The Cribsiders

From ketamine to propofol and everything in between, we're diving into the art and science of pediatric procedural sedation! Join us as we break down medication choices, dosing strategies, and practical pearls to keep kids comfortable and safe during everything from laceration repairs to fracture reductions and MRIs. We'll also tackle sedation complications, airway emergencies, and the important considerations surrounding fasting and aspiration risk!

Does thinking about heart murmurs make your own heart skip a beat? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Colin Kane, a pediatric and fetal cardiologist to discuss cardiac murmurs. We work through how to tell innocent murmurs from pathologic ones, which red flags should prompt referral, what testing is (and isn’t) worth ordering, how to counsel worried families, and how to approach murmurs in the newborn nursery. Dr. Kane also shares how listening to murmurs is like listening to rock and roll music.

This week we take a closer look at the ear-resistible topic of Mastoiditis. Join us and pediatric ENT, Dr. Tali Lando, for an enlightening discussion regarding what exactly the mastoid bone is, how mastoiditis develops, and typical management, including both surgical and non-surgical options. You won’t want to miss this!

The latest UTI guidelines are giving pediatric clinicians plenty to think about - and a few things to rethink. Join pediatric hospitalist and guideline author Dr. Brian Alverson for a practical discussion of evaluating and treating UTIs in children from 8 days through 5 years of age. We’ll walk through when to test, how to collect and interpret urine samples, when waiting is reasonable, and why constipation should not be overlooked. Along the way, we’ll tackle shorter antibiotic courses, imaging decisions, prophylaxis, and strategies for avoiding overtreatment.

Kids put everything everywhere. In this episode, we talk with pediatric emergency medicine physician Gabriel Devlin, MD, about the evaluation and management of pediatric foreign body ingestions and insertions from airway foreign bodies and button batteries to magnets, nasal beads, and bugs in the ear.

Don't let a clot catch you off guard! Recorded live at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Pediatric Grand Rounds, we're joined by Dr. Hope Wilson (UAB) to untangle deep vein thrombosis. Dr. Wilson teaches us which veins actually count as "deep," prescribing DOACs to kids, and how anticoagulation duration has changed. Plus a rapid fire round on upper extremity clots, Lemierre's, and what to do when anticoagulation is off the table. Your enthusiasm for VTE is about to propagate.

Vaccine preventable illnesses have been on the run since the first smallpox vaccine was administered in 1789, however recent trends in vaccine uptake has led to resurgence of these infectious diseases. Today, each pediatrician must be able to recognize and combat pathogens like Bordetella pertussis, Strep pneumonia, and Haemophilus influenzae.

Trust your gut—it might be FPIES! Pediatric allergist Dr. Jessica Macdougall joins us to break down food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES), from the vomiting infant in the ED to the baby with chronic GI symptoms and poor growth. Learn how to distinguish FPIES from IgE-mediated food allergy and “milk protein allergy” (FPIAP), recognize common triggers and mimickers, manage acute reactions, and safely navigate food reintroduction.

Speech delay got you tongue-tied? We’ve got you covered! Join the Cribsiders and Dr. Lisa Spector as we talk through speech and language milestones, important red flags, and the many factors that can contribute to delayed communication. We discuss why every child with speech or language delay deserves a hearing evaluation, how to connect families with Early Intervention and speech-language pathology, and practical ways caregivers can support language development at home.

Have you ever wondered when exactly you should be getting an EEG to capture an unusual baby movement? Featuring pediatric epileptologist Dr. Eva Catennacio of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, this episode focuses on the intricacies of an infantile spasms syndrome diagnosis. Tune in to learn when to order an EEG, how to diagnose infantile spasms, and the benefits of early effective treatment.