Little kids burn so much energy, they’re like a different species, study finds
> But children also burn out fast.<p>This is well known in emergency medicine.  Not only do kids burn out quick, they also burn out completely because they, unlike adults, don't keep a reserve.  This applies to homeostasis, too.<p>Consequently: young trauma victims that "look OK" need to be <i>very</i> closely attended to, because what you might be seeing is a kid burning the very last of their energy reserves just to maintain homeostasis, and they will NOT degrade gracefully once they're out of energy -- they'll just go right into the deep end of shock.  Happy and talking to unconscious in 90 seconds is nothing you want to see.