Clinical Tip: Frozen popsicle soothes strep testing
Popsicles can help soothe a child throat culture test for strep.
Every child dreads having tonsils/pharynx swabbed for a throat culture to test for strep. In our practice, we keep a box of various frozen popsicles with 25% fruit juice (inexpensively purchased in local grocery stores for about 4 cents a piece or less) in our department's freezer. Whenever we do a throat culture on patients, they are offered (with parental consent) their favorite flavored pop to suck on while waiting to get the rapid strep test results. The promise to give them one before the culture improves patient cooperation, and soothes their sore throat.
Howard Stang, MDWhite Bear Lake, Minn.
Pediatric cancer survivors and cardiovascular toxicity, disease risk
March 21st 2025Pediatric cancer survivors can be vulnerable to cardiovascular disease in the short- or long-term with increased recognition of cardiotoxic cancer treatments, as 5-year survival rates for children are greater than 85%.
