Annals of emergency medicine
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We conducted a national survey of emergency medicine residency program directors to determine which alternative devices were available in their emergency departments for difficult airway management. We also assessed the residency directors' experience in use of these devices. ⋯ The availability of devices for difficult airway management varies tremendously across emergency medicine residency programs. Only half of residency program directors had any experience with these devices, and among those that reported any experience, they are used rarely.
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Case Reports
Anticholinergic toxicity associated with lupine seeds as a home remedy for diabetes mellitus.
We describe a case of sparteine intoxication associated with using a preparation from lupine seeds. A female patient of Portuguese origin presented to the emergency department with classic anticholinergic signs after ingestion of a lupine seed extract. She took the preparation with the belief it represented a cure for her recently diagnosed diabetes. ⋯ Intoxication by lupine seeds rarely occurs in human beings. To our knowledge, no medical or toxicologic evidence supports a belief that lupine extract could lower serum glucose levels. This case highlights the need for emergency care providers to be aware of the health hazards that can be associated with the use of such home remedies.
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To determine the number of weapons confiscated and assaults reported in an urban county emergency department before and after the implementation of a security system. ⋯ The implementation of an ED security system increased the number and percentage of weapons confiscated before patients were placed in patient care areas, but did not decrease the number of assaults. This emphasizes the importance of continued training of ED personnel in the management of violent patients and potentially violent situations.