“The latest in our series of quick learning bites, designed to tie in with education and sims running in the department.”
The clavicle is commonly fractured following a fall onto the shoulder, though occasionally resulting from a fall onto an outstretched hand.
A Toddler’s Fracture is typically a spiral fracture of the tibia when a child falls and twists their leg with low energy.
The Ottawa Knee Rules are a set of criteria, which guide a clinician as to when an x-ray of the knee is required.
When risk assessing mental health patients, don’t just think ABCDE... think PEPI and SLIPA!
HEEADSSS is a time-tested strategy for obtaining a Psychosocial Review of Systems (PROS) for adolescent patients with mental health concerns.
Status Epilepticus is generally defined as any single or multiple convulsions lasting 30 minutes or more.
Febrile Convulsions are generalised seizures affecting 1 in 20 children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years.
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune response to infections affecting 1 in 40,000 people each year.
Viral gastroenteritis symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea and fever; and accounts for up to 16% of all paediatric emergency admissions.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a chronic condition resulting in inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, the results of which can be life-threatening.
Regular gut bacteria normally keep C. difficile in check. However, antibiotic use can disrupt this balance, leading to the bacteria multiplying and producing a toxin.
Coarctation of the Aorta is a narrowing of the major vessel from the heart that delivers oxygen-rich blood to the body, affecting approximately 1 in 10,000 births.
Long QT Syndrome affects 1 in 2,500 people worldwide and is a congenital (or acquired) disorder that causes the QT interval to become prolonged.
Mindfulness, in its simplest sense, is a mental discipline that involves training attention
Trifascicular block is a combination of heart block with a bifascicular block and can be 'complete' or 'incomplete'.
Hirschsprung’s Disease is a fairly rare (1:5000) congenital condition which (normally) affects the large intestine.
Intestinal ischaemia presents as poorly localised abdominal pain and is the result of decreased blood flow to the GI tract.
Intussusception accounts for up to 25% of all abdominal emergencies in children up to the age of 5.
AAA is the enlargement of the aortic diameter >1.5 times normal and often an incidental finding. But there's an 85-99% mortality rate!
Many people think essential oils are harmless: WRONG! They're highly toxic household items!
Organophosphates are used in at least 50% of the world's pesticides and poisoning can be rapidly fatal. Find out how to reverse the blockade and decontaminate the patient.
Exacerbations of COPD can lead to retention of CO2, and 1-in-5 results in acute hypercapnic respiratory failure. This can be life-threatening.
Croup is an upper airway disorder common amongst infants and children, indicated by a "seal/dog-like" barking cough.
Asthma is a life-changing disease and (in the UK) about 3 people a day die as a consequence.
Neurological observations must be performed on all patients with a head injury to recognise deterioration and monitor progress.
An ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilised egg implants and begins developing outside the uterus - affecting 1 in 80 pregnancies.
Orthostatic hypotension is the fall in blood pressure when transitioning from lying to standing.
