficient than pentobarbital, with rare adverse events.

Early detection of imperforate hymen prevents morbidity from delays in diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE: Although it is detectable at all ages through inspection of the external genitalia, imperforate hymen (IH) is a diagnosis that is missed commonly. We hypothesized that children with late diagnoses (predefined as > or =8 years of age, chosen to reflect the timing of normal menarche) would be more likely to be symptomatic, undergo more diagnostic testing, and lack appropriate documentation in their medical records, compared with children with earlier diagnoses (ie, <8 years of age). METHODS: All patients with IH were identified through searches of 3 hospital databases with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, codes. The medical records of eligible subjects were reviewed by a single, blinded researcher. Comparisons were made between children diagnosed at younger versus older ages. RESULTS: A bimodal distribution of age at diagnosis was demonstrated; 43% (n = 10) of girls were diagnosed at <8 years of age, and 57% (n = 13) were diagnosed at > or =8 years of age. Among older girls, 100% were symptomatic (abdominal pain and/or urinary symptoms; duration of symptoms: 1-120 days), whereas 90% of cases in the younger group were detected incidentally. Documentation was lacking for breast development (77%), pubic hair development (69%), and menstrual history (46%) among the older girls. Older children were more likely to present symptomatically (odds ratio: 42.0; 95% confidence interval: 3.1-1965.7) and to undergo ancillary testing (odds ratio: 20.3; 95% confidence interval: 1.6-983.1). CONCLUSIONS: Two distinct populations of girls with IH exist, ie, those diagnosed without symptoms at a young age and those not diagnosed until >8 years of age. By incorporating an examination of the external genitalia into their routine practice, clinicians caring for children can prevent the significant delays in diagnosis, misdiagnosis, and morbidity associated with the latter group.

Oral versus intravenous rehydration of moderately dehydrated children: a randomized, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Dehydration from viral gastroenteritis is a significant pediatric health problem. Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) is recommended as first-line therapy for both mildly and moderately dehydrated children; however, three quarters of pediatric emergency medicine physicians who are very familiar with the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations for ORT still use intravenous fluid therapy (IVF) for moderately dehydrated children. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that the failure rate of ORT would not be >5% greater than the failure rate of IVF. Secondary hypotheses were that patients in the ORT group will (1) require less time initiating therapy, (2) show more improvement after 2 hours of therapy, (3) have fewer hospitalizations, and (4) prefer ORT for future episodes of dehydration. METHODS: A randomized, controlled clinical trial (noninferiority study design) was performed in the emergency department of an urban children's hospital from December 2001 to April 2003. Children 8 weeks to 3 years old were eligible if they were moderately dehydrated, based on a validated 10-point score, from viral gastroenteritis. Patients were randomized to receive either ORT or IVF during the 4-hour study. Treating physicians were masked and assessed all patients before randomization at 2 and 4 hours of therapy. Successful rehydration at 4 hours was defined as resolution of moderate dehydration, production of urine, weight gain, and the absence severe emesis (> or =5 mL/kg). RESULTS: Seventy-three patients were enrolled in the study: 36 were randomized to ORT and 37 were randomized to IVF. Baseline dehydration scores and the number of prior episodes of emesis and diarrhea were similar in the 2 groups. ORT demonstrated noninferiority for the main outcome measure and was found to be favorable with secondary outcomes. Half of both the ORT and IVF groups were rehydrated successfully at 4 hours (difference: -1.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -24.0% to 21.6%). The time required to initiate therapy was less in the ORT group at 19.9 minutes from randomization, compared with 41.2 minutes for the IVF group (difference: -21.2 minutes; 95% CI: -10.3 to -32.1 minutes). There was no difference in the improvement of the dehydration score at 2 hours between the 2 groups (78.8% ORT vs 80% IVF; difference: -1.2%; 95% CI: -20.5% to 18%). Less than one third of the ORT group required hospitalization, whereas almost half of the IVF group was hospitalized (30.6% vs 48.7%, respectively; difference: -18.1%; 95% CI: -40.1% to 4.0%). Patients who received ORT were as likely as those who received IVF to prefer the same therapy for the next episode of gastroenteritis (61.3% vs 51.4%, respectively; difference: 9.9%; 95% CI: -14% to 33.7%). CONCLUSIONS: This trial demonstrated that ORT is as effective as IVF for rehydration of moderately dehydrated children due to gastroenteritis in the emergency department. ORT demonstrated noninferiority for successful rehydration at 4 hours and hospitalization rate. Additionally, therapy was initiated more quickly for ORT patients. ORT seems to be a preferred treatment option for patients with moderate dehydration from gastroenteritis.

Pediatric emergency medicine research: a critical evaluation.

OBJECTIVE: A measure of research activity is an important way to gauge knowledge advances. We designed this study to analyze trends in pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) research, particularly focusing on the amount of research presented, topics investigated, location of research presentation, study design, and use of statistical analysis. METHODS: Every abstract presented between January 1987 and December 1999 from 4 national scientific meetings [Ambulatory Pediatric Association (APA), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM)] was evaluated. Those abstracts that met study criteria were evaluated for research topic, year of presentation, and sponsoring organization. Abstracts from the first and last 5 years of the study period were assessed for study design and use of statistical analysis. Trends over time were examined. RESULTS: There were 1675 abstracts presented over the 13-year study period: 41% at APA, 27% at AAP, 7% at ACEP, and 25% at AEM. Medical topics were most frequently investigated (36%) followed by trauma (20%), administrative (17%), procedural (14%), life-threatening emergencies (12%), and surgical (3%). Two percent of abstracts was presented in the first year and the greatest proportion (14%) was presented in 1999 (P < 0.001). Eighty percent of the abstracts was assessed for study design and use of statistics. There was no change in the proportion of abstracts that were prospective [odds ratio (OR) = 0.98 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.76-1.26)] or analytic [OR = 1.06 (95% CI = 0.83-1.35)] between the early and the later years. Descriptive surveys increased in frequency from the early to the later years [OR = 1.92 (95% CI = 1.29-2.92)] as did multicentered clinical trials [OR = 7.71 (95% CI = 1.97-66.38)]. Case series decreased in frequency [OR = 0.71 (95% CI = 0.54-0.93)] as did bench research [OR = 0.21 (95% CI = 0.11-0.40)]. The use of statistics increased with time [OR = 1.99 (95% CI = 1.54-2.58)] as did the use of CIs [OR = 4.40 (95% CI = 2.76-7.29)]. CONCLUSIONS: There was a substantial increase in the amount of research conducted in PEM. The topics investigated correspond to national recommendations. There was not an increase in the amount of research that was prospective or analytic in nature; however, there was increased statistical sophistication with time.