The American journal of emergency medicine
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Case Reports
De Garengeot hernia: the ultrasound and computed tomographic findings in an 81-year-old woman.
The presence of appendix within a femoral hernia is a rare condition in an incarcerated femoral hernia. It has a characteristic groin mass, and the diagnosis of appendicitis is mainly made intraoperatively. A specific imaging appearance (ultrasonography, computed tomography [CT]) allows accurate prospective diagnosis. ⋯ We report a case of an 81-year-old woman who present with painful and nonreducible groin mass. The ultrasonography and CT characteristic imaging features successfully diagnosed de Garengeot hernia. To our knowledge, this is the first description of a combination of CT and ultrasound in the preoperative diagnosis.
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The end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) measurement was considered as an essential tool for the assessment of several conditions in emergency medicine. However, the diagnostic role of capnography in dyspneic patients still remains unclear. We aimed to analyze the alteration of the ETCO2 levels in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations and its role in the decision-making process. ⋯ End-tidal carbon dioxide levels were higher in admitted patients when compared with discharged patients on arrival to the ED. ETCO2 measurement has very little contributions while evaluating patients with COPD exacerbation in the ED.
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To describe changes in the prevalence and severity of pain and prescribing of non-opioid analgesics in US emergency departments (EDs) from 2000 to 2010. ⋯ Large increases in opioid utilization in EDs have coincided with reductions in the use of non-opioid analgesics and an unchanging prevalence of pain among patients.