Annals of emergency medicine
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Namibia is a sparsely populated nation in southwest Africa. A state-run health service provides care to most of the population. The geography and population distribution dictate the delivery systems for prehospital and emergency care. ⋯ The private prehospital care/transport systems are well organized and sophisticated. Formal efforts should be undertaken to develop ties with our colleagues in Namibia. Potential areas for collaboration include injury surveillance and prevention, field trauma resuscitation, and prehospital care.
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Comparative Study
Indicators of assault-related injuries among women presenting to the emergency department.
We sought to determine whether women presenting for treatment of assault-related injuries at a public hospital emergency department differed from those presenting for unintentional injuries with regard to a variety of demographic and presentation characteristics, nature and anatomic site of injury, and admission or follow-up treatment for injury. ⋯ Women identified as presenting with assault-related injuries differ from those who present with unintentional injuries in terms of their demographic and presentation characteristics, as well as the nature, anatomic site of injury, and follow-up treatment for injuries. Although some of this information has implications for service delivery to abused women, the use of clinical indicators such as nature and anatomic site of injury have limited predictive value. Therefore we recommend that health care providers routinely screen patients for assault, particularly assault by intimate partners, so that they may respond appropriately by providing better treatment and referral.
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This study investigated the hypothesis that modern computed tomographic (CT) imaging is sufficient to exclude subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in patients with severe headache. ⋯ Modern CT imaging is sufficient to exclude 97.5% of SAH in patients presenting to the ED with "worst headache" symptoms.
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Comparative Study
Preliminary study of the capnogram waveform area to screen for pulmonary embolism.
Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) increases alveolar dead space, which can dilute carbon dioxide content in exhaled breath. This study was undertaken to determine whether the capnogram waveform area from patients with PE is decreased compared with that from patients without PE and to examine the potential role of the capnogram waveform area as a screening test for PE. ⋯ The capnogram waveform area may be useful in screening for PE in the ED.