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Many ED physicians do not get blood alcohol levels on intoxicated patients because levels do not correlate well with the patient's mental status or competence, while others say this practice is legally risky. So should blood alcohol levels be obtained?
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This issue of Emergency Medicine Reports deals with infection control as it relates to the emergency department (ED). Several states now require infection control training for continued licensure, and it is hoped that this article may be useful to some in meeting that requirement.
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All of us have personal experience with the topic of this issue of EMR--diarrhea. We all have had diarrhea, likely several times, and all have seen more cases than we can count.
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On nearly every shift, the emergency physician confronts a patient with atrial fibrillation (AF), either new onset or chronic. AF is often seen in patients with congestive heart failure or prior myocardial infarction.
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In this study of surgical ICU patients in whom chest tubes were placed percutaneously for pneumothorax or sterile pleural effusion, 21% of the tubes were found on chest CT to be in a fissure, and another 9% were intraparenchymal. Only a minority of the malpositions were described in the official radiology reports.
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With better immunosuppressive therapy and ICU care, invasive aspergillosis is being encountered more often. Making the diagnosis is challenging, especially in lower-risk patients such as those with COPD and cirrhosis.
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Stopping statins, even briefly, after stroke or cardiovascular surgery increases vascular complications according to 3 new studies.
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Although it is understood that good nutrition is essential for normal immune function, wound healing and maintenance of muscle mass and function, and is likely beneficial for overall recovery from the highly catabolic state of acute critical illness, it is less clear when and how best to deliver adequate nutritional support in practice.
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When used in conjunction with clinical and radiographic data, brain natriuretic peptide levels may provide a non-invasive alternative for distinguishing between ARDS and cardiogenic pulmonary edema in patients with severe hypoxemic respiratory failure.