The American journal of emergency medicine
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Hymenoptera stings usually have a multitude of presentations from very subtle to life-threatening conditions. Various cardiac manifestations including Kounis syndrome often get missed due to lack of suspicion. The aim of the study was to describe the clinical profile of the cardiac etiologies associated with hymenoptera stings and review literature with focus on diagnosis and treatment strategies. ⋯ Cardiac manifestations with hymenoptera stings although rare may complicate diagnosis and treatment.It should be borne in mind during assessment and standardised guidelines should be developed for ED treatment such as the one recommended in this study.
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During the last decade, guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation has shifted, placing chest compressions and defibrillation first and airway management second. Physicians are being forced to intubate simultaneously with uninterrupted, high quality chest compressions. Using a mannequin model, this study examines the differences between direct and video laryngoscopy, comparing their performance with and without simultaneous chest compressions. ⋯ Using a mannequin model, the C-MAC conventional VL blade resulted in decrease intubation times compared with DL or the GlideScope hyperangulated VL blade system. Overall, VL out performed DL in terms of providing a superior glottic view, minimizing failed attempts, and improving physician's overall perception of intubation difficulty. Chest compressions resulted in worse Cormack-Lehane views and higher rates of inaccurate endotracheal tube placement with DL, compared to VL.
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Few studies have compared renal infarction (RI) and ureteral stone (US), so there is insufficient evidence for emergency clinicians (ECs) to quickly suspect RI during the first assessment. Therefore, we compared the initial clinical presentation and laboratory findings of these diseases in the emergency department (ED) to determine a factor that may indicate RI. ⋯ When differentiating acute RI from US in the ED, age ≥ 70 years, history of A-fib, fever ≥37.5 °C, LDH ≥500 IU/L, Cl- ≤ 103 mEq/L, albumin ≤4.3 g/dL, CRP ≥0.23 mg/dL and negative urine RBC result suggest the possibility of RI.
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The digital nerve block is an effective method of anesthesia before minor surgical interventions on the fingers. However, patients may experience a lot of pain and anxiety during this procedure. The efficacy of topical vapocoolant spray during minor procedures has been demonstrated in previous studies. we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of topical vapocoolant spray in reducing pain during digital nerve block. ⋯ Spray application prior to digital nerve blocking can be used to reduce needle penetration pain associated with this procedure and pain associated with local anesthetic infiltration.