| The emergency department (ED) is unlike any other branch of medicine, where people face their mortality on a daily basis. In a setting that is inherently ripe with anxiety and fear, emergency physicians and ED staff are trained to calmly diagnose, comfort and treat patients, armed with clinical acumen and best evidence-based practices. When the patient is a child with a rare hematologic or oncologic diagnosis, the need to be armed with clinical expertise is even more paramount. In this edition of Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine, we hope to share our expertise in an efficient, practical manner and discuss new innovations in our respective fields. Throughout these articles, we also hope to convey the passion and dedication we have to children with these diagnoses. A review of sickle cell disease was chosen to begin the edition as it describes so many aspects of the populations we serve. New advances in treatment and supportive care have dramatically improved the quality of life and survival of sickle cell patients. However, a misunderstanding of the intensity of the disease process, and inherent biases within the medical system has often left patients without the expertise needed to fully treat them. Both of these complicated issues are discussed in the article by Drs. Barriteau and McNaull. The next article by Dr. Woods et al, describes the historic disease of hemophilia, and the exciting new treatment modalities that have come from decades of intensive research. The tables, algorithms and online videos provide easy access to information on how to treat emergencies in hemophilia patients, as well as a review of the novel factor replacements that are currently being used. |