Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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A young man presented to the emergency department with ventricular tachyarrhythmia later attributed to varicella zoster myocarditis. Myocarditis has an unpredictable clinical sequelae, making it a difficult condition to diagnose and manage in the emergency setting. The inconsistent clinical presentations, risks and management are demonstrated through a review of the literature.
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To analyse the temporal and spatial characteristics of traumatic brain injury and the distribution of combined injuries in the Wenchuan earthquake, and describe the treatment opportunities and preferences for therapy. ⋯ Patients with traumatic brain injury during the early period accounted for a large proportion of the patients wounded in the Wenchuan earthquake, and their conditions changed quickly. The patients all came from the plain area which has convenient transportation. After admission, providing first-aid early had a significant effect on increasing the success of treatment for these patients.
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The case is presented of epiglottal and pre-epiglottal oedema secondary to infection of the pharyngolaryngeal area. The purpose of this report was to assess the utility of ultrasonography to image epiglottal and pre-epiglottal oedema. Bedside emergency department ultrasonography could be a valuable tool to detect pathological enlargement of the epiglottis. Ultrasonography may be used in unstable patients for diagnosing epiglottitis because it is cheap, rapid, non-invasive and does not aggravate the patient's symptoms.
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Trauma is still the leading cause of mortality in the first four decades of life. Despite numerous reports on how trauma care could be improved in the UK, treatment has been shown to be inconsistent and of poor quality. Trauma teams have been shown to have a positive effect on outcome. A study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of trauma teams in Scotland. ⋯ There are few trauma teams in Scottish acute hospitals. There was little enthusiasm for introducing them for a variety of reasons. Local evidence of benefit is probably needed before their adoption becomes widespread.