BACKGROUND Print Section Listen Acute bronchiolitis is the most frequent cause of infant hospitalization in the United States. Thus, a significant portion of a pediatric hospitalist’s time is spent caring…

PNEUMONIA Print Section Listen BACKGROUND Epidemiology and Pathophysiology Pneumonia is the leading killer of children worldwide, with nearly 2 million deaths annually among children less than 5 years of age.1,2…

INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Intact skin serves as an effective mechanical barrier in the vast majority of healthy infants and children. Constant desquamation continually removes potentially invasive bacteria; however, almost…

BACKGROUND Print Section Listen Infections of the central nervous system (CNS) in children continue to pose a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to clinicians. Because of the plethora of bacterial, viral,…

INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Invasive medical devices are commonly used in hospitalized children. They result in more than 250,000 infections each year in the United States.1 A catheter-related bloodstream infection…

OSTEOMYELITIS Print Section Listen BACKGROUND Osteomyelitis is an inflammatory process of the bone and bone marrow that is generally due to a bacterial infection. The most common form in childhood…

BACKGROUND Print Section Listen The definition of immune compromise is characterized by an impairment of a host’s ability to effectively handle infectious challenges. As new therapeutic options for previously untreatable…

DISORDERS OF COAGULATION Print Section Listen Blood leaks or vascular occlusions may compromise blood delivery with potentially fatal consequences. The role of the hemostatic system is to maintain blood fluidity…

BACKGROUND Print Section Listen NEUTROPENIA Neutrophils are the cellular elements of the blood, which provide a large portion of anti-bacterial immunity to the body. The risk of sepsis, fungal infections,…