Annals of emergency medicine
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Sudden unexpected death is a traumatic event for surviving family and friends. When the survivors learn of their loss, they react with turmoil and disbelief. ⋯ To provide emergency staff with guidelines, we review the dynamics of grief and discuss intervention in the following six phases: contacting the survivors; arrival of the survivors; notification of death; the grief response; viewing the body; and the concluding process. We conclude with a discussion of intervention with children.
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Sodium metabisulfite (MBS) is a commonly used food and drug preservative. We report the case of a 32-year-old man with a documented history of allergy to MBS who developed an anaphylactic reaction after ingestion of MBS-treated foods. ⋯ It is believed that this patient's relapse and delayed recovery may have been related to his continued exposure to sulfites during treatment. The emergency physician should be aware that some medications commonly used to treat allergic reactions and asthma contain MBS.