Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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To present suggestions on planning for development of emergency medicine (EM) and out-of-hospital care in countries that are in an early phase of this process, and to provide basic background information for planners not already familiar with EM. ⋯ Some aspects of EM system development have applicability to most countries, but other aspects must be decided by planners based on country-specific factors. Because of the very recent initiation of many EM system development efforts in other countries, to the authors' knowledge there have not yet been extensive evaluative reports of the efficacy of these efforts. Further studies are needed on the relative effectiveness and cost-benefit of different EM development efforts.
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Suicide attempts with agricultural chemicals are common in southern Taiwan. Among them, glyphosate-surfactant herbicide (GlySH) intoxication has been encountered with increasing frequency. Although a number of reports have described the clinical course and outcomes following ingestion, predictors of serious complications and mortality have not been elucidated. The purpose of this study was to define predictors of serious complications and probable mortality. ⋯ In managing patients who have larger amount of GlySH ingestion, airway protection, early detection of pulmonary edema, and prevention of further pulmonary damage and renal damage appear to be of critical importance.
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Prior studies addressing the incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in patients with cocaine-associated chest pain have found divergent results. Previous prospective studies, which found approximately a 6% incidence of AMI, have been criticized for selection bias. This study sought to determine the rate of AMI in patients with cocaine-associated chest pain. ⋯ The incidence of AMI was 6% in patients with cocaine-associated chest pain. This result is identical to that found in prior prospective studies.
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To describe in detail the implementation of an acute care home care program (quick response program; QRP) for the emergency department (ED). ⋯ A QRP can be successfully implemented in the ED to discharge patients home, most of whom would have been admitted to hospital.
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The number of potential uses of emergency department (ED) ultrasound is growing. This brief report describes its use in two ED patients who presented with acute ocular pathology. The diagnoses were quickly made with ED ultrasound, and subsequently confirmed with more traditional methods of ocular evaluation.