To tell you the tooth you’ll probably see quite a few kids with dental related complaints in the Pediatric Emergency Department. This can range from cavities to invasive infections. Brush up on all things dental infections in this episode of PEM Currents. And yes, those puns were intentional. I must’ve flossed my mind! PEMBlog Briefs: […]

You don’t need a flu test to diagnose the flu! But there are situations where rapid antigen testing or PCR is valuable. Listen to this episode of PEM Currents, the Pediatric Emergency Medicine podcast, to learn more about the test characteristics of common assays and when to obtain testing when prevalence rates for the flu […]

Hyperkalemia is more than just peaked T-waves on an EKG. Learn why an elevated serum potassium level can put patients in the danger zone and how to acutely manage patients in a goal directed manner. Check out more great educational content on PEMBlog.com Follow me on Twitter @PEMTweets

I’m sure that you’ll probably see a case of bronchiolitis this winter. Call it a hunch. In this episode of PEM Currents you’ll learn why suctioning and ensuring hydration are still the mainstays of therapy, and why albuterol, racemic epinephrine, steroids and more don’t have a place in routine cases. And if you read any […]

This episode of PEM Currents, featuring Preston Dean – @prestonndean on Twitter, a senior Pediatric Resident at Cincinnati Children’s, is about all things Rapid Sequence Intubation. You’ll learn about equipment, techniques, drugs and more! PEMBlog.com

Fever, tachypnea and rales – it must be a community acquired pneumonia… right? Learn more about the diagnosis and management of this common problem in the Pediatric Emergency Department. Essential Reading Bradley JS, Byington CL, Shah SS, Alverson B, Carter ER, Harrison C, Kaplan SL, Mace SE, McCracken GH Jr, Moore MR, St Peter SD, […]

Ventricular CSF shunts are very common – many kids have them. The most common complications are malfunction and infection. This episode of PEM Currents reviews the basics and how you can assess for complications in CSF shunts in kids. PEMBlog.com Boyle, Kimia, Nigrovic. Validating a Clinical Prediction Rule for Ventricular Shunt Malfunction. Pediatric Emergency Care, 2017. […]

Vocal cord dysfunction, AKA paradoxical vocal fold motion is more common than you might think. Patients often present to the Emergency Department in respiratory distress and “wheezing.” Learn about the diagnosis itself, different phenotypes and what treatment options are out there. References Christopher KL, Wood RP 2nd, Eckert RC, Blager FB, Raney RA, Souhrada JF. Vocal-cord dysfunction […]

Get ahead of your peers and listen to this episode of PEM Currents, the Pediatric Emergency Medicine podcast where you’ll learn all about the management of acutely elevated intracranial pressure. You’ll learn about common maneuvers such as optimizing the ABCs, Keeping the head elevated and midline as well as thermoregulation. I also discuss osmotic therapies […]

Don’t hold you breath while listening to this podcast – because you’d be doing so for longer than 20 seconds – and you will have apnea. Do however, listen to learn more about cyanotic and pallid breath holding spells so that you can be prepared to diagnose and manage them in the Emergency Department. Check […]

What does the combination of erythema multiforme, fever and swollen joints equal? If you answered a visit to the Emergency Department you’re only partially correct. Serum sickness like reaction is a delayed type hypersensitivity reaction that often occurs 7-10 days after starting a course of antibiotics. Learn how you can recognize it and differentiate it […]

It’s an epidemic! OK, so not quite, but we are seeing a rise in the number of kidney stones recently and we’re not quite sure why. This episode of PEMCurrents will focus on diagnosis and treatment of stones and answer such questions as; Which pain medicine should I order first? and which is the better imaging […]

Check out the latest episode of PEM Currents the Pediatric Emergency Medicine podcast where I talk about hemorrhagic (AKA ruptured) ovarian cysts. I delve into diagnosis and management and suggest strategies for obtaining a diagnostic ultrasound. Check out more great educational content on PEMBlog.com

Ben Kerrey is a rising star in Pediatric Emergency Medicine and is the point man for an ongoing initiative at Cincinnati Children’s centered around improving safety and limiting complications during rapid sequence intubation. I recently sat down with Ben to talk about the state of RSI in pediatric patients, the difference between a checklist and a […]

This edition of PEM Currents is a bite-sized rundown on rabies, or more accurately rabies post-exposure prophylaxis since most of you will never see it clinically, but will encounter a kid who meets an unscrupulous animal.