This month’s emergency department version of Paediatric Pearls has information on dehydration from the NICE guideline on gastroenteritis in the under 5s, a bit on seizures and the evidence behind our reluctance to let you request chest x-rays for children. I’ve featured the NICE guideline on antibiotics for respiratory illness in primary care too as they are also relevant for the children we see in EUCC and the Emergency Department. I hope you find it helpful; I think the average length of time for each infection is useful information to be able to hand on to parents. Download December’s Paediatric Pearls here.
On gastroenteritis, I have just re-done the Whipps algorithm for prescribing intravenous fluids (http://www.paediatricpearls.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Intravenous_fluids_in_paediatrics.doc). I find it quite useful to have on the wall in the ED as a reminder for non-paediatricians.
Julia
Thank you to one of the GPs for pointing out a mistake in the text box reporting x-ray findings in wheezy children. The definition of afebrile in the study reported is < 38 degrees Celsius not > 38 degrees as I have written. Sorry.
Julia