Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2006
Practice GuidelineCompressions: Australian Resuscitation Council Guideline 2006.
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Despite widespread use of methoxyflurane as an inhaled analgesic by ambulance services in Australia there are no published data as to its use pattern, efficacy and safety in the prehospital setting. We set out to characterize methoxyflurane use in children in the prehospital setting. ⋯ In the present paediatric case series methoxyflurane appears to be an efficacious analgesic with a low adverse events profile. In young children in particular it can briefly lead to deep sedation.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2006
Comparative StudyRedesigning emergency department patient flows: application of Lean Thinking to health care.
To describe in some detail the methods used and outcome of an application of concepts from Lean Thinking in establishing streams for patient flows in a teaching general hospital ED. ⋯ The streaming of patients into groups of patients cared for by a specific team of doctors and nurses, and the minimizing of complex queues in this ED by altering the practices in relation to the function of the Australasian Triage Scale improved patient flow, thereby decreasing potential for overcrowding.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2006
Comparative Study Clinical TrialComparative pharmacokinetics of Panadol Extend and immediate-release paracetamol in a simulated overdose model.
Panadol Extend is a modified-release paracetamol formulation in which each 665 mg tablet contains 69% slow-release and 31% immediate-release paracetamol. There are no data on Panadol Extend pharmacokinetics in overdose. It is unknown whether the paracetamol treatment nomogram can be used to make decisions regarding the toxicity of this product in overdose. ⋯ Reductions in Panadol Extend Cmax and AUC(0-12 h) might be related to elimination occurring during the absorption phase. In this model of Panadol Extend moderate overdose, Tmax was significantly delayed. In larger overdoses, time to peak paracetamol levels might be further delayed, because of continuing absorption from the formulation. Therefore, the paracetamol treatment nomogram might not reliably predict hepatotoxicity from Panadol Extend if paracetamol levels are measured too early.