PEDIATRICS
Empirical Treatment of Bacterial Infections
BACKGROUND Print Section Listen The initiation of antibiotic therapy is a common challenge for clinicians caring for hospitalized patients. Many factors influence the choice of whether to start antibiotics, when…
Transfusion Medicine
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen The primary goal of transfusion medicine is to provide the safest blood transfusions possible for patients who need them. In the pediatric patient population, red blood…
Thrombocytopenia
BACKGROUND Print Section Listen Thrombocytopenia, usually defined as an absolute platelet count less than 150,000/mm3, is a common cause of bleeding in pediatric patients. A low platelet count can be…
Epidermolysis Bullosa
BACKGROUND Print Section Listen Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) refers to a family of rare genodermatoses characterized by an inherited tendency toward recurrent cutaneous and mucosal blistering at sites of mechanical trauma….
Management of Sickle Cell Disease
BACKGROUND Print Section Listen Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited hemolytic anemia that affects approximately 100,000 persons in the United States, mostly in the African-American population. It is responsible…
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
BACKGROUND Print Section Listen Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are idiopathic, lifelong, destructive chronic inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract which…
Hypoglycemia
BACKGROUND Print Section Listen Hypoglycemia is the most common biochemical emergency in pediatric patients. Therefore, the ability to efficiently evaluate and treat of this condition is essential for the general…
Hyperammonemia
BACKGROUND Print Section Listen PATHOPHYSIOLOGY Ammonia, the nitrogen-containing waste product of protein metabolism, is extremely toxic at high concentrations. Under normal circumstances, blood ammonia is cleared rapidly by the urea…
