Emergency Medicine - Adult and Pediatric
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Pediatric Airway Management
Pediatric patients frequently present with respiratory complaints. Fortunately, most children respond well to simple medical interventions. Understanding a child's anatomic and physiologic differences is critical to effectively preventing respiratory failure and stabilizing a child when it occurs.
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EP Defendants Need Forensic IT Experts to Explain EMRs
A recent malpractice lawsuit against an EP alleged that a patient coded and spent two weeks in an ICU because he received a medication to which he was allergic. Since the electronic medical record (EMR) clearly documented the patient’s allergy to the medication, at first glance, it looked as though the EP had made a colossal mistake. However, this was not the case.
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Missed Compartment Syndrome in the ED Often Leads to Litigation
Compartment syndrome is one of the few true orthopedic emergencies seen in the ED, and the consequences can be dire.
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Do State Damage Caps Apply to EMTALA?
A recent case is a good example of how a delay in implementing an order can expose EDs to EMTALA and medical malpractice claims.
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Expanded tPA Criteria Means Many More Potential Plaintiffs
Did a stroke patient experience a bad outcome in the ED? If tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) wasn’t administered in the ED, without a good reason documented in the chart, a malpractice lawsuit is likely.
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Informed Consent: Beyond Signing a Form
The informed discussion is critical to the informed consent process and meeting the applicable standard of care for obtaining informed consent. Thus, the content of that discussion is more important than a signature on a form, which frequently doesn’t include enough details about the information shared with the patient. The concept of shared decision-making adds complexity to the idea of informed consent.
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Evaluation of Bradycardia in the Emergency Department
In this article, the normal anatomy and pathophysiology of bradydysrhythmias in adults will be reviewed, followed by the latest recommendations in evaluation and management.
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The Great Mimicker: Thyroid Emergencies
Thyroid disease is relatively common, but most often is a benign disease with little clinical significance in the emergency setting. However, even a small insult can disrupt this system and throw the regulation out of control, resulting in the secretion of too much or too little thyroid hormone. Both of these situations can result in the thyroid emergencies thyroid storm and myxedema coma.
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Emergency Management of Rabies Exposure
Rabies is an uncommon disease with a very high fatality rate. Recognition of a potential exposure and effective prophylaxis are critical in prevention of this devastating disease. The authors review recognition of suspicious bites/exposures, clinical presentation of rabies, and utilization of effective prevention strategies.
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Hospital-run Urgent Care Center Is Subject to EMTALA
ED staff need training to ensure compliance.