Introduction

In the emergency department (ED), frontline providers are tasked with the rapid assessment and stabilization of patients for whom a chief complaint is the only information available. During your Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) rotation, you will work with a team to quickly determine the patient’s severity of illness and to marshal the resources necessary to care for a child who may be suffering from a multitude of possible disease processes.

This rotation guide addresses the most common chief complaints in pediatric patients who present to the emergency department. Since PEM physicians manage pathology from virtually every other pediatric subspecialty, this guide will focus on the initial assessment and management of patients suffering from acute illness. More details of specific disease processes are provided in the rotation guide for the corresponding pediatric subspecialty.

Other topics related to pediatric emergency medicine are covered in the following rotation guides:

Covid-19 in Children, Meningitis, Congenital Infections (Pediatric Infectious Diseases)
Urinary Tract Infections (Pediatric Nephrology)
Headache, Seizures, Brain Injury (Pediatric Neurology)
Asthma (Pediatric Pulmonology)
Pediatric Urgent Care
Child Abuse and Neglect

Anna K. Weiss, MD, MSEd, is an attending physician in the Division of Emergency Medicine at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She is also an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

This rotation guide was developed by a collaborative team of contributors including:
Writers: Rebecca Green, MD
Peer Reviewers: Ivor Asztalos, MD; Atu Agawu, MD; and Barbara Chaiyachati, MD PhD
Section Expert: Anna Weiss, MD MSEd
Senior Editor: Shannon Scott-Vernaglia, MD
Last updated: January 2023 by Rebecca Green, MD

Brief Case Presentations with Videos

Pediatric Emergency Medicine Videos

Intranasal Naloxone Administration

How to Perform an Elliptical Excision of the Skin

Closed Reduction of a Fractured and Dislocated Ankle

Prompt reduction of a displaced fracture of the ankle decreases the risk of trauma to the skin and soft tissues surrounding the joint. This video focuses on initial management and demonstrates techniques for reducing and splinting a displaced fracture of the ankle as well as the use of a hematoma block for anesthesia.