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The “red code” (RC) represents the highest level of emergency in the emergency department (ED). This study retrospectively analyzed RCs in the Regina Margherita Children’s Hospital ED, a regional referral center in north Italy, between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2023. The aim was to describe RC characteristics and to identify significant correlations between presenting complaints and clinical management. The study includes 934 RCs (0.9% of overall ED admissions); 64% were assigned based on the Pediatric Assessment Triangle alteration. Most patients, 86.5%, followed the medical pathway, while 13.5% were surgical cases. Admission complaints were respiratory (46.9%), neuropsychiatric (26.7%), traumatic (11.8%), cardiologic (9.3%), metabolic (3.8%), and surgical (1.5%). Seventy-six percent of patients received vascular access, and intraosseous access was obtained in 2.2% of them. In one-third of RCs, an urgent critical care evaluation was necessary, and 19% of cases required admission to the intensive care unit. The overall mortality rate was 3.4% (0.4% in ED setting). The study identified six distinct diagnostic pathways, each associated with specific characteristics in clinical presentation, management, therapeutic interventions, and outcomes. Our findings underscore the need for a systematic approach in pediatric emergency settings, supported by international and national guidelines but also by clearly defined diagnostic pathways, aiming to enhance the quality of care and patient outcomes.

In children, hypothyroidism usually presents non-specific symptoms; symptoms can emerge gradually, compromising a timely diagnosis. We report the case of a 13-year-old male, who was admitted to the hospital due to swelling of the torso and neck. Besides these symptoms, the child was healthy, except for a significant growth delay. Ultrasound evaluation and blood tests led to the diagnosis of myxedema secondary to severe hypothyroidism, which was due to autoimmune thyroiditis. Further investigations revealed pericardial effusion and pituitary hyperplasia, with hyper-prolactinemia. Treatment with levothyroxine led to edema regression and clinical, hemato-chemical and radiological improvement. After 6 months, growth velocity increased, although the recovery of growth already lost was not guaranteed. Brain MRI showed regression of pituitary hyperplasia. The diagnostic delay in this case was probably due to the patient’s apparent good health, and the underestimation of growth restriction. This report underlines the importance of growth monitoring in adolescence, a critical period for identifying endocrine conditions; if undiagnosed, these conditions can lead to serious complications, such as myxedema in hypothyroidism, with potential effects beyond growth on multiple organs.