News and Blogs

A New PECARN Clinical Decision Rule Minimizes Unnecessary Imaging for Pediatric Cervical Spine Injuries

A New PECARN Clinical Decision Rule Minimizes Unnecessary Imaging for Pediatric Cervical Spine Injuries

Introduction Each year, more than 8 million children in the U.S. are evaluated in emergency departments (EDs) following blunt trauma, but less than 1% are diagnosed with cervical spine injuries (CSI). Computed tomography (CT) scans are often used to evaluate for CSIs. This exposes children to ionizing radiation increasing their lifetime risk of cancer. A […]

Press Release: Study Finds Neck Injury Prediction Rule Could Decrease Imaging Exposure in Children

Press Release: Study Finds Neck Injury Prediction Rule Could Decrease Imaging Exposure in Children

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Cervical spine injuries in children are relatively rare but can have serious consequences, like paralysis. The standard method for detecting these injuries involves X-rays and computed tomography (CT) scans, which expose children to radiation and may pose long-term health risks. In a study published today in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, researchers […]

STArT Study: Arginine and sickle cell crisis

STArT Study: Arginine and sickle cell crisis

Introduction Children with sickle cell anemia often present to the emergency department with vaso-occlusive pain episodes (VOE), also referred to as pain crisis. In these patients, pain develops when red blood cells become sickle shaped, causing them to not be able to pass through the smaller blood vessels in joints and bones. This leads to severe […]

Intranasal Fentanyl: A Breath of Fresh Air in Sickle Cell Pain Management

Intranasal Fentanyl: A Breath of Fresh Air in Sickle Cell Pain Management

Introduction Sickle cell disease (SCD) and the associated vaso-occlusive episodes (VOEs) remain a significant health challenge, particularly among children. Additionally, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommended that parenteral opioids be given within 30 minutes from triage or 60 minutes from emergency department (ED) registration. Realistically, these are challenging benchmarks to meet, partly because […]

Role of Procalcitonin Level for Serious Bacterial Illness in Febrile Infants

Role of Procalcitonin Level for Serious Bacterial Illness in Febrile Infants

Introduction Each year, U.S. emergency departments face the challenge of evaluating around 200,000 infants aged 60 days and younger, with 8-10% having serious bacterial infections, including the serious categories of bacteremia and bacterial meningitis. The PECARN febrile infant working group previously derived a clinical prediction rule to identify febrile infants at low risk for serious […]