Pediatric Emergency Medicine provides and supervises care for acutely ill or injured pediatric patients in the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) Emergency Department (ED).
Services we provide:
- Emergency care for pediatric patients in the ED during high-volume hours (evenings and weekends).
- 24-hour-a-day emergency care for all illnesses and injuries provided.
- Guidelines to provide up-to-date, evidence-based care for pediatric patients requiring emergency care.
- Conferences on pediatric emergency medicine topics for local and regional pediatricians, emergency and family physicians, nurses, and emergency medical technicians.
- Consultation to New Hampshire's Emergency Medical Services for Children Program (NH EMSC).
About the Pediatric Emergency Services Unit
Our Pediatric Emergency Services Unit features staff, rooms, and equipment designed to meet the special needs of patients ages 18 and under.
Our Pediatric Emergency Services Unit is an advanced way that pediatric emergency cases are treated in the region. DHMC is the only health care facility in New Hampshire, Vermont, or Maine to feature an American College of Surgeons-verified Pediatric Trauma Center, and is one of only two hospitals in New Hampshire to have a dedicated Emergency Department (ED) space for pediatric patients.
The design of the Pediatric Emergency Services Unit underscores the concept that children are not simply "little adults." They require special care, equipment, and medication.
Our Pediatric Emergency Services Unit features:
- "Broselow" carts that contain color-coded resuscitation equipment, ensuring that children are treated appropriately for their size and weight.
- Pediatric treatment rooms that are equipped with monitors with special features for young patients
- Pediatric airway supplies and bedside carts with appropriately sized IV/blood draw and other frequently used equipment.
In addition to specialized supplies, the space itself is designed to put children at ease during what can be a very scary process:
- The rooms are located on a separate corridor for improved flow and efficiency while keeping children separate from adult patients yet still offering easy access to all Emergency Department resources.
- There are three state-of-the-art pediatric treatment rooms, each equipped with TV/DVD players and age-appropriate DVDs supplied by CHaD's Child Life Program.
- Bathrooms are attached to two of the pediatric rooms, so children don't need to walk through the halls of the ED.
- There's also a nutrition and medication station with a pediatric focus, and an adjacent workroom where physicians, nurses and other team members can work collaboratively.
In addition, the staff of CHaD's Pediatric Emergency Services Unit includes teams of physicians, nurses, technicians, and others who are specially trained to care for pediatric patients and support their families. A pediatric emergency medicine physician is there to provide care during high-volume evening and weekend hours.
CHaD practices an evidence-based approach to pediatric illnesses and injuries, and ongoing training and education assure that all team members are up-to-date with their skills.
Maia Rutman, MD, Medical Director of the CHaD Pediatric Emergency Services Unit, is fellowship-trained and board-certified in Pediatric Emergency Medicine, and residency-trained and board-certified in Pediatrics.