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Background: Minor head trauma in young children is a major cause of emergency department visits. Conflicting guidelines exist regarding radiologic evaluation in such cases., Objective: To determine the practice pattern among Canadian emergency physicians for ordering skull radiographs in young children suffering from minor head trauma. Physicians were also surveyed on their willingness to use a clinical decision rule in such cases., Design/methods: A self-administered email questionnaire was sent to all members of the Pediatric Emergency Research Canada (PERC) group. It consisted of clinical vignettes followed by multiple-option answers on the management plan. The study was conducted using the principles of the Dillman Tailored Design method and included multiple emailings to maximize the response rate. The research protocol received Institutional Review Board approval., Results: A total of 158 of 295 (54%) PERC members responded. Most participants were trained in pediatric emergency medicine and assessed more than 500 children per year. Imaging management for the vignettes was highly variable: 6 of the 11 case scenarios had a proportion of radiograph ordering between 20 and 80%. Ninety-five percent of respondents stated that they would apply a validated clinical decision rule for the detection of skull fracture in young children with minor head trauma. The minimum sensitivity deemed acceptable for such a rule was 98%., Conclusion: Canadian emergency physicians have a wide variation in skull radiography ordering in young children with minor head trauma. This variation, along with the need expressed by physicians, suggests that further research to develop a clinical decision rule is warranted.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the theoretical repeatability coefficient of a 100 mm visual analog scale (VAS) in children in different circumstances., Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted using a convenience sample of patients aged 8 to 17 years presenting to a pediatric emergency department. Patients were asked how they liked a variety of foods (surrogate for stable pain stimulus) on a 100 mm VAS with 4 different sets of questions repeated 3 times: set 1--questions at 3-minute intervals with no specific instructions other than how to complete the VAS; set 2--same format as set 1 except for the duration of the interval (1 min); set 3--same as set 1 except patients were asked to remember their answers; set 4--same as set 1 except patients were shown their previous answers. For each, the repeatability coefficient of the VAS was determined., Results: A total of 100 patients aged 12.1±2.4 years were enrolled. The repeatability coefficient for the questions asked at the 3-minute interval was 12 mm, whereas it was 8 mm when asked at the 1-minute interval. When asked to remember their previous answers or to reproduce them, the repeatability coefficients for the questions were 7 and 6 mm, respectively., Discussion: The conditions of the assessments influence the repeatability coefficient of the VAS. Depending on different circumstances, the repeatability coefficient in children aged 8 to 17 years varies from 6 to 12 mm on a 100 mm VAS.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the sensitivity and specificity of 2- and 4-film x-ray series when interpreted by pediatric emergency medicine physicians in the diagnosis of skull fracture in children., Methods: A noninferiority crossover study was performed. The skull radiographs of the 50 most recent cases of skull fracture for which a 4-film radiography series was available and 50 controls matched for age were reviewed. Two modules, containing a random sequence of 2- and 4-film series of each child, were constructed to have all children evaluated twice (once with 2 films and once with 4 films). Pediatric emergency physicians evaluated both modules 2 to 4 weeks apart. The interpretation of the 4-film series by a pediatric radiologist served as the criterion standard. The sensitivity and specificity of the 2-film versus the 4-film skull x-ray series, in the identification of fracture, were compared., Results: Thirteen pediatric emergency physicians participated in the study. For sensitivity, the mean difference between the 2- and 4-view series was higher than the noninferiority margin of 0.055 with an absolute mean difference of 0.060 (4-view minus 2-view series) and a 1-sided 95% higher confidence limit of 0.099. However for specificity, the mean difference was within the margin with an absolute mean difference of 0.011 and a 1-sided 95% higher confidence limit of 0.033., Conclusions: For children sustaining a head trauma, the 2-film skull radiography series is not as sensitive as the 4-film series in the detection of fracture, when interpreted by pediatric emergency physicians.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of an unfavourable outcome among children leaving without being seen by a physician in the emergency department (ED)., Method: This was a prospective cohort study conducted over a complete year in a pediatric tertiary care ED. A random sample of all children younger than 19 years of age who left without being seen by a physician was contacted by phone 4 to 6 days following the ED visit. The primary outcome was the occurrence of an unfavourable outcome prospectively defined using a Delphi method among 15 pediatric emergency physicians. An unfavourable outcome was defined as hospitalization, the need for an invasive procedure (intravenous or intramuscular medication, fracture reduction, bone casting, or surgical intervention), suicide attempt, or death in the 72 hours following leaving without being seen by a physician. As a secondary outcome, multiple potential predictors were evaluated. The first analysis evaluated the proportion of unfavourable outcomes among children who left without being seen by a physician. Then logistic regression identified predictors of unfavourable outcomes., Results: During the study period, 61,909 children presented to the ED, 7,592 (12%) left without being seen by a physician, and 1,579 were recruited. Thirty-eight (2.4%; 95% CI 1.7-3.2) patients fulfilled the criteria for an unfavourable outcome. On multiple logistic regression, chief complaints related to trauma and absence of nurse counseling had higher risks of unfavourable outcome., Conclusions: Approximately 2% of children who left without being seen by a physician at a tertiary care pediatric ED had an unfavourable outcome.

Background: Most patients who sustain mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) have persistent symptoms at 1 week and 1 month after injury. This systematic review investigated the effectiveness of interventions initiated in acute settings for patients who experience mTBI., Methods: We performed a systematic review of all randomized clinical trials evaluating any intervention initiated in an acute setting for patients experiencing acute mTBI. All possible outcomes were included. The primary sources of identification were MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Central register of Controlled Trials, from 1980 to August 2012. Hand searching of proceedings from five meetings related to mTBI was also performed. Study selection was conducted by two co-authors, and data abstraction was completed by a research assistant specialized in conducting systematic reviews. Study quality was evaluated using Cochrane's Risk of Bias assessment tool., Results: From a potential 15,156 studies, 1,268 abstracts were evaluated and 120 articles were read completely. Of these, 15 studies fulfilled the inclusion/exclusion criteria. One study evaluated a pharmacological intervention, two evaluated activity restriction, one evaluated head computed tomography scan versus admission, four evaluated information interventions, and seven evaluated different follow-up interventions. Use of different outcome measures limited the possibilities for analysis. However, a meta-analysis of three studies evaluating various follow-up strategies versus routine follow-up or no follow-up failed to show any effect on three outcomes at 6 to 12 months post-trauma. In addition, a meta-analysis of two studies found no effect of an information intervention on headache at 3 months post-injury., Conclusions: There is a paucity of well-designed clinical studies for patients who sustain mTBI. The large variability in outcomes measured in studies limits comparison between them.

Study Objective: We evaluate the association between triage levels assigned using the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale and surrogate markers of validity for real-life children triaged in multiple emergency departments (EDs)., Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study evaluating the triage assessment and outcomes of all children presenting to 12 pediatric EDs, all of which are members of the Pediatric Emergency Research Canada group, during a 1-year period (2010 to 2011). Anonymous data were retrieved from the ED computerized databases. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of children hospitalized for each triage level. Other outcomes were ICU admission, proportion of patients who left without being seen by a physician, and length of stay in the ED. Evaluation of all children visiting these EDs during 1 year was expected to provide more than 1,000 patients in each triage category., Results: A total of 550,940 children were included. Pooled data demonstrated hospitalization proportions of 61%, 30%, 10%, 2%, and 0.9% for patients in Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale levels 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. There was a strong association between triage level and admission to the ICU, probability of leaving without being seen by a physician, and length of stay., Conclusion: The strong association between triage level and multiple markers of severity in 12 Canadian pediatric EDs suggests validity of the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale for children., (Copyright © 2012. Published by Mosby, Inc.)

Study Objective: The aims of the study are to measure both the interrater agreement of nurses using the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale in children and the validity of the scale as measured by the correlation between triage level and proxy markers of severity., Methods: This was a prospective multicenter study of the reliability and construct validity of the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale in 9 tertiary care pediatric emergency departments (EDs) across Canada during 2009 to 2010. Participants were a sample of children initially triaged as Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale level 2 (emergency) to level 5 (nonurgent). Participants were recruited immediately after their initial triage to undergo a second triage assessment by the research nurse. Both triages were performed blinded to the other. The primary outcome measures were the interrater agreement between the 2 nurses and the association between triage level and hospitalization. Secondary outcome measures were the association between triage level and health resource use and length of stay in the ED., Results: A total of 1,564 patients were approached and 1,464 consented. The overall interrater agreement was good, as demonstrated by a quadratic weighted κ score of 0.74 (95% confidence interval 0.71 to 0.76). Hospitalization proportions were 30%, 8.3%, 2.3%, and 2.2% for patients triaged at levels 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. There was also a strong association between triage levels and use of health care resources and length of stay., Conclusion: The Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale demonstrates a good interrater agreement between nurses across multiple pediatric EDs and is a valid triage tool, as demonstrated by its good association with markers of severity., (Copyright © 2012. Published by Mosby, Inc.)

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral dimenhydrinate in the treatment of acute gastroenteritis., Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted in the emergency department of a pediatric university-affiliated center. Children 1 to 12 years old who presented to the emergency department with at least 5 episodes of vomiting in the previous 12 hours and diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis were block-randomized to receive oral dimenhydrinate (1 mg/kg; maximum: 50 mg) every 6 hours for 4 doses or placebo for 4 doses. The primary outcome measure was treatment failure as defined by the occurrence of ≥ 2 episodes of vomiting in the 24 hours after administration of the first dose of the study medication., Results: During the study period, 209 patients met inclusion criteria, but 50 refused to participate and 7 were missed. Eight participants were lost to follow-up, and 144 were thus included in the primary analysis. Of these patients, 74 were randomized to receive dimenhydrinate and 70 placebo. The proportions of patients showing failure of treatment were similar for both treatment groups: dimenhydrinate, 31% (23 of 74); placebo, 29% (20 of 70) (difference: 0.02 [95% confidence interval: -0.12 to 0.17]). There were no differences between the 2 groups in rates of intravenous cathether insertion, mean number of episodes of vomiting or diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, duration of symptoms, revisit rates, or parental absenteeism. The proportions of adverse effects were similar in both groups (53% vs 54%)., Conclusions: The prescription of oral dimenhydrinate did not significantly decrease the frequency of vomiting in children with acute gastroenteritis compared with placebo.

Objective: To determine whether parental reporting of malodorous urine is associated with urinary tract infection (UTI) in children., Methods: We conducted a prospective consecutive cohort study in the emergency department of a pediatric hospital from July 31, 2009 to April 30, 2011. All children aged between 1 and 36 months for whom a urine culture was prescribed for suspected UTI (ie, unexplained fever, irritability, or vomiting) were assessed for eligibility. A standardized questionnaire was administered to the parents by a research assistant. The primary outcome measure was a UTI., Results: Three hundred ninety-six children were initially enrolled, but 65 were excluded a posteriori either because a urine culture, although prescribed, was not done (11), was collected by bag (39), and/or showed gross contamination (25). Therefore, 331 children were included in the final analysis. Their median age was 12 months (range, 1-36). Criteria for UTI were fulfilled in 51 (15%). A malodorous urine was reported by parents in 57% of children with UTI and in 32% of children without UTI. On logistic regression, malodorous urine was associated with UTI (odds ratio 2.83, 95% confidence interval: 1.54-5.20). This association remained statistically significant when adjusted for gender and the presence of vesicoureteral reflux (odds ratio 2.73, 95% confidence interval: 1.46-5.08)., Conclusions: Parental reporting of malodorous urine increases the probability of UTI among young children being evaluated for suspected UTI. However, this association is not strong enough to definitely rule in or out a diagnosis of UTI.

In children, many psychometric properties of the visual analogue scale (VAS) are known, including the minimum clinically significant difference (10mm on a 100-mm VAS). However, its imprecision or reliability is not well known. Thus, in order to determine the reliability of this scale, a prospective cohort study was performed in patients aged 8-17 years presenting to a pediatric emergency department with acute pain. Pain was graded 4 times using a paper VAS (0-100mm): T(0), T(3), T(6), and T(≥ 36)minutes. After T(6), patients were asked if their pain had changed since T(0)minute. The primary analysis was the repeatability coefficient of the VAS, determined according to the Bland-Altman method for measuring agreement using repeated measures in patients reporting that their pain was the same for T(0), T(3), and T(6). In order to appropriately estimate the within-subject SD, 96 patients were required if we obtained 3 measurements for each patient. A total of 151 patients with a mean age of 12.2 ± 2.5 years were enrolled. Among them, 100 mentioned that their pain was the same for T(0), T(3), and T(6)minutes. The repeatability coefficient of the VAS for these children was 12 mm when the pain did not change. This implies that, for a child, all pain intensity measurements within 12 mm should be considered the same pain intensity on a paper VAS. This measure should also be evaluated on other types of VAS., (Copyright © 2012 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This study aimed to assess the impact of physicians' gender, work experience, and training on hospitalization among children visiting a pediatric emergency department (ED)., Methods: This retrospective cohort study used the computerized database of a tertiary care pediatric ED staffed by pediatric emergency physicians, general pediatricians, and general emergency physicians. Participants were all children evaluated in the ED between April 1, 2008, and March 31, 2009. The primary outcome was hospitalization, and secondary outcome was unscheduled return in the 48 hours after discharge from the ED. Determinants of outcomes were physician's gender, experience, and specialty training. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate associations between physicians' characteristics and the risk of admission, adjusting for referral status, triage level, chief complaints, and other potential risk factors., Results: Forty-five physicians evaluated 49,146 patients during the study period. Physicians' individual admission and return rates varied from 1% to 24% and 0% to 11%, respectively. On multiple logistic regression, physician's gender was not a predictor of admission but the physician's years of experience was slightly associated with both admission rates and unscheduled return visits. As a group, pediatric emergency physicians demonstrated a lower admission rate than physicians trained in general pediatric or general emergency medicine., Conclusions: Individual physician's admissions proportions vary widely. Providers' experience and specialization in pediatric emergency medicine are weak predictors of admission, whereas gender was not associated.

Background: Nurses counsel the parents of patients leaving without being seen by a physician (LWBS) about common childhood illnesses. This strategy's impact is not known., Objective: To assess the impact of nurse counseling on ED return visits and outcomes for children who LWBS., Methods: This retrospective cohort study used the computerized database of a tertiary care pediatric ED. Participants were all triaged children who LWBS between April 1st 2008 and March 31st 2009. Parents who notified nurses of their intention to leave received information and counseling on when to return. This counseling's occurence was this study's exposure of interest. The control group included patients who LWBS without notification and thus were not counseled. The primary outcome was a return visit to the ED within 48h. Triage level and referral status were used as severity indicators. To demonstrate a 2% difference in return visits (α value 0.05, power 80%), 3213 participants were needed per group., Results: During the study period, 60,525 patients consulted the ED and 10,323 LWBS; of these, 4639 (45%) received nurse counseling and 5684 (65%) did not. There was a 2.0% (95% CI 1.0, 3.0) decrease in ED return visit proportions between groups. On multiple logistic regression, the counseled group was less likely to return to the ED within 48h., Conclusion: This study suggests that, of patients who LWBS, those who receive counseling by a nurse have less return visits in the following 48h., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Waiting times to see a physician in emergency departments (EDs) are growing, and a greater number of patients are leaving the ED without being seen by a physician (LWBS)., Objectives: The objective was to assess the characteristics of the children who left a pediatric ED without being seen by a physician., Methods: This retrospective case-control study was performed using the computerized database of a tertiary care pediatric ED. All children aged less than 19 years old presenting to the ED between April 1, 2008, and March 31, 2009, were included. Cases were all triaged children who LWBS. Controls were all triaged children seen by a physician. Independent variables concerning the patient, the illness, and the period of consultation were assessed. A stepwise logistic regression model was constructed using significant variables identified through univariate analysis to select characteristics most predictive of patients who LWBS. The minimum sample size needed to evaluate 10 risk factors is 100 patients who LWBS. We estimated that evaluating all patients visiting the ED for 1 year would minimize seasonal variation and generate more than 10,000 patients who LWBS., Results: During the study period, 60,525 patients presented to the ED. A total of 10,037 (16.6%) patients were triaged, but LWBS. On multiple logistic regression, referral by a physician (odds ratio [OR] = 0.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.08 to 0.12); summer or fall consultation (OR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.43 to 0.45; and OR 0.42, 95% CI = 0.39 to 0.45, respectively, compared to winter); and higher acuity triage level were associated with a lower risk of patients who LWBS. Evening arrivals (OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.9 to 2.2, compared to night), ages between 3 months and 11 years (OR varying from 1.3 to 1.8 compared to more than 11 years of age), and living close to the hospital (OR = 1.2, 95% CI = 1.1 to 1.3) were risk factors for LWBS. The most important predictor of LWBS was triage level with rates of 0, 0, 1.5, 23, and 49% for Levels 1 to 5 according to the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS)., Conclusions: This study shows that children who LWBS have a lower triage acuity, are less often referred by a physician, and are largely in the 3-month to 11-year-old age range. Environmental factors, such as the timing of the consultation and the proximity of patients' homes, are also associated with LWBS., (© 2011 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.)

The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes that occurred in the treatment of migraine over a 10-year period in a pediatric emergency department (ED) after the implementation of a protocol. The method employed was a comparative retrospective chart review of children diagnosed with migraine in an ED. The two study periods were 1996-1997, and 2006-2007. A protocol suggesting a specific approach was implemented in the ED in 1999. The primary outcome was the medications used in the ED. There were 182 visits for migraine in 2006-2007 compared with 144 visits in 1996-1997. More patients were treated in the ED in 2006-2007 compared with 1996-1997: 50 versus 30%, a difference of 20% (95% confidence interval: 9, 30). The treatments used were also different. In conclusion, a variation in the treatment of migraine was observed over a 10-year period in a pediatric ED after the implementation of a treatment protocol.

Objectives: Studies have suggested that poor knowledge of the Ottawa Ankle Rules (OAR) limits its clinical impact. This study evaluated the ability of a mnemonic to improve knowledge of the OAR., Methods: This was a single-blind randomized controlled trial performed among residents and medical students doing a pediatric emergency medicine rotation. At baseline, all participants were tested for their baseline knowledge of the OAR. The intervention was a standardized information sheet providing a mnemonic of the OAR (44-55-66-PM), while control subjects received its classic description. Block randomization (medical student vs. type of resident) was used. Each participant answered the same questionnaire at the end of rotation (3 weeks later) and via a Web-based survey 5 to 9 months postrandomization. Main outcome measures were knowledge of the components of the ankle rule based on a 13-item criterion grid and the foot rule based on a 10-item criterion grid. All questionnaires were marked at the end of the study by two reviewers blinded to the randomization. Discrepancies in final scores were resolved by consensus. Student's t-test was performed to compare mean scores on the evaluation between groups using an intention-to-treat approach., Results: Among the 206 eligible participants, 96 medical students and 94 residents were recruited and agreed to participate. Primary outcomes were measured in 95% of the participants at 3 weeks postrandomization and in 72% on the long-term follow-up. Participants in both groups were similar with regard to baseline characteristics and prior knowledge of the OAR. Both groups showed improvement in their knowledge of the rule during the study period. At mid-term, knowledge of the OAR was similar for the ankle components (score for mnemonic 10.9; control 10.2; 95% confidence interval [CI] for difference = -0.3 to 1.7) and for the foot (mnemonic 7.6 vs. control 7.5; 95% CI for difference = -0.7 to 0.9). On the long term, randomization to the mnemonic was associated with a better knowledge of the OAR as demonstrated by a higher score for the ankle component (mnemonic 10.1 vs. control 8.9; 95% CI for difference = 0.6 to 1.8) and for the foot (mnemonic 7.8 vs. control 6.5; 95% CI for difference = 0.8 to 1.9)., Conclusions: Mid-term knowledge of the OAR drastically improved for all participants of the study. The use of the mnemonic 44-55-66-PM was associated with a better long-term knowledge of the OAR among medical students and residents. The improvement in knowledge of the OAR among the control group highlights the importance of using controlled trials for studies evaluating knowledge transfer.

Background: Prochlorperazine is the only treatment that has been studied so far in a randomized controlled trial and found to reduce pain at 1 h in children with migraine who presented to an emergency department (ED)., Objective: To evaluate the rate of treatment failure associated with prochlorperazine used in children with severe migraine in a pediatric ED., Methods: This study was a retrospective chart review of patients < 18 years of age who visited the ED of a tertiary care pediatric hospital between November 2005 and June 2007. All patients diagnosed with migraine by the emergency physicians were included in the study. Charts were evaluated by a data abstractor blinded to the study hypothesis using a standardized datasheet. Inter-rater agreement was measured. Prochlorperazine treatment failure was defined as either administration of further rescue therapy, a hospitalization, or a return visit to the ED within 48 h for symptom recurrence or side effects from the medication., Results: Prochlorperazine was administered in 92 episodes of migraine, including 43 confirmed by a pediatric neurologist; all received diphenhydramine to prevent akathisia. A total of 13 (14%) of these patients had a treatment failure: 8 patients received one or more further rescue therapies after the administration of prochlorperazine; 5 patients were hospitalized, including 3 who had received further rescue therapy; and 3 patients returned to the ED within 48 h due to symptom recurrence., Conclusion: There was a treatment failure rate of 14% with the use of prochlorperazine in association with diphenhydramine for severe migraine in children seen in a pediatric ED., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The objective was to evaluate the discriminatory ability of two clinical asthma scores, the Preschool Respiratory Assessment Measure (PRAM) and the Pediatric Asthma Severity Score (PASS), during an asthma exacerbation., Methods: This was a prospective cohort study in an academic pediatric emergency department (ED; 60,000 visits/year) conducted from March 2006 to October 2007. All patients 18 months to 7 years of age who presented for an asthma exacerbation were eligible. The primary outcome was a length of stay (LOS) of >6 hours in the ED or admission to the hospital. Clinical findings and components of the PRAM and the PASS were assessed by a respiratory therapist (RT) at the start of the ED visit and after 90 minutes of treatment., Results: During the study period, 3,845 patients were seen in the ED for an asthma exacerbation. Of these, 291 were approached to participate, and eight refused. Moderate levels of discrimination were found between a LOS of >6 hours and/or admission and PRAM (area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.59 to 0.79) and PASS (AUC = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.60 to 0.80) as calculated at the start of the ED visit. Significant similar correlations were seen between the physician's judgment of severity and PRAM (r = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.42 to 0.65) and PASS (r = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.43 to 0.65)., Conclusions: The PRAM and PASS clinical asthma scores appear to be measures of asthma severity in children with discriminative properties., ((c) 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.)

Objectives: The objective was to validate the clinical dehydration scale (CDS) for children with gastroenteritis in a different pediatric emergency department (ED) from where it was initially derived and validated., Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed in a tertiary care pediatric ED over a 1-year period. A sample of triage nurses were trained in applying the CDS. The CDS consists of four clinical characteristics (general appearance, eyes, mucous membranes, and tears), each of which are scored 0, 1, or 2 for a total score of 0 to 8, with 0 representing no dehydration; 1 to 4, some dehydration; and 5 to 8, moderate/severe dehydration. Children 1 month to 5 years of age with vomiting and/or diarrhea who had the CDS documented at triage and a final diagnosis of gastroenteritis, gastritis, or enteritis were enrolled. Exclusion criteria included a chronic disease, treatment with intravenous (IV) rehydration within the previous 24 hours, visit to the ED for the same illness in the 7 days prior to arrival, and diarrhea of more than 10 days' duration. The primary outcome was the length of stay (LOS) in the ED from the time of seeing a physician to discharge, analyzed with a Kruskal-Wallis test., Results: From April 2008 to March 2009, 150 patients with a mean (+/-SD) age of 22 (+/-14) months (range = 4 months to 4 years) were enrolled. Fifty-six patients had no dehydration, 74 had some dehydration, and 20 had moderate/severe dehydration. The median LOS in the ED after being seen by a physician was significantly longer as children appeared more dehydrated according to the CDS: 54 minutes (interquartile range [IQR] = 26-175 minutes), 128 minutes (IQR = 25-334 minutes), and 425 minutes (IQR = 218-673 minutes) for the no, some, and moderate/severe dehydration groups, respectively (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: The CDS has been further validated in children with gastroenteritis in a different pediatric center than the original one where it was developed. It is a good predictor of LOS in the ED after being seen by a physician., ((c) 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.)

Although the verbal numeric scale (VNS) is used frequently at patients' bedsides, it has never been formally validated in children with acute pain. In order to validate this scale, a prospective cohort study was performed in children between 8 and 17years presenting to a pediatric emergency department (ED) with acute pain. Pain was graded using the VNS, the visual analogue scale (VAS), and the verbal rating scale (VRS). A second assessment was done before discharge. We determined a priori that in order to be valid, the VNS would need to: correlate with the VAS (concurrent validity); decrease after intervention to reduce pain (construct validity); and be associated with the VRS categories (content validity). The VNS interchangeability with the VAS, its minimal clinically significant difference, and test-retest reliability were also determined. A total of 202 patients (mean age: 12.2+/-2.6years) were enrolled. The VNS correlated with the VAS: r(ic)=0.93, p<0.001. There were differences in the VNS before versus after interventions (p<0.001), and between VRS categories (mild versus moderate, p<0.001; moderate versus severe, p<0.001). The 95% limits of agreement (interchangeability) between VNS/VAS were outside the a priori set limit of +/-2.0: -1.8, 2.5. The VNS minimal clinically significant difference was 1. The VNS had good test-retest reliability with 95% limits of agreement of -0.9 and 1.2. In conclusion, the VNS provides a valid and reliable scale to evaluate acute pain in children aged 8-17years but is not interchangeable with the VAS., (Copyright 2009 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Study Objective: The Ottawa Ankle Rules, Low-Risk Exam, and Malleolar Zone Algorithm are assessment rules designed to minimize radiographs performed on children with ankle trauma. We aim to determine the criterion validity of the abovementioned 3 rules for predicting clinically important ankle fractures in children., Methods: This was a prospective cohort study performed in a pediatric emergency department. Children aged 16 years and younger and with acute ankle trauma were eligible. Physicians were initially trained to assess patients according to the Ottawa Ankle Rules, Low-Risk Exam, and Malleolar Zone Algorithm. Furthermore, they implemented each rule with a standardized diagram. Radiography and referral to orthopedics were left to the physicians' discretion. The primary outcome was the confirmation of a clinically important fracture confirmed during the orthopedic follow-up. Patients who did not require orthopedic follow-up were contacted by telephone., Results: Radiography was performed for 245 of the 272 participants. All patients with no radiograph were reached by telephone. Forty-seven participants had a clinically important fracture. The sensitivity and specificity of the rules were 1.00 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.93 to 1.00) and 0.27 (95% CI 0.21 to 0.33) for the Ottawa Ankle Rules, 0.87 (95% CI 0.75 to 0.94) and 0.54 (95% CI 0.47 to 0.60) for the Low-Risk Exam, and 0.94 (95% CI 0.83 to 0.98) and 0.24 (95% CI 0.19 to 0.31) for the Malleolar Zone Algorithm., Conclusion: The Ottawa Ankle Rules identified all children with a clinically important fracture, whereas the Low-Risk Exam and the Malleolar Zone Algorithm showed lower sensitivities. The Low-Risk Exam showed the best specificity for clinically important fractures, decreasing the need for radiograph by 49%, but had missed 6 important fractures.

Objective: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of abdominal x-rays in the diagnosis of intussusception when interpreted by pediatric emergency physicians., Study Design: This was a prospective experimental study. Participants were board-certified/eligible pediatric emergency physicians. They evaluated a module containing radiographs of 50 cases of intussusception and 50 controls, matched for age and sex. For each x-ray, the physicians stated whether the x-ray increased, decreased or did not affect suspicion of intussusception. The primary outcome was the percentage of cases for which physicians stated that the x-ray increased their level of suspicion (sensitivity). Secondary outcomes included the proportion of false-negative results and specificity., Results: Fourteen of 15 eligible physicians participated in the study. Overall, abdominal radiography increased the index of suspicion of intussusception in 48% of cases (sensitivity) and 21% of controls; however, in 11% of cases, the abdominal x-rays were incorrectly interpreted as being reassuring. The specificity was 21%. The radiographs were deemed equivocal for 41% of cases and 58% of controls., Conclusions: Abdominal x-rays have a low sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing intussusception when interpreted by pediatric emergency physicians.

Objective: We evaluated the validity of the Canadian Paediatric Triage and Acuity Scale (PaedCTAS) for children visiting a pediatric emergency department (ED)., Methods: This was a retrospective study evaluating all children who presented to a pediatric university-affiliated ED during a 1-year period. Data were retrieved from the ED database. Information regarding triage and disposition was registered in an ED database by a clerk following patient management. In the absence of a gold standard for triage, admission to hospital, admission to pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and length of stay (LOS) in the ED were used as surrogate markers of severity. The primary outcome measure was the correlation between triage level (from 1 to 5) and admission to hospital. The correlation between triage level and dichotomous outcomes was evaluated by a chi2 test and an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to evaluate the association between triage level and ED LOS., Results: Over the 1-year period, 58,529 patients were triaged in the ED. The proportion admitted to hospital was 63% for resuscitation (level 1), 37% for emergent (level 2), 14% for urgent (level 3), 2% for semiurgent (level 4) and 1% for nonurgent (level 5) (p < 0.001). There was also a good correlation between triage levels and LOS and admission to PICU (both p < 0.001)., Conclusion: This computerized version of PaedCTAS demonstrates a string association with admission to hospital, admission to PICU and LOS in the ED. These results suggest that PaedCTAS is a valid tool for triage of children in a pediatric ED.

Objectives: The objective was to measure the interrater agreement between nurses assigning triage levels to children visiting a pediatric emergency departments (EDs) assisted by a computerized version of the Pediatric Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (PedCTAS)., Methods: This was a prospective cohort study evaluating children triaged from Level 2 (emergent) to Level 5 (nonurgent). A convenience sample of patients triaged during 38 shifts from April to September 2007 in a tertiary care pediatric ED was evaluated. All patients were initially triaged by regular triage nurses using a computerized version of the PedCTAS. Research nurses performed a second evaluation blinded to the first evaluation using the same triage tool. These research nurses were regular ED nurses performing extra hours for research purposes exclusively. The primary outcome measure was the interrater agreement between the two nurses as measured by the linear weighted kappa score. Secondary outcomes included the proportion of patient for which nurses did not apply the triage level suggested by Staturg (override) and agreement for these overrides., Results: A total of 499 patients were recruited. The overall interrater agreement was moderate (linear weighted kappa score of 0.55 [95% confidence interval {CI} = 0.48 to 0.61] and quadratic weighted kappa score of 0.61 [95% CI = 0.42 to 0.80]). There was a discrepancy of more than one level in only 10 patients (2% of the study population). Overrides occurred in 23.2 and 21.8% for regular and research triage nurses, respectively. These overrides were equally distributed between increase and decrease in triage level., Conclusions: Nurses using Staturg, which is a computerized version of the PedCTAS, demonstrated moderate interrater agreement for assignment of triage level to children presenting to a pediatric ED.

Background: The trend in pediatric sport organizations is to regroup activities into tournaments. Sports-related injuries in children are a public concern., Objective: To evaluate the association between sport injuries and consolidation of physical activity in children., Design: A case-crossover study., Setting: The emergency department of a tertiary care hospital for approximately 1 year in 2006., Participants: Eligible participants had to be between 8 to 16 years of age, presenting to the emergency department for an acute injury that occurred during a timed organized sport event., Assessment of Risk Factors: A standardized questionnaire was used to evaluate the number of hours of organized physical activity, which was defined as a supervised exercise leading to competitions. The number of hours of activity was compared between case periods (48 hours and 7 days) and control periods of same length., Main Outcome Measurements: An injury was defined as any acute problem with organic tissue that occurred during a sport., Results: On average, participants performed 136 minutes of organized sport activity in the 48 hours preceding the injury for a mean difference of 8 +/- 18 min. They also performed 356 minutes of organized sports in the 7 days prior the injury. This represented an increase of 40 +/- 31 minutes compared to the control periods., Conclusions: More injuries were observed if the athletes had increased the concentration of activity in the 7 days prior. Although small, this difference reflected a minor clinical effect. In our study, we failed to disclose an association for the period of 48 hours.

Objective: The Paediatric Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (PaedCTAS) stipulates that febrile patients who are 3 to 36 months old should be triaged to the PaedCTAS 3 "urgent" category. To optimize resource use, we implemented a protocol enabling these children to be down-triaged to the PaedCTAS 4 "less urgent" category if there was no sign of toxicity. Our objective was to evaluate the safety of this triage protocol modification., Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluated all patients triaged in an urban tertiary pediatric hospital during a 6-month period between November 22, 2005, and May 22, 2006. Data were retrieved from the emergency department (ED) database and rates of hospitalization and intensive care unit (ICU) admission were compared for 4 groups: all patients triaged as urgent (level 3), all febrile patients from 3 to 36 months old triaged as urgent (level 3), all patients triaged as less urgent (level 4) and all febrile patients aged 3 to 36 months old who were down-triaged to less urgent (level 4)., Results: There were 36,285 total ED visits during the study period, including 3477 febrile children who were 3 to 36 months old. Nurses down-triaged 1869 febrile children (54%) to the level-4 (less urgent) category and left 1322 (38%) in the level-3 (urgent) category. Hospitalization rate for down-triaged febrile patients was similar to that seen for all PaedCTAS 4 patients (2.4% v. 2.8%, 95% confidence interval for difference -0.3% to 1.1%). Down-triaged patients had significantly lower admission rates than those remaining in the level-3 (urgent) category (absolute risk reduction 10.7% standard deviation 1.9%, p<0.001). No down-triaged patient died or required ICU admission., Conclusion: Febrile children aged 6 to 36 months who have no signs of toxicity can safely be down-triaged, based on triage nurse clinical judgement, to the less urgent PaedCTAS 4 category. This modification would affect the triage level of approximately 5% of all pediatric ED visits.

Background: The use of a standardized triage tool allows better comparison of the patients; a computerized version could theoretically improve its reliability., Objectives: To compare the interrater agreement of the Pediatric Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (PedCTAS) and a computerized version (Staturg)., Methods: A two-phase experimental study was conducted to compare the interrater agreement between nurses assigning triage level to written case scenarios using either traditional PedCTAS or Staturg. Participants were nurses with at least one year of experience in pediatric emergency medicine and trained at triage. Each of the 54 scenarios was evaluated first by all nurses using either one of the strategies. Four weeks later, they evaluated the same scenarios using the other tool. The primary outcome was the interrater agreement measured using kappa score., Results: Eighteen of the 29 eligible nurses participated in the study. The computerized triage tool showed a better interrater agreement, with a Staturg kappa score of 0.55 (95% confidence interval = 0.53 to 0.57) versus a PedCTAS kappa score of 0.51 (95% confidence interval = 0.49 to 0.53). The computerized version was also associated with higher agreements for scenarios describing patients with the highest severity of triage (kappa score of 0.72 vs. 0.55 for level 1; kappa score of 0.70 vs. 0.51 for level 2)., Conclusions: A computerized version of the PedCTAS showed a statistically significant improvement in the interrater agreement for nurses evaluating the triage level of 54 clinical scenarios, but this difference has probably small clinical significance.

Study Objective: The evidence supporting the use of analgesia in children with abdominal pain suggestive of appendicitis is limited. The objectives of the study are to evaluate the efficacy of morphine before surgical consultation in children presenting to the pediatric emergency department (ED) with right lower quadrant pain suggestive of appendicitis and determine whether it has an impact on the time between arrival in the ED and the surgical decision., Methods: All children between the ages of 8 and 18 years who presented to a pediatric ED with a presumptive diagnosis of appendicitis were eligible to be enrolled in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial if the initial pain was at least 5 of 10 on a verbal numeric scale. Patients received either 0.1 mg/kg of intravenous morphine (maximum 5 mg) or placebo. The primary outcomes were (1) the difference in pain using a visual analog scale at baseline and 30 minutes after the completion of the intervention, analyzed by comparing the mean pain differences for the treatment versus placebo groups; and (2) the time between arrival in the ED and the surgical decision, analyzed by comparing the median delay for the 2 groups., Results: Ninety patients with a suspected diagnosis of appendicitis were randomized to receive morphine or placebo. Both groups were similar in terms of demographics, medical history, physical findings, emergency physician assessment of the probability of appendicitis, and initial pain score. There was no important difference in the decrease of pain between the morphine (n=45) and placebo (n=42) groups 30 minutes after the intervention: 24+/-23 mm and 20+/-18 mm, respectively (delta 4 mm [95% confidence interval [CI] -5 to 12 mm]). There was also no important difference in the time between arrival in the ED and the surgical decision: median 269 minutes (95% CI 240 to 355 minutes) for morphine and 307 minutes (95% CI 239 to 415 minutes) for placebo (delta -34 minutes [95% CI -105 to 40 minutes])., Conclusion: The use of morphine in children with a presumptive diagnosis of appendicitis did not delay the surgical decision. In our group of patients, however, morphine at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg was not more effective than placebo in diminishing their pain at 30 minutes.

Study Objective: In children, the agreement between the many scales used to document the intensity of pain is not well known. Thus, to determine the agreement, we evaluate the visual analog scale, the standardized color analog scale, the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale, and a verbal numeric scale in children with acute abdominal pain suggestive of appendicitis in a pediatric emergency department (ED)., Methods: Participants were children who were aged 8 to 18 years, presented to a pediatric ED with abdominal pain suggestive of appendicitis, and were recruited to participate in a randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of morphine. Patients were initially asked to grade their pain on a plasticized color analog scale, a paper visual analog scale, a paper Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale, and then with a verbal numeric scale. Thirty minutes after morphine or placebo administration, the assessment was repeated. All scores were then converted to a value of 0 to 100. Agreements between scores were evaluated with the Bland-Altman method, and the 95% lower and upper limits were reported. We defined a priori the maximum limit of agreement at +/-20 mm., Results: A total of 87 children were included in the study, 58 of them with confirmed appendicitis. The 95% limits of agreement for each pair of scales were visual analog scale/color analog scale -18.6, 14.4; visual analog scale/Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale -20.1, 33.7; visual analog scale/verbal numeric scale -30.2, 20.7; color analog scale/Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale -18.5, 36.3; color analog scale/verbal numeric scale -26.9, 22.1; and Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale/verbal numeric scale -38.7, 15.7., Conclusion: Our study suggests that only the visual analog scale and the color analog scale have acceptable agreement in children with moderate to severe acute abdominal pain. In particular, the verbal numeric scale is not in agreement with the other evaluated scales.

Background: Intention-to-treat (ITT) is an approach to the analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCT) in which patients are analyzed as randomized regardless of the treatment actually received., Purpose: To ascertain the proportion of RCT reporting the use of intention-to-treat and the accuracy of that report and to examine the distribution and analysis of missing data for the studies reporting an ITT analysis., Method: We conducted a cross-sectional literature review of RCTs reported in 10 medical journals in 2002. All articles were assessed using a standardized form. Two evaluators independently reviewed a 10% sample of articles to assess reliability. Subsequently, one evaluator reviewed the remaining articles. The proportion of articles reporting the use of ITT was calculated. Among these, the proportion of articles that ;analyzed patients as randomized' and the proportion and analysis of missing data were evaluated using standardized definitions., Results: Of the 403 articles, 249 (62%) reported the use of ITT. Among these, available patients were clearly analyzed as randomized in 192 (77%). Authors used a modified ITT in 23 (9%); clearly violated a major component of ITT in 17 (7%), and the approach used was unclear in 17 (7%). More than 60% of articles had missing data in their primary analysis. Few articles reported a strategy for missing data. The main reason for missing data was loss to follow-up., Limitations: A single evaluator evaluated most articles, but the high concordance obtained during the inter-rater evaluation suggests that the assessments were consistent. In addition, the small spectrum of journals limits generalizability. Finally, there could be a difference between what was reported and what was performed., Conclusions: This study emphasizes that authors use the label ;intention-to-treat' quite differently. The most common use refers to the analysis of all available subjects as randomized regardless of the missing data aspect.

Background: Vital signs measurement is considered standard practice in paediatric emergency department triage assessment, but studies have shown variable incidence of missing data., Objectives: To evaluate the rate of missing data for vital signs at triage and to determine clinical and environmental predictive factors., Methods: A retrospective cohort design was used to study a database of consecutive patients registered at a tertiary paediatric emergency department during randomly chosen shifts. Demographic and clinical data were collected. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the determinants of missing data for body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure and pulse oximetry., Results: There were 2081 patients triaged during the study periods. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, triage level (from 1 = priority to 4 = nonurgent) was an independent predictor of missing data for heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure and pulse oximetry (OR 1.48 to 2.05). Patients visiting the emergency department during the day shift (OR 1.08 to 4.72) and the evening shift (OR 1.38 to 9.24) had a higher rate of missing data than those visiting during the night shift. A decreased level of consciousness, an immunocompromised state and referral by a physician did not meet statistical significance as predictive factors., Conclusions: There was a high rate of missing data for vital signs. Factors related to patients' clinical characteristics, such as acuity of triage level, were associated with a higher rate of vital signs documentation at triage. An environmental factor, shift of presentation, was also independently associated with a higher rate.

The aim of this study was to compare the performance of the Paediatric Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (Paed CTAS) to a previous triage tool with respect to the percentage of admissions, the diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, and the mean pediatric risk of admission (PRISA) score in a pediatric tertiary center emergency department. Data were prospectively collected for 4 months before the Paed CTAS introduction (PRE group) and for 4 months after its implementation (Paed CTAS group). Both groups were similar in chief complaints, distribution of triage levels, and mean PRISA score. In the Paed CTAS group, more patients were triaged in the higher acuity levels (53% vs 36%, P < .05), but the percentage of admission for these patients was comparatively lower (13% vs 27%, P<.05). The ability to predict admission was greater for the PRE tool as compared to the Paed CTAS tool (AUC: 0.82 vs 0.69, P=.001). The ability to predict requirements for interventions such as blood culture and intravenous fluid bolus was similar for both triage tools.

Study Objectives: The pediatric risk of admission (PRISA) score was developed to predict the risk for hospitalization for pediatric emergency department patients. We sought to evaluate prospectively the predictive value of the PRISA score with respect to the risk for hospitalization in a pediatric ED., Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in a pediatric tertiary center ED. From November 1, 2000, to October 31, 2001, 3 periods of 8 hours each were randomly chosen monthly. During these periods, all patients triaged to the ED were evaluated. Data collection was performed by an investigator uninvolved in the patients' treatment. Data were recorded before the decision regarding hospitalization was made. Odds ratios for the risk of hospitalization related to individual criteria and PRISA scores were calculated. Discrimination and calibration of the score were assessed., Results: During the study periods, 1,930 patients were evaluated. Among these, 203 hospitalizations were observed, and the PRISA score predicted 235. The goodness-of-fit test demonstrated that the score had good predictive ability (chi(2)=28.15; P =.78). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis confirmed the latter findings (area under the curve 0.79 [95% confidence interval 0.72 to 0.86]). Some individual criteria of the score did not significantly predict risk for admission., Conclusion: The PRISA score is a good predictor of the risk for hospitalization in a pediatric ED. It seems more accurate for the sicker patients. Some variables of the score could be deleted or modified to optimize its accuracy.