Journal of emergencies, trauma, and shock
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Bedside emergency ultrasound has rapidly developed over the past several years and has now become part of the standard of care for several applications. While it has only recently been applied to critically ill pediatric patients, several of the well-established adult indications may be applied to pediatric patients. One of the most important and life-saving applications is bedside echocardiography. ⋯ Future research remains to be carried out in determining the efficacy of bedside ultrasonography in pediatric-specific pathology such as congenital heart disease. This article serves as a comprehensive review of the adult literature and a review of the recent applications in the pediatric emergency department. It also highlights the techniques of bedside ultrasonography with examples of normal and pathologic images.
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J Emerg Trauma Shock · Apr 2010
Case ReportsCommon complication of crush injury, but a rare compartment syndrome.
Compartment syndrome (CS) is a common complication of crush injury but it is rare to find bilateral gluteal compartment syndrome (BGCS). Only six cases of BGCS have been reported in the literature. This syndrome has been reported after crush injury, drug overdose, surgical positioning, and vascular surgery. ⋯ A high index of suspicion is necessary for the early diagnosis of gluteal CS, and this will reduce the disability and complications as a consequence of this syndrome. The acute-care physician, the intensivist, and the trauma surgeon must be aware of this rare syndrome, as it can result in multiorgan dysfunction and death. Here we report a case of bilateral gluteal CS that was successfully treated in our trauma intensive care unit.
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Accidental oxygen disconnection during rapid sequence intubation (RSI) in the emergency department is a potentially catastrophic yet avoidable event. We report three cases of inadvertent oxygen disconnection during RSI, which resulted in significant oxygen desaturation. This error can potentially be prevented by thorough preparation, focusing on teamwork training, ensuring an ergonomic environment, and by making simple modifications to existing equipment.
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Every year, more information accumulates about the possibility of treating patients with acute lung injury or acute respiratory distress syndrome with specially designed mechanical ventilation strategies. Ventilator modes, positive end-expiratory pressure settings, and recruitment maneuvers play a major role in these strategies. However, what can we take from these experimental and clinical data to the clinical practice? In this article, we discuss substantial options of mechanical ventilation together with some adjunctive therapeutic measures, such as prone positioning and inhalation of nitric oxide.