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Objective The objective of this study was to assess the attitudes of contemporary residents toward receiving rapid feedback on their teaching skills from their medical student learners. Methods Participants consisted of 20 residents in their second post-graduate training year. These residents facilitated 44 teaching sessions with medical students within our Resident-as-Teacher program. Structured, written feedback from students was returned to the resident within 3 days following each session. Residents completed a short survey about the utility of the feedback, whether they would make a change to future teaching sessions based on the feedback, and what specifically they might change. The survey utilized a 4-point scale ("Not helpful/likely=1" to "Very helpful/likely=4"), and allowed for one free-text response. Free-text responses were hand-coded and underwent qualitative analysis to identify themes. Results There were 182 student feedback encounters resulting from 44 teaching sessions. The survey response rate was 73% (32/44). Ninety-four percent of residents rated the rapid feedback as "very helpful," and 91% would "very likely" make a change to subsequent sessions based on student feedback. Residents' proposed changes included modifications to session content and/or their personal teaching style. Conclusions Residents found that rapid feedback received from medical student learners was highly valuable to them in their roles as teachers. A rapid feedback strategy may facilitate an optimal educational environment for contemporary trainees.

Trauma series radiographs (ie, lateral cervical spine, anteroposterior chest, and anteroposterior pelvis) are routinely recommended for victims of multiple trauma. However, the utility of the chest and pelvic radiographs has never been adequately evaluated. The purpose of this study is to determine whether clinical findings alone predict the results of these radiographs.The pediatric radiology department at the Jacobi Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, maintains a log of all patients who have undergone a complete trauma series. From this group, we selected all patients younger than 2 years with a Glasgow Coma Scale greater than 14 points. The patients' emergency department charts were reviewed to note the presence or absence of localizing signs and symptoms referable to the chest and pelvis, including chest or pelvic pain, tenderness, ecchymoses or abrasions, shortness of breath or other respiratory symptoms, hematuria or difficulty voiding, and abdominal distention.Sixteen of the 91 subjects (18%) had localizing chest findings. Two of these patients had positive chest radiographs, whereas the 75 patients without localizing chest findings had no positive chest radiographs (P0.03). Thirty-two of 91 subjects (35%) had localizing pelvic signs. Five of these patients had positive pelvic radiographs, whereas the 56 patients without localizing pelvic signs had no positive pelvic radiographs (P0.01). The negative predictive value of localizing signs and symptoms was 100% for both chest and pelvic radiographs.These data suggest that if an adequate examination can be performed, trauma series radiographs can be ordered selectively, based on the patient's clinical findings.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends renal ultrasound (RUS) and voiding cystourethrography (VCUG) for all infants after a first urinary tract infection (UTI). However, many congenital renal anomalies are identified by a prenatal US. At the present time, there are no data regarding the yield of post-UTI imaging among infants who have a documented normal prenatal US. We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all patients

Clinical Manual of Emergency Pediatrics, 5th edition, is a concise, portable handbook summarizing the wide range of conditions encountered in pediatric emergency departments. As children with acute problems often receive care in private offices and clinics, it is equally relevant for pediatricians, emergency medicine physicians, family practitioners and internists. The 5th edition of this hugely successful resource is the leading book of its kind for several reasons: • Clear, concise guidance is given for patient evaluation and follow-up and explicit indications for admission • Every chapter is organized in a standard format, making it very easy for a reader to locate critical information rapidly • A dedicated 'Special Considerations' chapter addresses difficult problems such as the crying infant and the cross-cultural encounter Numerous new topics are included, making Clinical Manual of Emergency Pediatrics, 5th edition an invaluable resource for any physician working in acute care settings where children are seen.

In this prospective study of 442 infants younger than 8 weeks of age who attended a pediatric emergency department with temperature greater than or equal to 100.6 degrees F (38.1 degrees C), urinary tract infections (UTIs) were found in 33 patients (7.5%), 2 of whom were bacteremic. Clinical and laboratory data were not helpful for identifying UTIs. Of the 33 patients with UTIs, 32 had urinalyses recorded; 16 were suggestive of a UTI (more than five white blood cells per high-power field or any bacteria present). Of the 16 infants with apparently normal urinalysis results, three had an emergency department diagnosis suggesting an alternative bacterial focus of infection. If the physician had decided on the basis of apparently normal urinalysis results to forgo obtaining a urine culture, more than half of the UTIs would have been missed. Bag-collected specimens were significantly more likely to yield indeterminate urine culture results than either catheter or suprapubic specimens. In addition, uncircumcised males were significantly more likely to have a UTI than circumcised boys. These results suggest that a suprapubic or catheter-obtained urine specimen for culture is a necessary part of the evaluation of all febrile infants younger than 8 weeks of age, regardless of the urinalysis findings or another focus of presumed bacterial infection.

Objective. Creatine is a nutritional supplement that is purported to be a safe ergogenic aid in adults. Although as many as 28% of collegiate athletes admit taking creatine, there is little information about creatine use or potential health risk in children and adolescents. Although the use of creatine is not recommended in people less than 18 years of age, numerous anecdotal reports indicate widespread use in young athletes. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency, risk factors, and demographics of creatine use among middle and high school student athletes. Methods. Before their annual sports preparticipation physical examinations, middle and high school athletes aged 10 to 18 in Westchester County, a suburb north of New York City, were surveyed in a confidential manner. Information was collected regarding school grade, gender, specific sport participation, and creatine use. Results. Overall, 62 of 1103 participants (5.6%) admitted taking creatine. Creatine use was reported in every grade, from 6 to 12. Forty-four percent of grade 12 athletes surveyed reported using creatine. Creatine use was significantly more common (P < .001) among boys (53/604, 8.8%) than girls (9/492, 1.8%). Although creatine was taken by participants in every sport, use was significantly more common among football players, wrestlers, hockey players, gymnasts, and lacrosse players (P < .001 for all). The most common reasons cited for taking creatine were enhanced performance (74.2% of users) and improved appearance (61.3%), and the most common reason cited for not taking creatine was safety (45.7% of nonusers). Conclusions. Despite current recommendations against use in adolescents less than 18 years old, creatine is being used by middle and high school athletes at all grade levels. The prevalence in grades 11 and 12 approaches levels reported among collegiate athletes. Until the safety of creatine can be established in adolescents, the use of this product should be discouraged.

Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) is an emerging infectious disease that primarily affects adults. Typical clinical features include fever, headache, and myalgias. This case represents the youngest reported patient with HGE. Her clinical presentation was unusual in that she presented with severe abdominal pain. In addition, she did not develop the typical spectrum of laboratory abnormalities that has been reported in adults. This patient's course suggests that the presentation of HGE may be more varied than previously reported.

In Reply.— Dagan suggests that the infants in our sample with normal results of urinalysis may have had some other cause for their fever, although they had urine culture results that met Hellerstein's1 criteria for urinary tract infection (UTI). Five infants with catheter or suprapubic specimens identified as being at low risk for sepsis had normal urinalysis results. Dagan notes that in only two of these cases was the bacterial count > 105 colony-forming units (CFU).

In Reply.— Dr Roscelli calls attention to the 16 infants in our sample with positive urine cultures but negative urinalyses and admission diagnoses other than urinary tract infection (UTI). These patients, Dr Roscelli suggests, could have had asymptomatic bacteriuria with a different source for their fever. Although we doubt that these infants had asymptomatic bacteriuria, in theory it is possible that the bacteriuria was not the cause of the fever. However, as Dr Roscelli states, "at this time there no way to determine if the bacteriuria is causing the patient's fever or is simply an incidental finding."

To assess the value of routine chest radiography during acute first attacks of asthma, we studied 371 consecutive children over one year of age who presented with an initial episode of wheezing. Three hundred fifty children (94.3 per cent) had radiographic findings that were compatible with uncomplicated asthma and were considered negative. Twenty-one (5.7 per cent) had positive findings: atelectasis and pneumonia were noted in seven, segmental atelectasis in six, pneumonia in five, multiple areas of subsegmental atelectasis in two, and pneumomediastinum in one. The patients with positive films were more likely to have a respiratory rate above 60 or a pulse rate above 160 (P less than 0.001), localized rales or localized decreased breath sounds before treatment (P less than 0.01), and localized rales (P less than 0.005) and localized wheezing (P less than 0.02) after treatment; also, these patients were admitted to the hospital more often (P less than 0.001). Ninety-five per cent (20 of 21) of the children with positive films could be identified before treatment on the basis of a combination of tachypnea, tachycardia, fever, and localized rales or localized decreased breath sounds. Most first-time wheezers will not have positive radiographs; careful clinical evaluation should reveal which patients will have abnormal radiographs and will therefore benefit from the procedure.

The Welch Allyn AudioScope is a new screening instrument that allows both audiometric testing at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz at 25 dB hearing level and otoscopic examination. Sixty-eight patients between 3 and 9 years of age with normal hearing or a variety of hearing losses comprised the study population. Immediately after receiving an audiologic evaluation the subjects were screened with a traditional screening audiometer and two examinations with the AudioScope, performed in a clinic examining room by pediatricians and nurse practitioners unaware of the children's hearing status. The AudioScope was as accurate as traditional hearing screening in identifying children with normal hearing and those with hearing loss. Log-linear modeling demonstrated that the results of AudioScope testing were similar to those of traditional hearing screening. However, the false positive rate was higher at 500 Hz for the first AudioScope examination, suggesting the need for two AudioScope tests. The AudioScope was quick and easy to use, nonthreatening to the subjects, less expensive than a pure-tone screening audiometer, and does not require a sound-treated room.

The dose-related effects of inhaled 5% metaproterenol solution in asthmatic children between the ages of six and 12 years with acute bronchospasm were evaluated. Tests included FEV1.0, FEF25-75, and PEFR. For entry into the study, subjects were required to have an FEV1.0 or an FEF25-75 less than 80% of the child's predicted normal value based on height and race. Sixty children were randomly assigned in double-blind fashion to receive one of four different doses of 5% metaproterenol inhalant solution: 0.0 ml (placebo), 0.1 ml, 0.2 ml, or 0.3 ml. Drug efficacy was assessed by spirometry using a DeVilbiss Surveyor I spirometer. Spirometry was performed prior to inhalation of the test dose (baseline) and four times after inhalation: immediately after and 15, 30, and 60 minutes after inhalation. Patients in the three treated groups had significantly higher peak post-dose FEV1.0 and FEF25-75 than the placebo group but were not significantly different from one another. There was a significant relationship between dose and incidence of side effects. These results suggest that 0.1 ml (5 mg) of nebulized metaproterenol may provide as much bronchodilatation as higher doses with fewer side effects.

• The ingestion of a caustic substance can lead to severe damage to the esophagus. Currently, esophagoscopy is recommended for all patients with a history of caustic substance ingestion because clinical criteria have not proved to be reliable predictors of esophageal injury. The records of 79 consecutive patients younger than 20 years who were first seen with a history of corrosive ingestion were reviewed. The presence or absence of three serious signs and symptoms—vomiting, drooling, and stridor—as well as the presence and location of oropharyngeal burns were compared with the findings on subsequent esophagoscopy. Fifty percent (7/14) of the patients with two or more of these serious signs and symptoms (vomiting, drooling, and stridor) had serious esophageal injury as compared with no positive endoscopic results in the group with none or only one of these clinical findings. The presence of oropharnygeal burns did not identify patients with serious esophageal injury. These results suggest that the presence of two or more signs or symptoms in patients with a history of caustic substance ingestion may be a reliable predictor of esophageal injury. (AJDC1984;138:863-865)