Lumbar puncture
23.18 Lumbar puncture Ronald A. Dieckmann Background Lumbar puncture (LP) is a time-honoured method for obtaining cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for diagnostic evaluation of suspected central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities. LP…
EMERGENCY MEDICINE
Umbilical Vessel Cannulation
23.13 Umbilical Vessel Cannulation Judith Klein Background During fetal life, two umbilical arteries transport nutrients and oxygen from the placenta and one umbilical vein helps dispose of fetal waste. During…
Transurethral catheterisation and suprapubic bladder aspiration
23.16 Transurethral catheterisation and suprapubic bladder aspiration Conor Deasy, Judith Klein Background Obtaining an uncontaminated specimen of urine is essential to diagnose urinary tract infection (UTI). UTIs are a common…
Tube thoracostomy
23.8 Tube thoracostomy Ronald A. Dieckmann Background Traumatic pneumothorax and haemothorax are the most frequent paediatric indications for tube thoracostomy. Pneumothorax is a serious sequela of major chest trauma in…
Emergency medical transport and retrieval
27.1 Emergency medical transport and retrieval Andrew Berry Essentials 1 Children are different from adults and therefore can have different needs in terms of medical retrieval. Early consultation with clinicians…
Confirmation of intubation
23.5 Confirmation of intubation Michelle Lin Background Confirming correct placement of the endotracheal tube is crucial because of the high morbidity and mortality of an inadvertent and unrecognised oesophageal intubation….
Electrical countershock
23.14 Electrical countershock Ronald A. Dieckmann, Conor Deasy Background When a child’s heart deteriorates into ventricular fibrillation (VF) or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT), there is usually a severe systemic insult,…
Acute kidney injury
16.1 Acute kidney injury Barry Wilkins Essentials 1 Acute kidney injury (AKI, or acute renal failure) is acute reduction in glomerular filtration rate. 2 A high or rising plasma creatinine…
Nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal airways and the laryngeal mask airway
23.3 Nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal airways and the laryngeal mask airway Michelle Lin, Conor Deasy Background Children have relatively large tongues, which may fall back and cause airway obstruction when there is…
Child at risk
18.2 Child at risk Simon Young, Raymond Chin, Gervase Chaney Essentials 1 Non-accidental injury occurs when an adult responsible for the care of the child either harms the child or…
