Asthma is a common problem in the emergency department (ED), with many children having significant exacerbations. The ED physician must be prepared with a versatile approach to rapidly stabilize the patient. This article comprehensively reviews the approach to a child with acute severe asthma, emphasizing management alternatives.
Spinal trauma is a rare yet important category of injury. Children account for 10% of spinal injuries, but account for 25% of the mortality. Pediatric patients who present with possible spinal injury pose several unique challenges to the emergency department provider. Unique anatomic and developmental features place pediatric patients at risk for spinal injuries that are not typically seen in the adult population. In addition, unlike adult patients, there is little consensus on the most appropriate workup for potentially injured patients. When evaluating pediatric patients, practitioners must balance the limited available clinical data with the risks and benefits of various imaging modalities. The authors review the spectrum of pediatric spinal injury.
