Pem Currents

Hematemesis in the newborn period is scary for parents but fortunately it is most often due to benign causes such as swallowed maternal blood or GERD. learn more about this surprisingly common problem on this edition of PEMCurrents, the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Podcast.

The heat is on! With warm weather comes a plethora of heat-related problems in the ED. That’s why I’m sharing this edition of PEM Currents, the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Podcast. The focus is on heat illness in its many forms. Learn about everything from the benign prickly heat, to life threatening heat stroke. Stay cool and learn … Continue reading "Heat Illness"

Kids eat stuff they’re not supposed to. Most of the time foreign bodies pass harmlessly through the GI tract. Occasionally they will get stuck. It is your job to figure out who has an impacted foreign body, and how to diagnose and manage it. Check out more Pediatric Emergency Medicine content at PEMBlog.com Follow me … Continue reading "Swallowed Foreign Bodies"

Acquired torticollis must be differentiated from more serious symptoms and remains a common presenting complaint in the Pediatric Emergency Department. Learn more about it in this episode of PEMCurrents the Pediatric Emergency Medicine podcast.

This may be a bit hard to swallow, but not every disease process in the Emergency Department is exciting. Streptococcal pharyngitis is an incredibly common condition, especially in the Pediatric Emergency Department and I wanted to take this opportunity to answer some common questions. Who knows, perhaps after listening to this edition of PEM Currents you … Continue reading "Strep Pharyngitis"

Take a deep breath and PEEP this – PEM Currents, the Pediatric Emergency Medicine podcast proudly brings you an episode dedicated to the initial assessment and management of respiratory distress. Whether you’ve been practicing in the field for 20 years or are fresh out of medical school it is important to recognize key symptoms in … Continue reading "Respiratory Distress"

This edition of PEM Currents, the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Podcast™ reviews the diagnosis and management of Immune Thrombocytopenia, formerly known as Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura. You will definitely see this common acute hematologic conditions in the ED, and should be able to differentiate it from acute leukemia, meningococcemia and other concerning conditions.

This edition of PEM Currents, the Pediatric Emergency Medicine podcast briefly addresses which bruises are concerning in children under the age of 4, and what the ensuing workup should entail. You can also read more on a companion PEMBlog post.

This episode of PEM Currents tackles a bread and butter issue in Pediatric Emergency Medicine, the newborn with fever. I discuss management, specifically how it differs for babies under 28 days of age as well as when to get labs and how to interpret them. I also reference procalcitonin, and touch on its emerging role. … Continue reading "The Febrile Newborn"

This episode focuses on upper GI bleeds. Serious UGI bleeds – you know, the ones with shock, massive transfusions and more – are fortunately rare in the Pediatric Emergency Department. However, there is a growing population of patients with chronic diseases that can lead to portal hypertension, varies and other causes of bleeding from the … Continue reading "Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Bleeds"

I’m delighted to share the latest PEM Currents podcast! I recently sat down with Todd Florin, one of the faculty physicians at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and talked about bronchiolitis, delving into the controversies around the use of hypertonic saline, albuterol and more. Todd also recommended that all of my listeners check out the … Continue reading "An interview with Todd Florin on bronchiolitis, hypertonic saline and more"

With the recent influenza epidemic you may have also seen a rise in the number of cases of parotitis. This should not be a surprise, as acute parotitis is usually viral, self-limited and treated with supportive measures – just like the flu! Learn more by listening to this edition of PEM Currents, which is all … Continue reading "Parotitis"

PEM Currents returns with a look at topical anesthetics used in the Emergency Department. Specifically this edition of the podcast will focus on LET, EMLA and LMX and discuss typical use.

Don’t swoon with excitement because the latest episode of PEM Currents, the Pediatric Emergency Medicine podcast is here! The focus is on convulsive syncope – essentially patients who faint and have movements that could be construed as seizures. You’ll learn how common convulsions with syncope are and what to do if you encounter them in … Continue reading "Convulsive syncope"

This edition of PEM Currents, the Pediatric Emergency Medicine podcast, reviews the safety and comparative efficacy of acetaminophen and ibuprofen. If you work in a Pediatric Emergency Department you’ll certainly have broken a sweat over this hot debate time and time again.

This edition of PEMCurrents echoes a recent post on the PEMBlog and reviews the use of ondansetron in acute gastroenteritis. Specifically highlighting the reduction in risk of further episodes of emesis, need for intravenous fluids and immediate admission to the hospital.

This edition of PEMCurrents takes a crack at clavicle fractures. The old dictum about broken collarbones states that if both ends of the bone are in the same room it’ll heal fine. For the most part this is true – at least in prepubescent patients. New literature in adults has suggested that outcomes are better … Continue reading "Clavicle Fractures"

Recognizing osteomyelitis can be challenging. Treating it doesn’t have to be – especially in the Pediatric ED. This edition of PEM Currents reviews the current evidence surrounding the initial choice of antibiotic, monitoring treatment response and overall therapeutic duration. 

This edition of PEM Currents focuses on the use of antiemetics to treat status migrainosus in the Pediatric ED. Prochlorperazine and Metoclopramide are safe and effective agents with a low incidence of self limited side effects that when given in combination with ketorolac result in over 90% of patient being headache free at 3 hours. … Continue reading "Antiemetics for Migraines"

Ted Brenkert sticks his neck out to educate you on retropharyngeal abscesses. RPAs can be an especially worrisome diagnosis in young children who will present with fever, sore throat and limitation of neck movement. Check out pemblog.com for more educational content