Annals of emergency medicine
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Rapid evaluation of the hypotensive patient in the emergency department is essential. The availability of ultrasonography in the ED, performed by emergency physicians and surgeons, has made it easier to evaluate the hypotensive trauma patient. We describe a 44-year-old man transferred to our institution from a community hospital for evaluation of syncope and hypotension with no obvious cause. ⋯ A rapid ultrasound examination performed at bedside revealed the presence of intraperitoneal fluid. Examination of the spleen suggested likely rupture. The patient was promptly taken to surgery for splenectomy and discharged home in 4 days.
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India is the second most populous country in the world, with a population approaching 1 billion people. The development of emergency medicine is still in its earliest stages because the Medical Council of India (MCI) does not yet recogonize the specialty. Recent developments may cause the MCI to reconsider specialty status for emergency medicine as an academic discipline.