J Emerg Med
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Transvenous pacemaker placement is an integral component of therapy for severe dysrhythmias and a core skill in emergency medicine. ⋯ An understanding of transvenous pacemaker placement is essential for emergency clinicians.
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Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a rare but serious condition associated with significant morbidity. ⋯ An understanding of MS can assist emergency clinicians in better diagnosing and managing this neurologically devastating disease.
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Opioids are commonly prescribed for the management of acute orthopedic trauma pain, including nonoperative distal radius fractures. ⋯ Over 90% of patients (106/118) continued to receive an opioid medication despite having a known risk factor for abuse. Additionally, we found older patients were more likely to be prescribed opioids for nonoperatively managed distal radius fractures.
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Observational Study
The Association Between C-Reactive Protein Levels and Pediatric Appendicitis Score and the Severity of Appendicitis in Children.
Acute appendicitis is a common cause of abdominal pain leading to emergent abdominal surgery in children. C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammatory marker typically elevated in acute appendicitis, and Pediatric Appendicitis Score (PAS), a clinical scoring system used for the diagnosis of appendicitis, have the potential to predict the severity of inflammation of the appendix. This may be useful in helping the physician make a treatment plan prior to surgery. ⋯ Higher CRP levels and PAS were associated with increased histologic inflammation of the appendix. This study provides preliminary evidence that CRP and PAS could potentially assist in treatment decisions for appendicitis.
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As emergency physicians are looking at handheld devices as alternatives to the traditional, cart-based systems, concerns center around whether they are forsaking image quality for a lower price point and whether the handheld can be trusted for medical decision making. ⋯ Data support that it is feasible to use the handheld ultrasound device for evaluation of the trauma patient in place of the cart-based system.