JACEP
-
Two patients presented to the emergency department with acute onset of fever and myalgia after injecting heroin reclaimed from previously used cotton filters. Their histories and clinical courses are illustrative of the symptom complex known to drug users as "cotton fever." Although the causative mechanisms are unknown, the syndrome does appear to have a benign, self-limiting course.
-
This study evaluated the regional burn health care system of the Commonwealth of Virginia using the criteria for optimal care of the burn patient designated by the American Burn Association. The data base for this evaluation was hospital records of seven hospitals in Virginia. ⋯ Using the criteria designated by the American Burn Association, a large number of minor burn injuries were judged erroneously to be major burn injuries. A modification of the American Burn Association's injury severity grading system is proposed which more precisely identifies the minor burn injury.