Platelet disorders
11.4 Platelet disorders Jane Cocks Essentials 1 Abnormal bleeding can occur from disorders of total numbers of platelets or platelet function. 2 The normal platelet count is between 150 and…
EMERGENCY MEDICINE
Disorders of coagulation
11.3 Disorders of coagulation Evelyn Doyle Essentials 1 Haemophilia and von Willebrand disease account for the majority of inherited coagulation disorders. 2 A positive family history of a bleeding disorder…
Paediatric advanced life support (PALS, APLS)
2.3 Paediatric advanced life support (PALS, APLS) James Tibballs Essentials 1 Diagnosis of cardiac arrest by pulse palpation alone is unreliable among health-care personnel. If the patient appears to have…
Thyroid emergencies
10.3 Thyroid emergencies Malcolm Higgins Essentials 1. Life-threatening paediatric thyroid emergencies are rare. 2. Children with undiagnosed thyrotoxicosis or hypothyroidism may present to the ED with a range of acute…
Acute ataxia
8.5 Acute ataxia Joanne Grindlay Essentials 1 The most common causes of acute cerebellar ataxia in children are post-infectious (acute cerebellar ataxia), drug intoxication and posterior fossa tumours. 2 Clinical…
CSF shunt complications
8.1 CSF shunt complications Richard Lennon Essentials 1 Emergency physicians should consider the possibility of a shunt complication in any child with a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt presenting to an…
Raised intracranial pressure
8.2 Raised intracranial pressure Richard Lennon Essentials 1 A rapidly expanding head circumference in an infant prior to suture fusion, is an important sign of raised ICP. 2 The open…
Abdominal and pelvic trauma
3.4 Abdominal and pelvic trauma Scott Pearson Essentials 1 Children may have significant internal injury with little evidence of external trauma. The abdominal viscera are less well protected by the…
Ingested foreign bodies
7.6 Ingested foreign bodies Scott Pearson Essentials 1 Foreign bodies in the stomach or intestines are expected to pass spontaneously about 99% of the time if the child has normal…
