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The recognition of non-accidental injury is critical for a pediatric
trauma patient. In the year 2000, almost 3 million reports of child
abuse were made to social service agencies. Forty-four percent of the
fatalities were children younger than 1 year of age. Not only are these
statistics alarming, but they point out the need for emergency
department and trauma physicians and nurses to recognize non-accidental
injury and aggressively protect the children who seek our medical
expertise and protection.
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The ECG in the Figure was obtained from a 78-year-old man with long-standing pulmonary disease and new-onset heart failure. Based on the low voltage in leads V1, V2, V3, the rightward frontal plane axis, incomplete right bundle-branch block, and persistent precordial S waves, the computer interpreted the overall pattern as consistent with pulmonary disease. What else should be added to your interpretation?
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Hyperkalemia is an electrolyte disorder with life-threatening potential. The spectrum of clinical presentation is wide, ranging from asymptomatic laboratory discovery to cardiac arrest.
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This prospective randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial looked at the use of prednisone 40 mg daily for 10 days vs. placebo in 147 patients presenting to any of 10 emergency departments who were well enough to be discharged after treatment for exacerbation of their
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
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The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the Ottawa Ankle Rules in children younger than 18 years presenting to a pediatric ED.
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The diagnosis of patients with chest pain is straightforward only occasionally. A systematic method of evaluating these patients is essential to assess for potentially life-threatening conditions. This article discusses noncardiac causes of chest pain, particularly GI causes and aortic dissection.
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As experienced physicians understand, heart failure can be a difficult diagnosis to establish in the emergency department setting, especially when there are factors that may complicate a patients presentation. This issue of Emergency Medicine Reports reviews the role and clinical utility of brain natriuretic peptide in the management of patients suspected of having heart failure upon presentation to the ED
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Emergency medicine physicians routinely manage patients with neurologic toxicity due to drugs and chemicals. The causes of these toxicities are diverse. The focus of this article will be on the manifestations of drugs in the CNS, along with management recommendations.
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Increase in Blood Glucose Concentration During Antihypertensive
Treatment as a Predictor of Myocardial Infarction; Adverse Drug Events
in Ambulatory Care; Prevention of Hip Fracture by External Hip
Protectors; Rapid MRI vs Radiographs for Patients with Low Back Pain;
Effectiveness of Anticholinergic Drugs Compared with Placebo in the
Treatment of Overactive Bladder; A Randomized Trial of a Low
Carbohydrate Diet for Obesity