The origins of Pedi STAT began more than 20 years ago.  When I was an Emergency Medicine Resident, there was nothing that created more anxiety and fear than a critically injured or ill pediatric patient.  The empathy in caring for a child, plus attempts to calm distraught parents, all created a stressful environment.  Medical care requires more than just memorizing standard medication doses or treatment plans.  Pediatric medications and equipment sizes are all dependent on the size or weight of the child.  Attempts to recall these guidelines in the “heat of battle” — then perform the necessary mathematical calculations — make the optimal care even more challenging.  

When EMS would notify us they were bringing in a critically ill pediatric patient, I would estimate the child’s weight based on the provided age, anticipate which medications might be required, complete the math equations to estimate doses as closely as possible, and then scribble all this information down on the hospital bed sheet.  I quickly recognized the potential for medical error was huge - incorrect weight estimations, incorrect recollection of dosing guidelines, incorrect math equations, etc.  I envisioned there had to be a better way to access this information and provide care in a safer, more reliable manner.  

I spent 10 years contemplating solutions to this, and in 2009, I developed the first version of Pedi STAT with the assistance of some software developers.  Since then we have continued to grow, adding more medications and more international content.  We recognized that just medication doses and equipment sizes were not enough - the app now also reflects medication volumes to be administered as well, further reducing the chances of medical error.

Recently I worked some emergency shifts at a very small hospital in rural Texas.  Their emergency department consisted of a total of 5 beds and 2 nurses – a far cry from the large, urban, Level 1 Academic Trauma center I was accustomed to.  A family of four was involved in a major motor vehicle collision near our hospital and the parents were flown from the scene to regional trauma centers.  The two children involved were brought to me, as there were no more EMS agencies immediately available.  One of the children was critically injured with evidence of a traumatic brain injury and hemorrhagic shock. I pulled out my phone, opened Pedi STAT, and entered the child’s estimated weight. 

I was able to rapidly provide the nurses with accurate doses and equipment sizes for endotracheal intubation, blood resuscitation, seizure prophylaxis, antibiotics for open fractures, and management of his traumatic brain injury.  Despite having very little resources and equipment, essentially no pediatric experience from the nurses, and no other specialists to care for this patient, we were able to optimize his care prior to being transferred to a pediatric trauma center.  I had always recognized the potential benefit in the app, but this case exemplified its usefulness in managing pediatric patients in an emergent setting.