Emergency
RSSArticles
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Medical Home Within ED Serves Needs of Sparsely Populated Region
North Carolina facility serves as one model for healthcare delivery redesign in rural communities where outcomes have not kept pace with their urban counterparts.
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How to Respond to an Unusual Hepatitis A Outbreak
Recently, several regions in the United States have experienced unusual outbreaks of hepatitis A (HAV). The most severe of these outbreaks is in San Diego, where emergency providers have taken extra steps to identify patients with HAV promptly and to offer vaccinations to patient groups deemed most at risk.
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Targeted Management of Headaches for Emergency Physicians
Headaches are one of the most prevalent and disabling categories of disorders worldwide. Emergency healthcare providers are in a unique position to provide management of acute attacks, exclude emergent causes, educate patients, initiate some forms of preventive treatment, refer patients for appropriate outpatient workup and management of chronic headaches, and clarify and provide feedback regarding diagnostic criteria.
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Oncologists and Intensivists Perceive Prognosis Differently for Critically Ill Patients With Cancer
When considering prognostication or limitation of care in critically ill patients with different cancers, oncologists may focus on cancer characteristics, whereas intensivists may focus on multiple organ failure.
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Deflating Recruitment Maneuvers
Compared to the ARDSNet lower positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP)/low tidal volume strategy, use of an “open lung ventilation” strategy consisting of aggressive alveolar recruitment maneuvers and higher PEEP is associated with higher mortality in patients with moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome.
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Right Heart Failure in the ICU
Right ventricular (RV) failure continues to be a formidable clinical challenge in critical care medicine. Regardless of the etiology, pulmonary hypertension and RV failure carries a poor prognosis. Prompt identification and treatment is warranted. Unfortunately, there is considerable lack of evidence in the management of RV failure in the medical ICU. Most recommendations are based on expert opinion or low-quality evidence.
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Approach to Pediatric Eye Discharge and Periorbital Swelling
Eye problems, particularly conjunctivitis and periorbital swelling, are very common. The majority are managed easily, but more serious disease processes must be considered. Early recognition and prompt treatment of more serious etiologies, such as gonococcal conjunctivitis and herpes simplex virus, can prevent vision loss.
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Take Steam Out of Plaintiff’s Missed Fracture Claim
About 2% of minor trauma patients presenting to a Belgian ED leave with a missed diagnosis, according to a recent study. Of 56 minor trauma patients with missed diagnoses, the most frequently missed diagnoses were ankle, wrist, and foot fractures.
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Excessive ED Waits Are Trigger for Malpractice Lawsuits
EPs can expect wait times to become an issue in any litigation in which an ED patient was diagnosed with a time-sensitive disease process.
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Some Plaintiffs' ‘Experts’ Have Never Worked in ED
It’s never easy for an EP to listen to an expert witness testify that their care was negligent, but it’s harder to take coming from someone who hasn’t worked in an ED in many years — or ever.