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Domestic violence is a serious problem that, unfortunately, is seen all too commonly in our emergency departments. Statistics show, however, that physicians, including emergency physicians, are not good at identifying victims of domestic violence.
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Everyone who provides care for patients in emergency departments is well aware of the annual winter-spring spike in patient volume due to influenza disease and its complications.
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In North America, rotavirus gastroenteritis is a predictable winter epidemic every year--young children presenting to emergency departments and outpatient clinics with fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and varying degrees of dehydration.
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In the United States during 2002, asthma accounted for 12.7 million physician visits; 1.9 million emergency department (ED) visits; 484,000 hospitalizations; and 4,261 deaths. The prevalence of asthma in our society has led it to be the eleventh most common diagnosis in the ED. The direct and indirect costs of the disease are estimated to exceed $14 billion annually in the United States alone.
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Complaints pertaining to teeth are very common, and patients frequently utilize emergency departments (EDs) for their initial care. Most patients understand that definitive care must be provided by a dentist or oral surgeon, but either a lack of financial resources, inability to contact their dentist, severe pain, or acute trauma leads patients to EDs first.
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A pacemaker is an electronic device that provides an electrical signal to stimulate the heart beat when the intrinsic pacemakers fail. The development and implementation of cardiac pacing and pacemaker generators has been well described and documented in many publications.
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In the case of fulminant meningococcal disease, laboratory tests are not available fast enough to be helpful, and may be within normal ranges early in a precipitous course. Provide rapid fluid support and antibiotics immediately and obtain blood cultures with the initial IV placement if possible, but do not delay antibiotics for the sake of good cultures.
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We are all aware of the negative effects of unnecessary antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance is a current crisis in healthcare.
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The first documented treatment of nasal hemorrhage by medical professionals stems from ancient Egypt nearly 4,000 years ago. Epistaxis remains a common problem, continuing to plague patients and physicians today.
