The American journal of emergency medicine
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Case Reports
Clinical utilization of a sous vide device in the acute rewarming of frostbitten extremities.
The current standard of care for acute frostbite rewarming is the use of a circulating warm water bath at a temperature of 37 °C to 39 °C. There is no standardized method to achieve this. Manual management of a warm water bath can be inefficient and time consuming. ⋯ He was discharged on hospital day 3 and did not require any amputations. A sous vide device can be used clinically to heat and maintain a water bath and successfully rewarm frostbitten extremities in one 30 m cycle. No adverse events were reported and providers rated this as a convenient method of water bath management.
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The incidence of alcohol and recreational drug use is increasing. The impact on penetrating trauma is unknown. This study was undertaken to identify the incidence of alcohol and recreational drug use prior to penetrating trauma, and to identify ISS and outcomes among patients with penetrating trauma. ⋯ Positive screens for alcohol and recreational drugs were common among penetrating trauma patients in this setting. The most common identified recreational drugs included marijuana, benzodiazepine, opiates, alcohol, cocaine, and amphetamine.