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Abdominal pain is one of the most common presenting complaints encountered in the pediatric emergency department. The use of point-of-care ultrasonography by emergency physicians has been shown to expedite the diagnosis of a large variety of conditions and can be used to accurately identify intra-abdominal pathology in children. We describe the case of a pediatric patient who presented to the pediatric emergency department with acute abdominal pain, in whom point-of-care ultrasonography helped expedite the diagnosis of acute portal vein thrombosis and liver abscess.

Background Haemoptysis is an uncommon presenting symptom in children and is usually caused by acute lower respiratory tract infection or foreign body aspiration. We report a rare case of right unilateral pulmonary vein atresia (PVA) as the underlying aetiology of recurrent haemoptysis in a child. Case presentation A 4 years old girl presented with history of recurrent haemoptysis. Bronchoscopic evaluation excluded a foreign body aspiration but revealed right bronchial mucosal hyperaemia and varices. Diagnosis of right unilateral PVA was suspected on transthoracic echocardiography which demonstrated hypoplastic right pulmonary artery and non-visualization of right pulmonary veins. Final diagnosis was confirmed on cardiac CT angiography. A conservative treatment approach was opted with consideration for pneumonectomy in future when she is older. Conclusion Rarer causes should be considered when investigating for recurrent haemoptysis in children. Bronchoscopy and cardiac imaging are useful tools to establish the diagnosis of unilateral PVA in our case.

IntroductionSingle or double antiplatelet therapy (APT), primarily aspirin and clopidogrel is the cornerstone of treatment for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and recurrent AIS. The use of point-of-care instrument in determining on-treatment platelet reactivity (OTPR) in AIS has yet to be explored. ObjectiveWe aimed to determine the trend of baseline and serial OTPR of AIS patients during admissions at a tertiary referral centre. MethodologyPatients admitted with AIS and prescribed with either aspirin or clopidogrel or both were recruited from May 2017 to January 2019. Baseline platelet reactivity (D0) prior of any APT, OTPR at Day 1 (D1) and Day 3 (D3) of admission were assessed by Multiplate®. Aspirin and clopidogrel high OTPR (HOTPR) were expressed as MEA ASPI ≥300 AU*min and MEA ADP ≥468AU*min, respectively. Results and Discussion [Refer to Report]. ConclusionIn patients with AIS prescribed with APT, the OTPR was significantly reduced at D3 from D1.