Children with minor head trauma who have altered mental status but no other PECARN risk factors have a very low risk of serious brain injury – and none in this large study required neurosurgery. The Clinical Dilemma Every day, emergency physicians face a common dilemma: a child comes in after hitting their head and seems […]
In emergency medicine, the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) serves as a crucial tool for assessing the consciousness level of patients with head injuries. But how reliable is the GCS in determining the need for head imaging or neurosurgical intervention in children? A groundbreaking study by Johnson, Nishijima, and Kuppermann examines the link between GCS scores […]
Study Overview Professional research dissemination requires dedicated infrastructure—not an afterthought. From 2020 to 2023, PECARN teamed up with Academic Life in Emergency Medicine (ALiEM) to develop and manage a systematic social media strategy (specifically Twitter/X) focused on amplifying research impact. This deliberate investment in professional digital scholarship has been documented in a peer-reviewed study published […]
Background Spinal motion restriction (SMR) has been a cornerstone of prehospital trauma care for decades, based on the premise that immobilization prevents secondary spinal cord injury. However, a new PECARN study published in Prehospital Emergency Care reveals a striking disconnect between SMR application and actual cervical spine injury (CSI) rates in children—raising important questions about […]
Background Researchers have discovered that artificial intelligence systems called large language models (LLMs), like ChatGPT and Claude, can effectively analyze patient and community feedback in emergency research settings. In a new study published in Scientific Reports, investigators evaluated how well these AI tools could assess community perspectives within the Exception from Informed Consent (EFIC) process, […]
Background Pediatric asthma exacerbations represent a significant burden on emergency departments, with over 1.2 million ED visits and 110,000 hospitalizations annually in the United States. While many treatment options exist for the emergency care of asthma (such as albuterol, ipratropium bromide, and corticosteroids), some children continue to have persistent symptoms and require hospitalization despite these […]
Introduction Vaso-occlusive episodes (VOEs) remain the primary cause of morbidity in sickle cell disease (SCD), with management heavily reliant on opioid analgesics. Early literature suggests that VOEs may be related to an arginine deficiency. Arginine produces nitric oxide (a potent vasodilator), improves mitochondrial function, and decreases oxidative stress. It is also the precursor for kyotorphin, […]
Background With adolescent suicide rates increasing by 50% since 2001 and approximately 10% of U.S. high school students reporting a suicide attempt within a 12-month period, identifying imminent warning signs is crucial. This PECARN study addresses a critical knowledge gap by examining the 24-hour warning signs preceding adolescent suicide attempts [1]. Study Question What warning […]
Febrile infants aged 60 days and younger present unique challenges for emergency physicians, with serious bacterial infections (SBI) posing a significant risk. Among the various potential infections, pneumonia is a critical concern, with prevalence ranging from 0.1% to 8% in these young infants. Current diagnostic practices, primarily relying on clinical evaluation, struggle to identify pneumonia […]
Introduction Acute gastroenteritis affects millions of children in the U.S. every year, leading to emergency department visits and hospitalizations. Probiotics, particularly Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), have been commonly used as a treatment, but evidence supporting their effectiveness has been limited [1-3]. A new study conducted by the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) aimed […]
