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…
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…
Raised intracranial pressure
8.2 Raised intracranial pressure Richard Lennon Essentials 1 A rapidly expanding head circumference in an infant prior to suture fusion, is an important sign of raised ICP. 2 The open…
CSF shunt complications
8.1 CSF shunt complications Richard Lennon Essentials 1 Emergency physicians should consider the possibility of a shunt complication in any child with a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt presenting to an…
Congenital heart disease
5.5 Congenital heart disease Matthew O’Meara Essentials 1 Congenital cardiac disease is uncommon in children, but should be considered as a possible diagnosis in an infant or child with respiratory…
