Treatment aims Prevent and treat burn shock. Provide adequate analgesia. Prevent infection. Obtain early skin cover. Prevent hypertrophic scar formation. Restore function and correct cosmetic defect. Prevent recurrence of injury…

Hypovolaemic shock Dehydration without shock can generally be managed with oral rehydration fluid and solids. Children with shock (hypotension and acidosis) caused by hypovolaemia should be given parenteral fluid immediately:…

Febrile convulsions Febrile convulsions (FC) are usually brief, generalised seizures associated with a febrile illness, in the absence of any CNS infection or past history of afebrile seizures. Most FC…

Acute infectious gastroenteritis The most common cause is rotavirus infection, with the seasonal peak period during autumn and winter in Australia. It is responsible for 40–50% of cases requiring hospital…

Rational antimicrobial prescribing Unnecessary antibiotic use for viral illnesses contributes to the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance. Most respiratory tract infections in children, including tonsillitis and otitis media, are self-limiting…

Anaemia Anaemia is defined as having a haemoglobin (Hb) less than the lower limit of the reference range for age (Table 29.1). Clinical features suggestive of anaemia Pallor. Poor growth….

Inguinoscrotal conditions The underlying pathological basis of an inguinal hernia, an encysted hydrocele of the cord or a scrotal hydrocele is the persistence of a patent processus vaginalis after the…

Assessment A high index of suspicion is the primary rule in the diagnostic approach to metabolic disorders. The presenting symptoms of metabolic diseases are non-specific (see Table 31.1). Children presenting…

Dental development Primary dentition Teeth start to form from the 5th week in utero and may continue until the late teens or early twenties. The first teeth to erupt are…

Assessment of acute pain Pain scores are important! They are the fi fth vital sign on patients’ observation charts. Pain assessment includes a combination of the following: History Including site,…