Clinical tip: A painless way to remove ticks
Before removing the head of a tick (usually left behind during an unsuccessful removal attempt by a parent), I apply topical LET (lidocaine, epinephrine, and tetracaine) gel. Then I wait 10 to 15 minutes, the same as I would before placing sutures. As the topical anesthetic works, the remaining portion of the tick often is pushed out of the skin. If that doesn't happen, I use a #11 surgical blade to gently scrape away the tick's remains. Even if I have to dig a bit to remove fragments of the tick, the topical anesthetic makes the process more comfortable for the child.
Mark Francis, MD
Groton, Mass.
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Discussing the attention pediatric pneumonia has received amid rising cases
December 7th 2023Tina Tan, MD, FAAP, FIDSA, FPIDS, explains that the recent uptick in pediatric pneumonia cases across the country, which some have called "white lung syndrome," is nothing new, and there is no cause for panic.
