Turkish journal of emergency medicine
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Around 0.1-0.2% of all pregnancies are complicated by respiratory failure. The altered physiology of pregnancy predisposes mother and child to develop hypoxia and respiratory failure more easily than a non-pregnant patient. Respiratory failure in pregnancy may have detrimental fetal complications, therefore extensive knowledge of the range of therapeutic options is necessary. If conventional lung-protective mechanical ventilation strategies fail, alternative approaches such as veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) should be considered. ⋯ In a pregnant patient with severe respiratory failure, when other interventions fail, initiation of VV-ECMO should not be delayed. The use of VV-ECMO in pregnancy is a multi-disciplinary team approach.
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Renal colic is one of the most common complaints in patients admitted to Emergency Department (ED). Computed Tomography (CT) is the reference standard for the diagnosis of any stones in the kidneys or ureters. However, CT has classical disadvantages, such as radiation exposure, cost and availability. Recently, STONE clinical prediction criteria were suggested to identify uncomplicated ureteral stone cases among patiens admitted to the ED with abdominal pain. Primary objective of this study was the external validation of the STONE criteria. ⋯ Despite the acceptable diagnostic accuracy, further modifications and enhancements of the STONE score are needed to differentiate patients with low risk prior to imaging.