Emergency medicine clinics of North America
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A structured approach to postcardiac arrest care is needed. Although immediate goals include obtaining a blood pressure reading and ECG immediately after return of spontaneous circulation, other more advanced goals include minimizing CNS injury, managing cardiovascular dysfunction, reducing systemic ischemic/reperfusion injury, and identifying and treating the underlying cause to the arrest. This article summarizes the current understanding of the hemodynamic, neurologic, and metabolic abnormalities encountered in postarrest patients.
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · Aug 2023
ReviewCardiopulmonary Resuscitation: The Importance of the Basics.
Cardiac arrest is the loss of organized cardiac activity. Unfortunately, survival to hospital discharge is poor, despite recent scientific advances. The goals of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are to restore circulation and identify and correct an underlying etiology. ⋯ High-quality compressions must be performed at the appropriate rate and depth. Interruptions in compressions are detrimental to management. Mechanical compression devices are not associated with improved outcomes but can assist in several situations.
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · May 2023
ReviewSpontaneous and Complicated Therapeutic Abortion in the Emergency Department.
Pregnancy-related emergency department visits are common in the United States. Although typically managed safely in the outpatient setting, patients with spontaneous abortion may also present with life-threatening hemorrhage or infection. ⋯ Surgical management of complicated therapeutic abortion is similar to that of spontaneous abortion. The dramatic changes in the legal status of abortion in the United States may have significant influence on the incidence of complicated therapeutic abortion, and we encourage emergency physicians to familiarize themselves with the diagnosis and management of these conditions.