Paediatric Symptom and Sign Sorter

Second Edition

A. Sahib El-Radhi

• Editorial: CRC Press
• Año: 2019
• ISBN:
  9780429847875
• Edición: 2
• Categoría: Médecine
• Categoría: Théorie, pratique et référence de la médecine

This book will be a vital tool for all clinicians in the front line when an ill child presents with an acute illness. Experienced paediatricians, postgraduate doctors, primary care physicians, and paediatric nurses will find this a useful refresher, and it will be an invaluable primer for newly trained doctors and students, or those new to the paediatric wards.

Each chapter here provides an overview of each symptom and sign followed by the most likely underlying causes in an easy-to-use tabular format. Investigative techniques and guidelines follow, ranging from the simple and inexpensive to the more complex, as do Top Tips and Red Flag warnings to note; new to this second edition are concluding summaries of Key Points, as well as an entirely new Endocrine chapter.

1

Chest

Acute Shortness of Breath (Dyspnoea)

Clinical Overview

Dyspnoea is a subjective feeling of difficulty in breathing. Children or parents may describe dyspnoea as ‘getting easily tired’ or ‘can’t keep up with other kids’. It may occur spontaneously or during certain activities such as exercise or during feeding in infants. Dyspnoea is a common symptom of a variety of cardio-pulmonary diseases. Respiratory diseases, such as asthma, remain the most common reason for dyspnoea. In older children, psychological factors can contribute to the sensation of dyspnoea. Congestive cardiac failure (CCF) is an important cause of dyspnoea at any age of childhood. Children presenting with dyspnoea usually have other symptoms and signs of respiratory distress syndrome, including tachypnoea, subcostal recession, tachycardia and chest tightness. The term may also include ‘unusual pattern of breathing’. For example, hyperpnoea, which occurs in metabolic acidosis, such as diabetic ketoacidosis, may also give a sensation of dyspnoea.

Possible Diagnoses

Onset in Infants	Children
Common
Respiratory distress syndrome	Asthma
Transient tachypnoea	Viral-induced wheeze
Viral-induced wheeze	Pneumonia
Bronchiolitis	CCF
CCF	Psychogenic
Rare
Pulmonary oedema	Pulmonary oedema
Pneumonia	Obstructive airway diseases
Pneumothorax	Pulmonary embolism
Persistent pulmonary hypertension	Inhaled foreign body
Pleural effusion	Chronic lung disease
Pulmonary hypoplasia	Neuromuscular disease (e.g. myasthenia gravis)
Pericardial tamponade	Hyperventilation
	Pu...