Articles: emergency-services.
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In a retrospective case review of inpatient and emergency department (ED) records during a 55-month period, 155 hospitalizations for Kawasaki syndrome (KS) were identified, of which 44 were seen in the ED. In 16 cases, KS was already suspected by their private physicians and confirmed in the ED by a KS specialist. In the remaining 28, patients presented initially to the ED. ⋯ In four instances, patients were hospitalized for other reasons. In all cases in which the diagnosis of KS was not made in the ED, viral infections or sepsis were suspected. One child presented to the ED in respiratory arrest and severe bradycardia.
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To date, the study of critical illness in the emergency department has been limited. The purpose of this study was to determine the ED length of stay and procedures performed in medical critical care patients. ⋯ Critically ill patients spend a substantial amount of time in the ED before transfer to the ICU. Typical ICU procedures are commonly performed. Further study of the impact on patient outcome of ED stay and the procedures performed in critically ill medical patients should be conducted.
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The objective of this study was to examine the use of limited, goal-directed, two-dimensional ultrasound studies performed by emergency physicians and to assess the frequency, variety, and accuracy of their readings. A 1-year prospective study was performed by using an emergency department (ED) ultrasound machine with a 3.5-mHz mechanical oscillating sector transducer and a 5.0-mHz vaginal transducer. In a series of proctoring sessions, radiologists trained emergency physicians to do limited, goal-directed ultrasonography. ⋯ Eleven categories of ultrasound use were reported. The three studies most commonly performed were for gallbladder disease (53%), intrauterine pregnancy (28%), and abdominal aortic aneurysms (7%). Accuracy of ED gallbladder ultrasonograms for 65 patients showed a sensitivity of .86, specificity of .97, PPV of .97, and NPV of .85.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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The objective of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of the patient population of an urban emergency department (ED) in The People's Republic of China. A prospective observational study was conducted at a university-affiliated hospital adult ED medical unit and included all patients visiting the medical unit of the ED during a 2-week period. A data collection log was designed and placed in the ED. ⋯ These data offer emergency physicians a preliminary understanding of the clinic presentations and diagnoses of patients seen in a university-affiliated urban hospital ED in China. The number and length of time patients were held in observation unit point out the shortage of in-hospital beds. This study is useful for describing and understanding characteristics of the patient encounter and for improving the delivery of emergency care in China.
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To learn more about the causes of nonfatal construction worker injuries, and to identify injury cases for further work-site investigations or prevention programs, an emergency department-based surveillance program was established. Construction workers with work-related injuries or illnesses were identified by reviewing the medical records of all patients treated at the George Washington University Emergency Department between November 1, 1990 and November 31, 1992. Information regarding the worker, the injury, and the injury circumstances were abstracted from medical records. ⋯ Laborers and Hispanic workers were overrepresented among these severe cases. Emergency Department records were a useful surveillance tool for the initial identification and description of work-related injuries. Although E codes were not that useful for formulating prevention strategies, detailed review of injury circumstances from Emergency Department records was valuable and has helped to establish priorities for prevention activities.