Key Updates from Pediatrics Journals

Pediatric Emergency Pediatrics Psychiatry | Substance Use

How to Avoid Restraints in the Peds Emergency Department
August 14, 2025August 9, 2025

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The Brief Rating of Aggression by Children and Adolescents (BRACHA) tool includes mental health history, history of aggression, violence or physical harm, and impulsivity. It can help predict agitation requiring intervention in the pediatric ED.

Source
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Prehospital Care Committee. Predicting Agitation in the Emergency Department. Pediatrics. 2025 Jul 1;156(1):e2024068727. doi: 10.1542/peds.2024-068727. PMID: 40494553

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Infectious Disease Pediatric Emergency Pediatrics Pharmacy/Pharmacology

Should You Prescribe Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir to Kids?
August 13, 2025August 21, 2025

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Pediatric nirmatrelvir-ritonavir recipients had significantly shorter times to viral clearance, fever resolution, and symptom recovery, with no increase in adverse events or difference in mortality.

Source
Paxlovid for the treatment of severe or critical COVID-19 in children. BMC Pediatr. 2025 Jul 2;25(1):493. doi: 10.1186/s12887-025-05807-1. PMID: 40597122

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Infectious Disease Pediatric Emergency Pediatrics Pulmonary/Allergy

Is that Penicillin Allergy Legit?
August 13, 2025August 9, 2025

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The PEN-FAST clinical decision rule, a penicillin allergy decision rule developed for adults, can help identify pediatrics patients who are at low risk for true allergy. Patients with a score less than 3 may be suitable for oral drug challenge.

Source
PEN-FAST in pediatrics: a reliable tool for penicillin allergy assessment? Eur J Pediatr. 2025 Jul 2;184(7):463. doi: 10.1007/s00431-025-06305-3. PMID: 40601050

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Infectious Disease Pediatric Emergency Pediatrics

When to Worry about COVID-19 in Peds
August 12, 2025August 9, 2025

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Children with underlying conditions (i.e. chronic lung disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, neurologic disorders) are more likely to have severe outcomes with COVID-19 infection, especially if not up to date with vaccination.

Source
Hospitalization for COVID-19 and Risk Factors for Severe Disease Among Children: 2022-2024. Pediatrics. 2025 Jul 3. doi: 10.1542/peds.2025-072788. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40604359

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Infectious Disease Pediatric Emergency Pediatrics

Would You Rather Have Flu, Covid, or RSV?
August 11, 2025August 8, 2025

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In children less than 5 years old, RSV is associated with a higher risk of ICU admission and mechanical ventilation compared to influenza and COVID-19; however, in-hospital mortality is higher for COVID and influenza.

Source
Clinical Outcomes in Children <5 Years of Age Hospitalized for Respiratory Syncytial Virus, COVID-19 or Influenza in the United States. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2025 May 23. doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000004866. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40440707

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Ethics Health Policy Pediatrics

Disability-Based Discrimination Harms Healthcare Utilization
August 8, 2025August 4, 2025

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Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) who experienced discrimination based on their disability were more likely to forgo necessary outpatient care and have more ER visits and hospitalizations.

Source
Disability-Based Discrimination and Forgone Health Care in Children With Special Health Care Needs. Pediatrics. 2025 Jul 1;156(1):e2024068782. doi: 10.1542/peds.2024-068782. PMID: 40456539

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ENT/Face Pediatrics Preventive Health

How to Help Deaf or Hard of Hearing Toddlers
August 7, 2025August 4, 2025

Source
Early Communication Intervention for Deaf/Hard of Hearing Toddlers: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Pediatrics. 2025 Jun 1;155(6):e2024066847. doi: 10.1542/peds.2024-066847. PMID: 40419285

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Pediatrics

Desmopressin vs. Enuresis Alarm for Nocturnal Enuresis
August 6, 2025August 4, 2025

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Desmopressin and enuresis alarm (EA) had similar efficacy in treating uncomplicated night time enuresis, though EA had a lower adherence rate and desmopressin had a higher relapse rate.

Source
Efficacy of desmopressin and enuresis alarm in the treatment of monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis: a multicenter prospective randomized controlled study. Pediatr Nephrol. 2025 Jun 10. doi: 10.1007/s00467-025-06840-z. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40494946

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GI Pediatrics

New Pediatric IBS and Functional Abdominal Pain Guidelines
August 5, 2025August 4, 2025

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The European and North American Societies for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (ESPGHAN and NASPGHAN) released recommendations for the treatment of functional abdominal pain (FAP) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Source
ESPGHAN/NASPGHAN guidelines for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome and functional abdominal pain-not otherwise specified in children aged 4-18 years. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2025 May 30. doi: 10.1002/jpn3.70070. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40444524

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Pediatrics Pulmonary/Allergy

Smartphone Video Diagnoses Pediatric Sleep Apnea?
August 4, 2025August 2, 2025

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A scoring system used by clinicians to predict clinically significant obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can reliably distinguish between non-clinically significant OSA and clinically significant OSA based on parent videos of their child’s sleep.

Source
Evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of smartphone video clips against polysomnography for paediatric obstructive sleep apnoea. Arch Dis Child. 2025 Jun 13:archdischild-2024-327775. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2024-327775. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40514188

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