Mental health emergency admissions in the paediatric emergency department.

AIM: To evaluate the demographic characteristics, diagnoses and length of stay of mental health emergency attendance to the paediatric emergency department (ED), to determine the burdens these patients brought to the paediatric ED and to the national economy by examining hospital costs. METHODS: This retrospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary hospital's paediatric ED in Turkey. Data were obtained from the electronic medical record system from January 2018 to January 2020. RESULTS: A total of 142 admissions were included of whom 60% were female. The mean age was 15.2 ± 1.8 years, 50% of cases were suicide attempts and 19% were alcohol intoxications. The majority (85.9%) of patients were discharged from the emergency observation unit. Among the diagnostic groups, the mean age was higher in patients with a history of substance abuse. There was a female predominance among patients who were admitted due to suicide attempts. Among the diagnostic groups, the duration of hospital stay and cost of hospitalization were higher in patients who were followed up with a diagnosis of suicide attempt. CONCLUSIONS: Mental health problems are frequent in the paediatric ED. We determined that the most common cause of attendance in paediatric emergencies was suicide attempts, and the length of hospital stay and hospital cost were higher in this diagnostic group. Although further research is necessary to determine national trends in paediatric mental health problems in the paediatric ED, screening strategies and early detection and interventions in primary healthcare may allow more effective care for childhood mental health problems.

Evaluation of Physicians' Knowledge About Honey/Sucralfate Treatments in Children With Button Battery Ingestion.

OBJECTIVES: Ingestion of button batteries (BBs) causes serious mortality and morbidity. We aimed to evaluate the knowledge level of physicians working in pediatric emergency departments about the updated guidelines for BB ingestion and whether they used honey and sucralfate, which have proven positive effects in preventing mucosal damage, in their daily practice. METHODS: A "Google Form" questionnaire was prepared and used to evaluate the approach of physicians who worked in pediatric emergency department with questions about pediatric patients who were admitted with the suspicion of BB swallowing. RESULTS: A total of 263 physicians, 169 women (64.3%), with a mean age of 34.5 ± 7.3 years, participated in the study. Seventy-five percent of the participants were from tertiary care hospitals, and 60.8% had less than 5 years of pediatric emergency experience. Some 71.9% of the physicians who participated in the survey (n = 189) had no algorithm at their hospitals. Fifty-eight percent (n = 152) of the participants completely and correctly answered all our survey questions about battery swallowing. Fifty-eight (22.1%) of the participants administered sucralfate, and 12.2% (n = 32) used honey treatments in patients who swallowed BBs; 68.1% (n = 179) had never heard of the use of sucralfate, and 77.6% (n = 204) had never heard of honey applications before in the management of swallowed batteries. CONCLUSION: It was determined that the physicians who managed pediatric battery swallowing cases had deficiencies in their treatment approaches, they had no protocol in their institutions, and the use of mucosal damage mitigation and neutralization treatments, such as honey and sucralfate, was insufficient.

Evaluation of spontaneous reduction among the invagination cases admitted to the paediatric emergency department; retrospective study.

AIMS: We aimed to determine the factors that determine the conditions in cases of invagination with spontaneous reduction. METHODS: Study was conducted retrospectively in the Paediatric Emergency Department (PED) of the tertiary University Hospital in Ankara, Turkey. Invagination cases admitted between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019 were included in the study. Patient information (demographic data such as age, gender, physical examination findings, laboratory and imaging methods, treatment and follow-up) were recorded on the data form prepared by the researchers before the study, using patient files and hospital patient information system. Data were analysed with IBM SPSS V23. RESULTS: During the study period, the number of cases who applied to the PED was 33,849 and 74 of these cases were diagnosed with invagination. In the cases diagnosed with invagination, 69 (93%) of them spontaneously reduced during the follow-up. Among all cases, the male sex ratio was 56.5% (39/69). The average age was 44.6 months (minimum: 6; maximum: 154). The mean follow-up time in the emergency room was 12 hours and in the hospital service was 38 hours. Vomiting was observed in 89.9% (58/69) of all cases, abdominal pain in 68.1% (44/69) and rectal bleeding in 1.4% (1/69).The invagination of 21.7% (15/69) of the patients at the first USG was ileo-ileal. 63.8% (44/69) of the patients were discharged after followed up in emergency observation. The number of USGs was lower in the group that was discharged after the follow-up in the emergency room, than the follow-up groups in the service monitoring (P = .012). CONCLUSION: Invagination is one of the surgical emergencies. With the widespread use of USG, most of these cases are followed up by clinical and USG follow-up in paediatric emergency services. Spontaneous reduction frequently develops in cases of intussusception with small bowel localisation and short bowel segment (less than 3 cm).

The skills of defibrillation practice and certified life-support training in the healthcare providers in Turkey.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation and early defibrillation are critical in survival after in- or out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest. The scope of this multi-centre study is to (a) assess skills of paediatric healthcare providers (HCPs) concerning two domains: (1) recognising rhythm abnormalities and (2) the use of defibrillator devices, and (b) to evaluate the impact of certified basic-life-support (BLS) and advanced-life-support (ALS) training to offer solutions for quality of improvement in several paediatric emergency cares and intensive care settings of Turkey. METHODS: This cross-sectional and multi-centre survey study included several paediatric emergency care and intensive care settings from different regions of Turkey. RESULTS: A total of 716 HCPs participated in the study (physicians: 69.4%, healthcare staff: 30.6%). The median age was 29 (27-33) years. Certified BLS-ALS training was received in 61% (n = 303/497) of the physicians and 45.2% (n = 99/219) of the non-physician healthcare staff (P < .001). The length of professional experience had favourable outcome towards an increased self-confidence in the physicians (P < .01, P < .001). Both physicians and non-physician healthcare staff improved their theoretical knowledge in the practice of synchronised cardioversion defibrillation (P < .001, P < .001). Non-certified healthcare providers were less likely to manage the initial doses of synchronised cardioversion and defibrillation: the correct responses remained at 32.5% and 9.2% for synchronised cardioversion and 44.8% and 16.7% for defibrillation in the physicians and healthcare staff, respectively. The indications for defibrillation were correctly answered in the physicians who had acquired a certificate of BLS-ALS training (P = .047, P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: The professional experience is significant in the correct use of a defibrillator and related procedures. Given the importance of early defibrillation in survival, the importance and proper use of defibrillators should be emphasised in Certified BLS-ALS programmes. Certified BLS-ALS programmes increase the level of knowledge and self-confidence towards synchronised cardioversion-defibrillation procedures.

How should one intervene when a foreign body is blocking a child's oral cavity?

BACKGROUND: Foreign bodies lodged in the oral cavity can be life-threatening. Their removal should be determined on the basis of the patient's condition, the type of object, the removal techniques available, the appropriate medication available and the potential complications. CASE REPORT: A 9-month-old girl was brought to the emergency room by ambulance after a part of a toy became stuck in her oral cavity. Her father had unsuccessfully attempted to remove it at home. A blue cylindrical, rigid plastic toy part was seen during examination of her oral cavity and her tongue was trapped inside it. On initial assessment, her vital signs were within the normal range. She was agitated, a small amount of saliva mixed with blood was coming out of her mouth and she could not swallow her spittle. She was treated in the resuscitation room by an otorhinolaryngologist and a paediatric emergency team, and the foreign body was removed using bayonet forceps inside the mouth. The child was monitored in the paediatric emergency observation unit for 6 hours for signs of asphyxia and aspiration, and she was discharged without complications. CONCLUSION: Foreign bodies in the oral cavity can cause serious complications, including injury, bleeding and sudden airway obstruction. Experienced healthcare professionals, especially those skilled in airway management, should handle these cases using a multidisciplinary approach to ensure respiratory safety.Abbreviations: LMA: laryngeal mask airway; PED: paediatric emergency department.

Nebulized Ipratropium Bromide-induced Anisocoria: Why Is Anisocoria Observed?

Pharmacological anisocoria is a rare but benign condition. This paper presents an eleven-year-old patient with asthma who developed ipratropium bromide-associated anisocoria during nebulizer treatment. Hypotheses regarding the possible causes of anisocoria are discussed and precautions to be taken during treatment are presented. To prevent the development of anisocoria, it was found that it is important to use the appropriate mask during nebulizer treatment, to place the mask on the face properly, and, if possible, to administer drugs by closing the eyes. Further, it is recommended that patients undergo an ophthalmological examination before discharge and that they and their families be informed that the condition is temporary.

Doxylamine succinate overdose: Slurred speech and visual hallucination.

Derinöz-Güleryüz O. Doxylamine succinate overdose: Slurred speech and visual hallucination. Turk J Pediatr 2018; 60: 439-442. Doxylamine succinate is a commonly used antihistamine for respiratory allergies including allergic rhinitis as well as for the management of insomnia. As it is available over-the-counter like other nonprescription antihistamines and sleep aids, there is a risk of overdose. It is believed that doxylamine succinate has both peripheral and central activity with its anticholinergic properties. Delirium, seizures, and coma are among the central adverse effects that are rare. This case was presented since it is the first case in the literature who developed slurred speech and visual hallucination after high dose doxylamine succinate use and received antidotal therapy for anticholinergic side effects.