Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common cause of community-acquired respiratory illness in the adolescent population. Stevens-Johnson syndrome is an extrapulmonary manifestation that has been associated with M. pneumoniae infections. Three adolescent males presented within a 1-month period with M. pneumoniae respiratory illnesses and severe mucositis but without the classic rash typical of Stevens-Johnson. Diagnosis was facilitated by the use of a polymerase chain reaction-based assay. This case series highlights the potential for M. pneumoniae-associated Stevens-Johnson syndrome to occur without rash and supports the use of polymerase chain reaction for early diagnosis.
Ill and injured children have unique needs that can be magnified when the child' s ailment is serious or life-threatening. This is especially true in the outof-hospital environment. Providing high-quality out-of-hospital care to children requires an emergency medical services (EMS) system infrastructure designed to support the care of pediatric patients. As in the emergency department setting, it is important that all EMS agencies have the appropriate resources, including physician oversight, trained and competent staff, education, policies, medications, equipment, and supplies, to provide effective emergency care for children. Resource availability across EMS agencies is variable, making it essential that EMS medical directors, administrators, and personnel collaborate with outpatient and hospital-based pediatric experts, especially those in emergency departments, to optimize prehospital emergency care for children. The principles in the policy statement "Pediatric Readiness in Emergency Medical Services Systems" and this accompanying technical report establish a foundation on which to build optimal pediatric care within EMS systems and serve as a resource for clinical and administrative EMS leaders. DEFINITIONS • Emergency medical services (EMS): An intricate and comprehensive system, which in a coordinated response, provides the arrangements of personnel, facilities, and equipment for the effective, coordinated, and timely delivery of health and safety services to provide emergency care. 1,2 • Out of hospital: A term used in emergency medicine to mean "in the field," "in the community," "at the patient's home or workplace," or "prehospital." Assessments performed and treatments given out of
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