Ocular trauma
13.3 Ocular trauma Jennie Martin Essentials 1 Anxiety is pronounced in the carer, be calm in your approach. 2 Consider hidden injury. 3 Never apply pressure to an eye that…
EMERGENCY MEDICINE
Gastrointestinal bleeding
7.2 Gastrointestinal bleeding Elizabeth M. Cotterell Essentials 1 The causes of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in infants and children fall into age-specific diagnostic categories 2 The majority of GI bleeding ceases…
Ophthalmological emergencies
13.1 Ophthalmological emergencies Toby Fogg Essentials 1 A history of contact lens use should always be sought. 2 Visual acuity should always be assessed. 3 Neonatal conjunctivitis may have severe…
Congenital, developmental and neoplastic conditions
13.2 Congenital, developmental and neoplastic conditions Greg Stevens Essentials 1 These conditions are most likely to present with a concern from a parent or caregiver who has noted that there…
Platelet disorders
11.4 Platelet disorders Jane Cocks Essentials 1 Abnormal bleeding can occur from disorders of total numbers of platelets or platelet function. 2 The normal platelet count is between 150 and…
Paediatric advanced life support (PALS, APLS)
2.3 Paediatric advanced life support (PALS, APLS) James Tibballs Essentials 1 Diagnosis of cardiac arrest by pulse palpation alone is unreliable among health-care personnel. If the patient appears to have…
Disorders of coagulation
11.3 Disorders of coagulation Evelyn Doyle Essentials 1 Haemophilia and von Willebrand disease account for the majority of inherited coagulation disorders. 2 A positive family history of a bleeding disorder…
Thyroid emergencies
10.3 Thyroid emergencies Malcolm Higgins Essentials 1. Life-threatening paediatric thyroid emergencies are rare. 2. Children with undiagnosed thyrotoxicosis or hypothyroidism may present to the ED with a range of acute…
Acute ataxia
8.5 Acute ataxia Joanne Grindlay Essentials 1 The most common causes of acute cerebellar ataxia in children are post-infectious (acute cerebellar ataxia), drug intoxication and posterior fossa tumours. 2 Clinical…
