The Acutely Ill Child A Ready Reckoner

We are extremely pleased to present the second edition of the book, The Acutely Ill Child: A Ready Reckoner. The idea of this ready reckoner came about in the year 2010 when we realized its need while handling sick children in an emergency. There was always an immediate requirement for looking at a simplified management approach and verifying the thoughts before putting them into action while handling the emergencies. This was especially required in hospitals and medical colleges where doctors and nurses were being trained in the care of sick children. Towards this, the Department of Pediatrics at Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) and Command Hospital, Pune, Maharashtra, India created several protocols for quick and effective handling of emergencies. These protocols then gave way to the concept of this book. It was intended to be a book by the residents for the residents guided by competent faculty. The then residents and faculty of Pune complex contributed immensely to the book content which was published in the year 2013. The second edition has the updated protocols to bring the management in line with the current standards of evidence-based care and has been vetted by experienced faculty. The chapters in the book cover various common emergencies across different organ systems, each containing a brief and an algorithm to assist with immediate point-of-care management. The last two sections cover common procedures and an array of commonly used charts and scales which we often look for from Internet sources. This book is dedicated to all those who are involved with taking care of sick children and we hope that their hard work is complimented by the availability of this ready reckoner to be put into use in the initial minutes of a troubled family reporting to the hospital. This book should be of assistance to undergraduates, interns, nurses, residents, and practicing pediatricians who encounter sick children.