J Emerg Med
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Pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) refers to the identification of air within the wall of the gastrointestinal tract. This finding often marks serious underlying pathology, which can be potentially surgical in nature. However, this process may also occur within a benign context, for example, in patients who are chronically immunosuppressed. The prevalence of benign PI may be greater than previously anticipated, because its discovery is facilitated by the increasingly widespread use of computed tomography (CT) scanning. ⋯ The indications for ordering CT scans after minor trauma must be carefully considered, and incidental findings must be interpreted in the context of the overall clinical scenario.
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Survival of blunt trauma associated with hypothermic and hemorrhagic cardiac arrest in wilderness areas is extremely rare. ⋯ This report is presented to increase awareness of the potential survivability in hypothermia, and to recognize the heroic efforts of the emergency services personnel whose efforts saved the patient's life.
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A common complication of hemodialysis is bleeding from the dialysis site. ⋯ 2-octyl-cyanoacrylate is effective in stopping venous bleeding from hemodialysis sites.
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Little is known about the outcomes of adults with syncope seen in Canadian Emergency Departments (EDs). ⋯ Although syncope represented < 1% of all patient visits, morbidity was substantial, particularly in patients discharged from the ED. Future research should help clinicians identify syncope patients at high risk for serious outcomes.
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Case Reports
Rupture of ectopic pelvic dysplastic kidney after blunt abdominal trauma presenting as left lower quadrant pain.
Ectopic pelvic dysplastic kidney is very rare. To our knowledge, there is no case report in the literature that discusses the diagnosis and management of ectopic pelvic dysplastic kidney in trauma. ⋯ The focused assessment with sonography for trauma examination is beneficial to hemodynamically stable blunt abdominal trauma patients because unusual organ injuries can be detected early.