Thus, most hospitals in my county have limited on-site or in-house behavioral or psychiatric resources; most patients are assessed in the emergency department (ED) and then transferred to mental health crisis centers or, if available, inpatient psychiatric units. The most common question by the accepting provider is, "Is this patient medically cleared?"
Emergency physicians are often required to adeptly manage patients with unique and challenging clinical problems. This is a two-part paper to provide the emergency physician with a clear, concise review of troubleshooting tubes and lines. Part I will deal with central venous catheters and tracheostomies. A later edition will deal with feeding and nephrostomy tubes.
Pulmonary contusions are a frequent complication of chest trauma and may have serious morbidity and mortality associated with them. Early recognition, aggressive management, and a targeted diagnostic approach may optimize outcomes for these patients. The authors present a concise, comprehensive review of the current status of identification and management of pulmonary contusions.
Abdominal pain with vomiting is a common presenting complaint to the emergency department (ED) in infants. In the majority of cases, the patient's symptoms come from a benign cause such as gastroenteritis. However, it remains essential for the emergency physician (EP) to thoroughly understand the differential diagnosis of abdominal pain and vomiting in infants, particularly identifying those causes requiring surgical intervention.