J Emerg Med
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Infants are often brought to an emergency department (ED) for medical evaluation upon surrender or abandonment. However, no specific guidelines exist for the care of surrendered or abandoned children. We describe the case of an abandoned infant who was brought to a pediatric quaternary care hospital as a model for evaluation and management. ⋯ A 3-day-old abandoned female was brought to a quaternary care pediatric hospital ED. Given limitations in history, upon physical examination and in consultation with specialists, our team completed an extensive laboratory workup to guide initial management and treatment. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Abandoned and surrendered infants frequently enter the medical system via the ED, and emergency physicians must be aware of best practices to evaluate and manage these patients. While each infant presentation is unique, commonalities exist. Our care may serve as a starting point by which others may base their own management. © 2022 Elsevier Inc.
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In the province of Quebec (Canada), paramedics use the esophageal tracheal Combitube (ETC) for prehospital airway management. ⋯ Proportions of successful ventilation and ETC first-pass success are lower than those reported in the literature with supraglottic airway devices. The reasons explaining these lower rates and their impact on patient-centered outcomes need to be studied.
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Emergency physicians must choose whether patients with asthma are admitted to a hospital ward or a higher level of care, such as an intermediate care unit (IMC) or intensive care unit (ICU). ⋯ Combinations of predictor variables, available early in a patient's stay, stratify risk of admission to an IMC/ICU bed.
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A severe baclofen intoxication is a potentially life-threatening condition. It is associated with coma and can cause brainstem reflexes to disappear, simulating a brain death-like condition. When given intensive supportive care and time, patients can recover without residual neurological damage. ⋯ We present a case of a patient with known spastic cerebral palsy who was found unresponsive with no signs of breathing. He was brought to the Emergency Department, intubated, put on the ventilator, and hemodynamically stabilized. Brainstem reflexes were absent and he appeared brain dead. During the secondary survey, an intrathecal baclofen pump was found at his left lower abdomen, with a swelling next to it. A baclofen intoxication was suspected. He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, and after 72 h of supportive care complete neurological recovery was achieved. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Systemic baclofen intoxication can simulate a brain death-like condition. There is no reliable correlation between baclofen serum levels and central nervous system depression in case of an intoxication. It is important for emergency physicians to recognize a baclofen intoxication as a possible cause of coma and absent brainstem reflexes. Recuperation is spontaneous and can follow within days without residual damage. Because these patients may be brought in after a period of apnea or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, focus may be on post-hypoxic encephalopathy considerations instead of a possible baclofen intoxication.
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In our multicultural society, as well as when working internationally, emergency physicians (EPs) frequently see patients from cultures with communitarian or hierarchal structures. These groups may rely on traditional medical practices and view health care decisions through a lens other than patient autonomy. This leads to uncertainty about who can legitimately make decisions for patients and how to apply basic ethical principles. Because the commonly taught ethical principles (autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and distributive justice) are loosely defined, they provide little help to EPs when working with cultures that de-emphasize Western individualism. ⋯ Despite principlism's shortcomings, the ease of teaching ethics to health care providers by grouping basic philosophical ideas suggests that we continue to use its structure. As educators and practitioners, we should, however, expand the concept of principlism to better address ethical values and issues found across different cultures.