Research

Emergency Medicine Research

Research in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC is helping set new standards in care, both for first responders who transport infants and children in life threatening situations and the emergency department medical teams who treat them. Part of this division’s scientific pursuit is also devoted to studies that will help lead to the prevention of traumatic injuries that result in emergency visits.

Many clinical research questions are being pursued in the division including the analysis of the physiologic effects of drugs used for sedation and rapid-sequence endotracheal intubation. Several members of the division are focusing on determining physiological and environmental factors associated with “apparent life-threatening events” in young infants. As well, the mechanisms and outcomes of childhood injuries are being examined in detail. Important research is being conducted to explore pediatric injury patterns and severity by using geographical information systems (GIS) analysis.

Animal research in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine includes different models of cardiac arrest. In particular, novel research is being conducted to examine brain injury and heart function after resuscitation from cardiac arrest.