Shock
RSSArticles
-
Bioterrorism Watch: Triage, decontamination after chemical exposures
-
Crush Injuries
MONOGRAPH: In the U.S., alcohol intoxication associated with prolonged muscle compression and/or seizures is the most common cause of traumatic rhabdomyolysis.
-
Evaluation and Management of Sudden Vision Loss: Part I
Emergency physicians are often consulted by patients experiencing ocular symptoms. It is estimated that more than two million emergency department (ED) visits occur in the United States every year (approximately 3% of total ED visits) due to ocular complaints. Acute vision loss is an especially frightening experience that leads many patients to seek emergency care. Although this symptom is rarely life-threatening, early recognition and treatment of the cause is of paramount importance, as the patient may permanently lose sight in the affected eye(s). Emergency physicians (EPs) should be adept at diagnosing, treating, and obtaining appropriate ophthalmology consultation and follow up for this reason. -
Pediatric Corner: These factors ID children at high risk for acidosis
A 3-year-old boy with gastroenteritis presents with dry mucous membranes, and his mother tells you he has been sick for several days. This child is at high risk for acidosis, according to a new study. -
Break down these dangerous barriers to medication safety
A patient's chart is unavailable. Verbal orders are not yet written in the patient's chart. The identification bracelet is not yet on your patient. These are three reasons that an ED nurse may fail to comply with one of The Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs): the requirement for use of at least two patient identifiers. -
Give this diagnostic test if appendicitis is suspected
There is a way to recognize the potential for appendicitis before your patient even says a word. -
Visits for abuse rise 44% for prescriptions/OTC drugs
Abuse of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs is bringing more patients to the ED, according to a new report from the Drug Abuse Warning Network. The study found that ED visits related to abuse of pharmaceuticals alone, with no other type of drug involved, increased 44% from 2004 to 2006. -
'Unwinnable' case holds lessons for ED managers
The malpractice case had all the makings of a large jury verdict: It was emotionally charged, with a tragic outcome for the patient, who was a quadruple amputee. -
ED slashes average wait time by more than an hour
No ED cuts its average door-to-doc time from 93 minutes to 20 minutes by accident. The success story at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center in Houston was the result of discovering a patient flow model at another facility that was superior to theirs, and then continuing to search out additional models to come up with their own system that best addressed their specific needs. -
Care Initiation Area yields dramatic results
In February 2008, 12% of the patients who presented to the ED at Gaston Memorial Hospital in Gastonia, NC, left without being treated.