Hitting Hard While Heading Home

This will be a quickie as I should have written last night, and now I am in a rush to get ready for my last shift of this set. Yesterday the flood gates opened and everyone who couldn't wait one more day for their pediatrician's office to open came in. We were full in all 20 rooms and had about 20 people in the waiting room. And, trauma stops for no one.

Everyone was "on their way home" from camping, picnicking, somewhere else, etc. and ended up in the E.D.

The cases I saw:
2 year old with sudden case of vomiting - got IV fluids, drank juice, sent home

15 month old with fever - got tylenol, IV fluids, drank juice, sent home

11 year old with rash - this was a medical mystery ala House style, don't know what she ate, drank, wore, or swam in but she was broken out all over and her face was so swollen she could barely see out of her eyes - she got benadryl, steroids and some pain relief, sent home

38 year old car crash victim - since the hospital has an adult service, we don't see the over age 21 set, except in the case of trauma where they need immediate evaluation, so I was a "consultant" on her case, which basically means I told the adult medicine physician what to order, what to look out for, etc. - she was admitted along with her 8 year old daughter who was also in the vehicle for observation (they were coming home from camping and swerved to avoid a car that cut in front of them going the opposite direction, rolled their vehicle over several times, luckily, they had their seat belts on)

11 year old car crash victim - riding with mom and sister, sitting in back seat, had neck and knee pain, all of the films were negative and she was sent home

15 month old with fever - motrin, drank juice, sent home

4 year old car crash victim - sister to the 11 year old, she wasn't a trauma, so I saw her later on, she will have some bruising on her face but nothing else hurt

2 year old fell out of 2nd story window - supposedly fell off couch near window and fell down to street below, he didn't seem to have any injuries on CT scan but his fall was significant (> 20 feet) so he was kept for observation

6 year old with vomiting - IV medication, drank juice, sent home

and finally 1 year old with fever - given motrin, drank juice, sent home

If you're wondering about the juice, we need to make sure the pedis aren't going to get dehydrated until they can follow up with their primary doctors, so we make sure they can keep fluids down. Everyone gets a P.O. (per oral) challenge prior to leaving the E.D.

Ok, running off to get dressed for what will be another busy shift, I am sure, probably with less traumas since most people are home following the holiday weekend. Will post tonight as tomorrow should be a fun day learning about helicopters!

Oh, the kiddo with the wound under the arm had to go back to the OR because he became so swollen from all of the blood products he needed, they couldn't close his skin after surgery so he was left open and was closed yesterday

The other pedi with the fall down the embankment was doing ok last I heard.