The Case A 3-month-old breastfed male is brought to the ED with: On exam: You pause. The baby’s floppy. He’s not febrile. He’s not actively seizing. But something is clearly wrong. Diagnosis: Infant Botulism This is classic: a floppy, constipated infant with descending paralysis. Pathophysiology: Key Clinical Clues PEM Pearl: A floppy, afebrile infant with […]
Clinical Scenario: The Floppy Infant with Constipation Read More »
You don’t need moulage or mannequins to get your team ready for the next mass casualty incident (MCI). According to Dr. Matt Harris (PEM physician at Cohen Children’s Medical Center and EMS medical director), some of the most effective MCI prep happens quietly, during the average shift—without a single overhead page. Here are 3 ways
The 3: MCI Training Without a Drill – Practice During Your Next ED Shift Read More »
As the month comes to a close, we’re taking a quick look back at everything we covered on HipPEMcrates. From hot-topic headlines to practical pearls you can use on your next shift, these posts highlight the best of what June had to offer in pediatric emergency medicine. Whether you missed a post or want to
🧠 The Case A 5-month-old infant presents to the ED with: Initial Workup: “The blood drawn looked… brownish.” 🩸 The Turn: Chocolate Blood + Unexpected Hypoxia Blood gas reveals a methemoglobin level of 31.6%(normal is <1.5%) You immediately recognize this as methemoglobinemia—a condition where hemoglobin is oxidized (Fe²⁺ ➝ Fe³⁺) and can no longer carry
Clinical Scenario: The Baby Who Turned Blue Read More »
Welcome to Resources We Love—a recurring series where we spotlight the tools, guides, blogs, and clinical gems that make life in the pediatric emergency department just a little easier (and a lot smarter). We’re all about sharing the evidence-based, high-yield, and actually useful resources that PEM clinicians swear by—whether it’s a go-to pocket guide, a
Resources We Love: PEM Guides Read More »
What happens when your pediatric emergency department gets the call: a school bus rollover, 30 children involved, injuries unknown? That’s the question we posed to Dr. Matt Harris, PEM physician at Cohen Children’s Medical Center, EMS medical director, and seasoned emergency planner. In this episode of Doctors Are People Too, Dr. Harris walks us through
DAPT Podcast: How to Prepare for Pediatric MCIs Read More »
This RSV season was different. Not because RSV disappeared—it didn’t. Not because the ED was quiet—it wasn’t. But for the first time, we had tools to protect babies before they got sick. And based on newly published CDC data, those tools worked. 📉 What Changed This Year? The CDC compared hospitalization data for kids <5
So… Did the RSV Vaccine Actually Help This Year? Read More »
You see a 51-day-old infant in the ED brought in for “fussiness” and ear tugging. She’s afebrile but has a red, bulging tympanic membrane. Do we still need to work her up? Or can you just treat the ear infection and move on? Acute otitis media (AOM) is a common diagnosis in infants, but it
Clinical Scenario: AOM and IBI in Young Infants Read More »
Spoon Feed In a cohort of 102 children receiving intranasal midazolam in the ED for a laceration repair, nearly half exhibited extreme procedural anxiety. IN midazolam isn’t a silver bullet for procedural anxietyThis cross-sectional study examined the incidence of extreme procedural anxiety despite intranasal midazolam (INM) administration in children undergoing laceration repair and identified predictors of
JournalFeed: Midazolam Misses the Mark? Procedural Anxiety in Kids Read More »
A 64-day-old male is brought to the ED for fever to 100.9°F at home. He’s well-appearing, feeding normally, and has mild nasal congestion and cough. No vomiting, rash, or decreased urine output. Vitals are stable. A respiratory viral panel returns positive for RSV. Your intern asks, “Since he’s over 60 days and RSV-positive, do we
Clinical Scenario: SBI in Febrile Infants with Viral Illness Read More »
