The Trauma Pro

DECEMBER 22, 2023

As I was browsing through my journal list this week, I ran into an interesting title for an article that is currently in press. “The use of radio-opaque markers is medical dogma” Catchy, especially since I love writing about dogma vs what is really supported by the literature. The author questions the justification of this practice and posits that there are risks to extrapolating information based on radiographs with markers placed by the trauma team.

Operations 264

Operations Outcomes 264

Emergency Live

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Intensive Rescue Efforts and Climatic Challenges in Northwestern China Devastating Impact of the Earthquake and Initial Response The recent earthquake in northwestern China, one of the deadliest since 2014, has resulted in a tragic toll of over 130 casualties, with 113 people perishing in Gansu province and 18 in Qinghai province. In Gansu, more than […] The post Earthquake in China: Latest Updates appeared first on Emergency Live.

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Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

DECEMBER 22, 2023

This is a case I had quite a while back. The patient with no prior cardiac history presented in the middle of the night with acute chest pain, and had this ECG recorded during active pain: I did not see any ischemia on this electrocardiogram. It does not look entirely normal, since there are some nonspecific STT abnormalities, such as flattening of the T waves in aVL.

EKG/ECG 92

EKG/ECG Outcomes 92

Emergency Live

DECEMBER 22, 2023

From Telegraphy to Digital, the Story of a Universal Signal The Birth of SOS The story of the “SOS” distress signal begins in the early 20th century. Germany was the first country to adopt the SOS, known as the Notzeichen, in 1905. It was then recognized internationally when the first International Radiotelegraph Convention, held in […] The post SOS: Distress Signal and Its Historical Evolution appeared first on Emergency Live.

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Science Based Medicine

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Enjoy this classic post from the vault as we close out 2023. A few myths and misconceptions about infant teething. The post From the Vault: Infant Teething Myths and Misconceptions first appeared on Science-Based Medicine.

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Emergency Live

DECEMBER 22, 2023

How a sedentary lifestyle can increase the risk of developing cancer Correlation between Sedentary Life and Cancer A 2014 meta-analysis examined data from over 68,000 cancer cases and found that prolonged sedentary behaviors, such as watching TV or sitting for work, are associated with an increased risk of colon, endometrial, and lung cancer. An 8% […] The post Sedentary Lifestyle and Cancer Risk: A Concerning Connection appeared first on Emergency Live.

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EMCrit

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Is your mind ready for no preparation critical care? EMCrit Project by Scott Weingart, MD FCCM.

Resuscitation 100

Resuscitation 100

Emergency Medicine Journal

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Clinical introduction A 96-year-old woman presented to the ED with a 3-day history of fever and facial redness. She had dementia and was constantly scratching her face with itching. On examination, her body temperature was 38.2℃ The erythema was tender and confined to her face and ears. Laboratory tests showed an absolute neutrophil count of 10,900/μL and a C reactive protein level of 115 mg/L.

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Emergency Live

DECEMBER 22, 2023

An Overview of Relief Difficulties and the Human Rights Situation Humanitarian Situation and Relief Challenges Afghanistan is facing a severe humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by climate change, a sharp economic decline, and restrictions imposed by the Taliban, which directly affect the ability to provide humanitarian aid. In 2023, approximately 28 million people in Afghanistan rely on […] The post Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan: Challenges and Conditions of Women appeared first on Emer

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Sensible Medicine

DECEMBER 22, 2023

As many of you know, I have long argued (unsuccessfully until now) for a placebo-controlled trial of AF ablation. One group gets the ablation; the other gets a placebo or sham procedure. This way we can sort out the placebo-resistant effect of the ablation. Finally, here is the first report of one. Dr. Malcolm Finlay is an electrophysiologist at St Bartholomew hospital in London UK and primary investigator of the study.

Hospitals 69

Hospitals 69

Emergency Live

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Concerns about the humanitarian implications of the new agreement Introduction and Context of the New EU Immigration Pact The new European Union Immigration and Asylum Pact, recently agreed upon, has raised criticism and concerns regarding its potential implications for the rights of migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees. Despite the triumphant rhetoric surrounding the announcement of […] The post New EU Immigration and Search and Rescue Pact Concerns About Humanitarian Implications appea

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ALiEM

DECEMBER 22, 2023

An 84-year-old female presented with a chief complaint of right hip pain after a fall 12 hours prior to presentation. The patient reported a history of falls resulting in shoulder, rib, and left hip fractures in the past. The patient stated that upon getting out of bed, she took 4-5 steps, lost her balance, and fell backward onto the bedroom floor. She denied loss of consciousness.

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Fractures Dislocations Academics Radiology 64

NRC Health

DECEMBER 22, 2023

As we immerse ourselves in the holiday spirit, let’s cherish the magic of genuine connections. The post Celebrating connections this holiday season appeared first on NRC Health.

Pediatrics 52

Pediatrics 52

Emergency Live

DECEMBER 22, 2023

The best news of December collected in this browsable edition of Emergency Live: the magazine is online Magazine Online, read the browsable edition of Emergency Live:  Source Roberts Srl The post Emergency Live, the browsable magazine with the top news of December 2023 is online appeared first on Emergency Live.

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Emergency Medicine Journal

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Background Health coaching services could help to reduce emergency healthcare utilisation for patients targeted proactively by a clinical prediction model (CPM) predicting patient likelihood of future hospitalisations. Such interventions are designed to empower patients to confidently manage their own health and effectively utilise wider resources. Using CPMs to identify patients, rather than prespecified criteria, accommodates for the dynamic hospital user population and for sufficient time to

Emergency Department 52

Emergency Department Hospitals Outcomes 52

Emergency Live

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Exploring the Benefits of Yoga in Managing Lower Back Pain The Science Behind Yoga’s Benefits for Back Pain Yoga has been recognized as an effective treatment for back pain, particularly lower back pain. A 2018 study conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality analyzed eight clinical trials involving 1,466 participants and found that […] The post Yoga for Back Pain: A Natural Solution appeared first on Emergency Live.

Research 52

Research 52

Emergency Medicine Journal

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Background Long waiting times in the ED have been shown to cause negative outcomes for patients. This study aims to assess the effect in reducing length of stay of (1) preventing low-acuity attenders from attending the ED and (2) diverting low-acuity attenders at triage to a colocated general practice (GP) service. Methods Discrete event simulation was used to model a large urban teaching hospital in the UK, as a case study, with a colocated GP service.

Emergency Department 52

Emergency Department Research Outcomes Hospitals 52

Emergency Medicine Journal

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Background Acute behavioural disturbance (ABD) is a term used in law enforcement and healthcare, but there is a lack of clarity regarding its meaning. Common language should be used across staff groups to support the identification, prioritisation and delivery of care to this group of patients. The terminology currently used is inconsistent and confusing.

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Emergency Medicine Journal

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Happy New Year and welcome to the January 2024 issue. We have an enticing array of articles on offer to kick start your new year and rekindle your enthusiasm for our wonderful specialty. Managing acute behavioural disturbance: expert insights Acute behavioural disturbance (ABD) has gained a lot of attention in recent years, following a number of high profile cases covered by the media.

Emergency Department 52

Emergency Department 52

Emergency Medicine Journal

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Editor’s note: EMJ has partnered with the journals of multiple international emergency medicine societies to share from each a highlighted research study, as selected by their editors. This edition will feature an abstract from each publication.

Research 40

Research 40

Emergency Medicine Journal

DECEMBER 22, 2023

This month’s update is by the Swansea Bay UHB ED team. We used a multimodal search strategy, drawing on free open-access medical education resources and literature searches. We identified the five most interesting and relevant papers (decided by consensus) and highlight the main findings, key limitations and clinical bottom line for each paper.

Resuscitation 40

Resuscitation Emergency Department Outcomes 40

Emergency Medicine Journal

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Case A woman in her early 30s self-presents to her local ED at 03:00 hours and is brought from triage to resus due to a tachycardia of 220 beats per minute (bpm). She is 15 weeks into her first (twin) pregnancy, has no medical history and takes no regular medication. She reports a 2-day history of intermittent ‘palpitations’ which are now constant.

EKG/ECG 40

EKG/ECG 40

Emergency Medicine Journal

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Clinical introduction A 57-year-old man presented to the ED with complaints of odynophagia. He recalled swallowing a fish bone several days before the presentation. An impacted fish bone in the throat was suspected. He sought medical assistance at a local clinic; however, the results were negative. On arrival, the patient was afebrile, appeared well and spoke with a normal voice.

Wellness 40

Wellness 40

Emergency Medicine Journal

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Objectives To determine the impact of risk stratification using the MEESSI-AHF (Multiple Estimation of risk based on the Emergency department Spanish Score In patients with acute heart failure) scale to guide disposition decision-making on the outcomes of ED patients with acute heart failure (AHF), and assess the adherence of emergency physicians to risk stratification recommendations.

Emergency Department 40

Emergency Department Outcomes Hospitals 40

Emergency Medicine Journal

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Community emergency medicine (CEM) is a model of pre-hospital care that delivers emergency department care to patients irrespective of their clinical environment. 1 2 It is the clinical or situational complexity of the patient, rather than the acuity of illness, that best defines the cohort patients targeted by CEM. London’s physician response unit (PRU), established in 2001, has continually evolved its scope of practice.

Operations 40

Operations Emergency Department Hospitals 40

Emergency Medicine Journal

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Background Online NHS111 was introduced in 2018 in response to increasing and unsustainable demand for telephone NHS111. Despite high levels of use, there is little evidence of channel shift from the telephone to the online service. We explored user and staff perspectives of online NHS111 to understand how and why online NHS111 is used and whether there may be potential for shift from the telephone to online service.

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Emergency Medicine Journal

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Background We aimed to identify patients at low risk of bloodstream infection (BSI) in the ED. Methods We derived and validated a prediction model to rule out BSI in the ED without the need for laboratory testing by determining variables associated with a positive blood culture (BC) and assigned points according to regression coefficients. This retrospective study included adult patients suspected of having BSI (defined by at least one BC collection) from two European ED between 1 January 2017 a

Emergency Department 40

Emergency Department Operations 40

Emergency Medicine Journal

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Clinical Introduction A 15-year-old boy was brought to the ED with generalised rashes over the body for 12 hours. He had ear discharge 2 days back for which he was treated with antihistaminics and oral amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. There was no history of fever. On examination, he had multiple, well-defined, circular to oval, erythematous to red violaceous plaques measuring 1 x 1 to 10 x 5 cm scattered asymmetrically over trunk, upper limb, lower limb and buttocks ( figure 1 ).

Wellness 40

Wellness 40

Emergency Medicine Journal

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Objective The lack of evidence-based criteria to guide chest radiograph (CXR) use in young febrile infants results in variation in its use with resultant suboptimal quality of care. We sought to describe the features associated with radiographic pneumonias in young febrile infants. Study design Secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study in 18 emergency departments (EDs) in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network from 2016 to 2019.

Emergency Department 40

Emergency Department Pediatrics Research 40

Emergency Medicine Journal

DECEMBER 22, 2023

The term ‘acute behavioural disturbance’ (ABD) is contentious, tensions around its use being apparent across and between health and criminal justice agencies in the UK. This raises interesting questions. If it is not a diagnosis, what is it? And who gets to decide? This Delphi study by Humphries et al 1 goes some way to clarify the views of professionals and hopefully opens the door to the collaborative debate we owe to the patients labelled with the term.

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