Neonatal abstinence syndrome describes drug withdrawal signs in newborn babies after they have been exposed to certain medications in utero, typically opioids. Babies can go through withdrawal after birth when they are no longer being exposed to the substance in the maternal circulation via the placenta.

• Follow us on Instagram @yourekiddingrightdoctors
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourekiddingrightpod-107273607638323/

Our email is [email protected]

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW so you don’t miss out on any pearls of wisdom and RATE if you can to help other people find us!

(This isn’t individual medical advice, please use your own clinical judgement and local guidelines when caring for your patients)

Following on from our episode on meningococcal, we bring you a guide to interpreting cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) results - once you've gotten some CSF from that hopefully champagne tap! (A champagne tap meaning a perfectly clear tap that isn't contaminated by red cells!)

In this episode, we go through what's normal in CSF, and a guide as to what should prompt the practitioner to think of bacterial vs. viral causes. 

Links and resources:

• Follow us on Instagram @yourekiddingrightdoctors
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourekiddingrightpod-107273607638323/

Our email is [email protected]

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW so you don’t miss out on any pearls of wisdom and RATE if you can to help other people find us!

(This isn’t individual medical advice, please use your own clinical judgement and local guidelines when caring for your patients)

Cystic fibrosis is an autosomal recessive disorder that affects many organ systems, particularly the respiratory and digestive systems.  It causes thick secretions which block ducts and airways. It is most common in people of northern european descent. It is a life limiting disorder but huge advances in treatment have been made and life expectancy is increasing to many times what it used to be. The biggest cause of mortality is respiratory failure.

• Follow us on Instagram @yourekiddingrightdoctors
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourekiddingrightpod-107273607638323/

Our email is [email protected]

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW so you don’t miss out on any pearls of wisdom and RATE if you can to help other people find us!

(This isn’t individual medical advice, please use your own clinical judgement and local guidelines when caring for your patients)

A “pulled elbow” (sometimes called a nursemaid’s elbow) is subluxation of the radial head at the elbow (or, if you are being very technical, subluxation of the annular ligament). It usually occurs in kids aged 1-4.

The name pulled elbow literally describes the mechanism of injury in most cases - typically it’s a child who is about to run onto a road or fall or something and someone grabs their hand and pulls, or when you are lifting a child up by the hands - and POP you’ve got a subluxation that needs to be reduced!

There are two main techniques to reducing a subluxed radial head. Basically in one you pronate the hand and in the other you supinate it and then in both you then flex the arm. Both are painful for the child.

Meningococcal disease is caused by Neisseria meningitidis, a gram negative diplococcus. The two most common presentations of meningococcal infection are meningococcal meningitis and meningococcaemia. An individual may present with one or both of these. 

Rapid recognition and treatment is vital, requiring IV antibiotics, but even with treatment, up to 15% of cases result in fatality. 

Listen in to find out more about meningococcal! 

Links and resources:

• Follow us on Instagram @yourekiddingrightdoctors
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourekiddingrightpod-107273607638323/

Our email is [email protected]

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW so you don’t miss out on any pearls of wisdom and RATE if you can to help other people find us!

(This isn’t individual medical advice, please use your own clinical judgement and local guidelines when caring for your patients)

Costochondritis is a common cause of chest pain in children and adolescents. It is inflammation of 2-4 consecutive costochondral or costosternal junctions.

Follow us on Instagram @yourekiddingrightdoctors

(This isn’t individual medical advice, please use your own clinical judgement and local guidelines when caring for your patients)

Nitrous oxide is a common choice for procedural sedation, for its rapid onset and offset and combination of sedation, anxiolysis, amnesia and some level of analgesia. It's great for short procedures like cannulas or suturing.

In this episode, we will go through the use of nitrous oxide, common side effects, contraindications to be aware of, and proposed mechanisms of action. 

Links and resources:

• Follow us on Instagram @yourekiddingrightdoctors
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourekiddingrightpod-107273607638323/

Our email is [email protected]

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW so you don’t miss out on any pearls of wisdom and RATE if you can to help other people find us!

(This isn’t individual medical advice, please use your own clinical judgement and local guidelines when caring for your patients)

Epistaxis is the medical term for a nosebleed. This is a common occurrence in kids, and is usually due to a combination of nasal mucosa, plus trauma like picking and the effects of drying from the air around us. 

They usually don't need to be investigated, unless they occur often, are resistant to basic measures or there if there are other red flags - which we will discuss further in this episode!

Links and resources:

• Follow us on Instagram @yourekiddingrightdoctors
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourekiddingrightpod-107273607638323/

Our email is [email protected]

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW so you don’t miss out on any pearls of wisdom and RATE if you can to help other people find us!

(This isn’t individual medical advice, please use your own clinical judgement and local guidelines when caring for your patients)

Spinal Muscular Atrophy, or SMA, is a genetic disorder where nerve cells in the spinal cord die prematurely, and this causes the muscles that would normally be controlled by those nerves to atrophy. The most common subtype usually presents in the first 6 months of life with a hypotonic baby (and other lower motor neuron signs). Typically these children die before 2 years of age, mostly from respiratory failure. There are some new treatments being developed including one currently available on the PBS in Australia (nusinersen) that are dramatically altering disease course in some children.

Links and resources:

• Follow us on Instagram @yourekiddingrightdoctors
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourekiddingrightpod-107273607638323/

Our email is [email protected]

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW so you don’t miss out on any pearls of wisdom and RATE if you can to help other people find us!

(This isn’t individual medical advice, please use your own clinical judgement and local guidelines when caring for your patients)

SIDS is classified as a sudden and unexplained death of an infant in their first year of life. It is a diagnosis of exclusion - an autopsy must be done and all other causes ruled out.

Before safe sleeping campaigns in the 1990s, the prevalence of SIDS was about 1.5 in 1000 babies. Now it is about 0.5 in 1000.

From 1989 to 2018, the rate of SUDI deaths in Australia has decreased by 85% – equating to 10,857 babies saved since risk reduction campaigns were introduced