Paracetamol: pharmacology, prescribing and controversies
Paracetamol (internationally known as acetaminophen) is the most common medicine encountered in paediatric practice. It is used widely by parents and health professionals and it has analgesic and antipyretic effects. Its short-term safety and efficacy are well established and it is readily available for purchase over the counter. Its mechanism of action is not fully understood but it …
Harmful sexual behaviour among children and young people: NICE ...
In September 2016, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published their first guideline on ‘harmful sexual behaviour among children and young people’.1 The aim of this document was to enable the safe and appropriate management of children and young people presenting with harmful sexual behaviour. This includes the identification of such children and young people ...
How to interpret lactate - ADC Education & Practice Edition
The association between hyperlactataemia and poorer outcomes in acutely unwell adults and children is well recognised. Blood lactate testing has become readily available in acute settings and is considered a first-line investigation in international guidelines for the management of sepsis. However, while healthcare professionals do appreciate the value of measuring blood lactate in acute ...
How to use clinical signs of meningitis - ADC Education & Practice …
Meningitis is a critical diagnosis not to miss in children presenting with fever. Since the early 20th century, classical clinical signs have been used to aid the diagnosis of meningitis. These classical signs are nuchal rigidity, Kernig’s sign and Brudzinski’s sign. Each of these relies on the principle that stretching the inflamed meningeal membranes causes clinically detectable irritation.
Antihistamine use in children - ADC Education & Practice Edition
The use of second-generation H (1)-antihistamines, such as cetirizine, loratadine and fexofenadine should be first-line therapy for the management of urticaria secondary to food allergic reactions, allergic rhinitis or chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) in children. Cetirizine has at least as quick an onset of action as chlorphenamine, and is ...
Fifteen-minute consultation: Rectal bleeding in children
Bleeding per rectum in children is an infrequent presentation associated with a wide range of differential diagnoses, from benign to life-threatening. Irrespective of the underlying aetiology, it is typically a worrisome symptom for caregivers. Published data are limited, particularly for the UK population, from which to provide clear evidence-based guidance for assessment and management of ...
Fifteen-minute consultation on the infant with a large head
An infant with a large head (2.5 SDs above normal for weight and gender or above 99.6th centile for age) is a common clinical presentation. Usually, it is due to benign isolated macrocephaly or familial macrocephaly (FM) where some close family members are similarly affected1; neither condition requires any further intervention. However, there are a …
Updated NICE guidance: diabetic ketoacidosis in children and …
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have now published new guidance on the management of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in children, with slightly different recommendations to the British Society of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (BSPED) 2020 guideline.1 It is a specific update of the fluid therapy recommendations for children and young people with DKA, within the ...
Salbutamol in paediatrics: pharmacology, prescribing and …
Salbutamol has become a key drug in respiratory medicine since it was first developed by Sir David Jack et al in 1968, 5000 years after the β agonist ephedrine was first used in its raw form, as the Ma Huang herb in Chinese medicine to treat asthma. It is one of the most commonly encountered medicines in paediatric practice and the authors have found that an understanding of its pharmacology ...
Homepage | ADC Education & Practice
5 days ago · Archives of Disease in Childhood: Education & Practice is a Plan S compliant Transformative Journal.. Archives of Disease in Childhood is led by Dr Nick Brown, clinician, epidemiologist and international child health expert. His vision is to enhance child health through training, advocacy, and publishing high quality research that will influence policy, and to do all this “with passion, wit ...