BMC emergency medicine
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Emergency departments across the globe follow a triage system in order to cope with overcrowding. The intention behind triage is to improve the emergency care and to prioritize cases in terms of clinical urgency. ⋯ We integrate the results from the analysis using four principles of biomedical ethics into care ethics perspective on triage and propose an integrated clinically and ethically based framework of emergency department triage planning, as seen from a comprehensive ethics perspective that incorporates both the principles-based and care-oriented approach.
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BMC emergency medicine · Jan 2011
Role of anesthesiology curriculum in improving bag-mask ventilation and intubation success rates of emergency medicine residents: a prospective descriptive study.
Rapid and safe airway management has always been of paramount importance in successful management of critically ill and injured patients in the emergency department. The purpose of our study was to determine success rates of bag-mask ventilation and tracheal intubation performed by emergency medicine residents before and after completing their anesthesiology curriculum. ⋯ The success rate of emergency medicine residents in airway management improved significantly after completing anesthesiology rotation. Anesthesiology rotations should be considered as an essential component of emergency medicine training programs. A collateral curriculum of this nature should also focus on the acquisition of skills in airway management.
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BMC emergency medicine · Jan 2011
Case ReportsComplete motor recovery after acute paraparesis caused by spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma: case report.
Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma is a relatively rare but potentially disabling disease. Prompt timely surgical management may promote recovery even in severe cases. ⋯ The diagnosis of spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma must be kept in mind in cases of sudden back pain with symptoms of spinal cord compression. Early recognition, accurate diagnosis and prompt surgical treatment may result in significant improvement even in severe cases.
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BMC emergency medicine · Jan 2011
Withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining therapy in a Moroccan Emergency Department: an observational study.
Withdrawing and withholding life-support therapy (WH/WD) are undeniably integrated parts of medical activity. However, Emergency Department (ED) might not be the most appropriate place to give end-of life (EOL) care; the legal aspects and practices of the EOL care in emergency rooms are rarely mentioned in the medical literature and should be studied. The aims of this study were to assess frequency of situations where life-support therapies were withheld or withdrawn and modalities for implement of these decisions. ⋯ Life-sustaining treatment were frequently withheld or withdrawn from elderly patients with underlying chronic cardiovascular disease or metastatic cancer or patients with acute neurological medical disorders in a Moroccan ED. Religious beliefs and the lack of guidelines and official Moroccan laws could explain the ethical limitations of the decision-making process recorded in this study.
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BMC emergency medicine · Jan 2011
Canadian Emergency Department Triage and Acuity Scale: implementation in a tertiary care center in Saudi Arabia.
The Canadian Emergency Department Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) is a well recognized and validated triage system that prioritizes patient care by severity of illness. The aim of this study was to describe the results of Emergency Department (ED) waiting times after the implementation of the CTAS in a major tertiary care hospital emergency department outside of Canada. ⋯ The CTAS may be adapted, with achievable objectives, in hospitals outside Canada as well. Time to see physician, total LOS, and LWBS are effective markers of ED performance and the quality of triage. Registration-to-physician time (RTP) and LOS profiles, stratified by triage level, are essential indicative markers for ED performance and should be used in improving patients flow through collaborative efforts.