Pediatrics and COVID-19: When EMS Faces a Serious Complication
There is a persisting argument that children “don’t get too sick” from COVID-19. As of September 10, 2020, however, over half a million children have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and the rate of pediatric COVID-19 cases is increasing, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. While children make up 0.3%-8.2% of COVID-19 hospitalizations, 1/3 of hospitalized children are admitted to the ICU.
This webinar discusses complications emergency personnel are facing and must recognize in pediatric patients because the immediate and long-term consequences can be fatal in this vulnerable population.
About the Presenters:
Dr. Lyndsey van der Laan works as a pediatric emergency room physician in Dallas, Texas. She worked for three years as a pediatric resident at AdventHealth in Orlando, Florida, before moving to Texas to become a pediatric emergency medicine fellow at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. van der Laan received her master of public health from the University of Florida and her doctor of medicine from St. George’s University. Her interests include prehospital care as well as education for both prehospital providers as well as physicians.
Dr. Gil Salazar is an associate professor of emergency medicine at UT Southwestern. He serves as the medical director of EMS education and oversees both initial and continuing education of area EMS professionals. He practices clinically at Parkland Hospital Emergency Department. Dr. Salazar is dually board-certified in emergency medicine and EMS and serves as core faculty for the emergency medicine residency and the EMS fellowship programs of UT Southwestern Medical Center​.
Megan Dahmer completed her paramedic training at UT Southwestern in 2015 and is currently licensed through the Texas Department of Health as a paramedic. She then pursued a bachelor’s in nursing at Texas A&M Commerce, graduating in 2016. Megan currently works in the ER at Parkland Hospital as an RN II. Megan and her husband are the proud parents of two boys.
Kenny Navarro serves as chief of EMS education development in the Department of Emergency Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. Kenny also serves as a content consultant for various project teams at the American Heart Association. Kenny is a medical and education volunteer who specializes in teaching basic and advanced resuscitation courses in developing countries around the world.
