Articles: emergency-department.
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Ocular trauma is recognized as the leading cause of unilateral blindness. However, few studies to date have focused on the clinical features of hospital-based ocular emergencies. Effectiveness of trauma centers in treating ocular emergencies was compared with treatment in traditional community hospital emergency departments. Demographics, causes, and nature of ocular emergencies, as well as visual outcome in community hospitals emergency departments and trauma centers, were also examined. ⋯ The middle-aged, white men are more vulnerable to ocular injuries caused mainly by motor vehicle accidents. The ability of trauma centers to provide comparable increases in vision outcomes, despite treating more severe ocular emergencies, demonstrates the effectiveness of trauma centers. Patients diagnosed as having orbital contusions or who have fall injuries deserve careful evaluation because they are more likely to have more severe sight-threatening injuries.
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Bacterial meningitis is an emergent disease requiring prompt diagnosis and treatment with appropriate antimicrobials. Although the lumbar puncture is widely used as a diagnostic tool for bacterial meningitis, it remains unclear which value in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis in emergency laboratory tests precisely predicts the presence of bacterial meningitis. ⋯ This study suggests that the CSF/blood glucose ratio may be a better single indicator for bacterial meningitis. Since the CSF glucose and blood glucose values are promptly and easily obtained from a lumbar puncture, the CSF/blood glucose ratio should be considered as a timely diagnostic indicator of bacterial meningitis. It may also help exclude the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis especially in cases in which no microorganisms can be cultured.
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Enferm. Infecc. Microbiol. Clin. · Mar 2014
Review[Usefulness of inflammation and infection biomarkers in the Emergency Department].
Infectious processes account for 10% of patient seen in the emergency department. To administer antibiotics early, and before any other therapeutic-diagnostic decisions (complementary tests, microbiological samples, intensity of hemodynamic support, need for admission, etc.) have direct repercussions on the survival of patients with severe bacterial infections (bacteremia, severe sepsis or septic shock). In this context, the emergency department represents a critical level where the suspicion of infection and it diagnosis is made and treatment is started, and the progression and prognosis will be determined by the speed of this action. ⋯ Inflammation and infection biomarkers have been around for years as helpful tools for improving emergency medical diagnoses and management of infection in the emergency department. The aim of this review is to summarize the published scientific evidence, in order to clarify the existing controversies, comparing the usefulness of the major biomarkers of inflammation and infection. It will alas suggest recommendations for their use in order to improve diagnosis, prognostic evaluation and management of infected patients in the emergency department.
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Pediatric emergency care · Mar 2014
Review Case ReportsAlternative airways for the pediatric emergency department.
Securing the pediatric airway in the emergency setting is an uncommon event that is complicated by anatomic, physiologic, and environmental factors. Even more uncommonly, practitioners are faced with the added complication of a difficult airway, and the question of what alternatives to traditional endotracheal intubation are available and most useful may arise. Timely and effective intervention determines the patient's clinical outcome. The purpose of this review was to detail specific alternative airway management strategies and tools for use in the pediatric emergency department.