-
Pertussis, or whooping cough, was first described in the 16th century, and the causative agent was isolated in 1906. Nonetheless, pertussis remained a major cause of morbidity and mortality among ch ildren well into the 20th century.
-
-
Hypothermia causes 700-800 deaths per year in the United States alone. Half of those who die are older than 65 years. Many patients are hypothermic when they arrive in the emergency department (ED), but hypothermia may result from or be aggravated by failing to protect the patient from heat loss, administering room temperature or chilled IV fluids or blood, or using drugs that suppress shivering.
-
-
Bacterial resistance to antibiotic treatment has concerned the medical community since the introduction of the first antibiotics in the 1920s. Development of new anti-infective agents has been precipitated by increasing resistance to older agents and classes of agents.
-
-
-
-
Ultrasound utilizes frequencies well above the range of human hearing to penetrate and visualize structures in the body. While human hearing is generally in the range of 20-20,000 Hz (cycles/second), diagnostic ultrasound is typically in the range of 2-12 mega-hertz (MHz), or 2-12 million cycles per second.
-
While children typically have a lower severity of illness than their adult counterparts during visits to the emergency department (ED), they also present with some of the most serious illnesses. Furthermore, there are a wide range of possible illnesses with potentially devastating outcomes for children. Unfortunately, the relative rarity of critically ill or injured children means that clinical experience potentially may be lacking or even atrophied over time.
