Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2007
Early computerized tomography accurately determines the presence or absence of scaphoid and other fractures.
To validate the use of early CT in predicting scaphoid fracture and other fractures in patients with suspected scaphoid fracture. ⋯ Early CT scans show promise in the diagnosis of scaphoid and other fractures of the wrist and carpals. Further study is warranted to validate early CT in clinical scaphoid fracture as an alternative to other early advanced imaging, or plaster immobilization and 2 week review.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2007
Self-rated health in the unwell elderly presenting to the emergency department.
Self-rated health (SRH) has been shown to be a reliable predictor of functional decline and mortality. These studies, however, have largely focused on well community-dwelling elderly. We assessed whether the predictive value of SRH would still be valid for the acutely unwell older person presenting to the ED. ⋯ The ability of SRH to predict functional decline and mortality persists for the acutely unwell elderly presenting to the ED. SRH is a simple and valuable tool to assess the elderly in the ED and to identify high-risk patients who would benefit from comprehensive geriatric assessment aimed at delaying such outcomes.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2007
Multicenter StudyPractice makes perfect? Evaluation of cricoid pressure task training for use within the algorithm for rapid sequence induction in critical care.
To assess task training in cricoid pressure application suitable for incorporation into the algorithm for rapid sequence induction in acute care. ⋯ The application of cricoid force by critical care staff can be significantly improved by up to 3 min of practice on a simple task trainer.