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…
Orthopaedics and rheumatology
24.1 Orthopaedics and rheumatology Robyn Brady, Navid Adib Essentials 1 Painful dysfunction of limb, posture, or gait may be caused by trauma, infection, or less commonly, inflammatory or neoplastic developments….
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…
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…
Fractures and dislocations
24.2 Fractures and dislocations Robyn Brady, John Walsh Essentials 1 Fractures are common in childhood, due to high-level motor activity, developing co-ordination, and the mechanical properties of the growing skeleton….
Disorders of fluids, electrolytes and acid–base
10.5 Disorders of fluids, electrolytes and acid–base Barry Wilkins, Wayne Hazell Essentials 1 The most common causes of hypovolaemic shock in paediatric patients are sepsis, dehydration and trauma. 2 Vigorous…
