European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Anaesthesia for arterial puncture in the emergency department: a randomized trial of subcutaneous lidocaine, ethyl chloride or nothing.
To determine whether the use of ethyl chloride and subcutaneous lidocaine are associated with a reduction in pain during arterial blood sampling compared with using no local anaesthesia. ⋯ Ethyl chloride is not an effective local anaesthetic agent for AP. When the pain of local anaesthetic administration is taken into account the benefit of subcutaneous lidocaine for single AP is limited.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of trauma mortality between two hospitals in Turkey to one trauma center in the US.
The development of comprehensive international trauma case registries could be used to perform outcomes analysis and comparisons between countries with the goal of improving trauma care worldwide. ⋯ This study demonstrates significantly worse outcomes in trauma care and higher mortality rates in Turkey versus PSTC. Developing a trauma registry to monitor improvements in patient care and to target injury prevention strategies should be a high priority for the Turkish healthcare system.
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Spinal abscess is a rare but potentially devastating condition. We present a case series, looking into its presentation, risk factors, management and outcome. ⋯ The early diagnosis and immediate surgical treatment of spinal abscesses remain cornerstones in improving the outcomes of the disease. From our series, risk factor assessment appear to be more useful than the classical triad of fever, spine pain and neurological deficits to screen ED patients with spine pain for spinal abscess.
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The objective of this study was to determine whether a trained rescuer could teach untrained bystanders to perform basic life support (BLS) during a simulated cardiac arrest. ⋯ Untrained individuals showed an improvement in BLS skills when taught during a cardiac arrest.
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Tourists are exposed to traditional health problems of the host country, such as trauma and the exacerbation of previously existing illnesses during their travels. ⋯ EDs can be expected to manage tourist patients presenting for traumatic injuries and circulatory disorders. Clinical differences relating to patients' nationality might help in the development of targeted patient education and injury-prevention programs. Emergency physicians and the tourism industry should recognize the challenges of caring for this growing and aged patient population.