Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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To describe the demographics, referral mechanism and outcome of the emergency consultation in patients presenting to a secondary hospital emergency centre (EC). ⋯ Clear trends are seen for patient demographics and temporal attendance patterns which are important for resource allocation and planning. Many low-acuity patients, largely non-referred, are being seen in the EC and should be managed by primary health care level staff outside the EC.
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To describe and assess outcomes of adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases occurring in the greater Johannesburg metropolitan area recorded over a 7-year period in a student paramedic clinical learning database. ⋯ The proportion of cardiac arrest patients resuscitated was small as was the proportion of patients found in shockable rhythms and those with ROSC. Long response times may explain these findings, but a larger, prospective study on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Johannesburg is needed to confirm this.
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Multicenter Study
A national survey of clinical practice for the management of whiplash-associated disorders in UK emergency departments.
To undertake a national survey to determine current practice for the management of whiplash injuries in UK emergency departments (ED). ⋯ Verbal advice is the primary method for managing whiplash injuries in ED and is usually supplemented by written advice. Within individual hospitals there is a lack of consistency between verbal and written advice. The promotion of personal injury claims is a common feature of written advice. Research is required to develop effective and consistent models of advice.
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Dislocation of the shoulder joint is a common presentation in the emergency department, the reduction of which is usually performed under sedation. At present post-reduction x rays are taken after the patient has recovered from this sedation. If reduction is unsuccessful, repeated attempts under further sedation may be required. In this small case series, bedside ultrasound was found to be accurate in determining whether reduction had been successful.
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Multicenter Study
The relationship between body temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate in children.
To describe and quantify the effect that increasing body temperature has on heart rate and respiratory rate in children attending a paediatric emergency department (ED). ⋯ Body temperature is an independent determinant of heart rate, causing an increase of approximately 10 beats per minute per degree centigrade. Body temperature is also an independent determinant of respiratory rate. This quantification may help in the assessment of the hot and unwell child, to determine whether any tachycardia or tachypnoea is caused solely by fever, or whether there may be an element of concurrent shock.