Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2005
Comparative StudyEmergency weight estimation in Pacific Island and Maori children who are large-for-age.
Methods to estimate weights of children requiring resuscitation appeared to underestimate the weight of Pacific Island and Maori children. This study sought to quantify differences between real and estimated weights, study links with ethnicity and derive a new estimation method for large-for-age children. ⋯ Current emergency methods underestimate weight in Pacific Island and Maori children. We recommend a new chart for these children.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2005
Witnessing invasive paediatric procedures, including resuscitation, in the emergency department: a parental perspective.
To determine whether parents prefer to be present during invasive procedures performed on their children in the ED. ⋯ Most parents surveyed would want to be present when invasive procedures are performed on their children in the ED. With increasing invasiveness, parental desire to be present decreased. However, the overwhelming majority of parents would want to be in attendance during procedural sedation or resuscitation.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2005
Clinical TrialEmergency physicians can reliably assess emergency department patient cardiac output using the USCOM continuous wave Doppler cardiac output monitor.
1 To develop a training package for ultrasonic cardiac output monitor (USCOM) cardiac output assessments and determine the number of proctored studies necessary for skill acquisition. 2 To develop criteria for acceptance of cardiac output results obtained with the USCOM. 3 To evaluate the reliability of USCOM cardiac output assessments in the ED. ⋯ Emergency physicians with no prior ultrasonographic experience can be trained to obtain reliable cardiac output estimations upon conscious ED patients with the USCOM over the course of 20 patient assessments.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2005
Processes and impediments in moving patients from the emergency department: pilot study.
To assess the impact of an ED-designed interim orders sheet on patient flow through the ED, and the safety of ED-directed admission. ⋯ There was no difference in the time to patient admission, or IPLOS, with the different processes. Almost half of the average ED stay of adults and about one-third of that of paediatric admissions occurred after the decision to admit was made. Transfer of patients to the ward without inpatient review is appropriate and effective.
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Recreational use of amphetamines is common in Australia and New Zealand when compared with other developed nations. The clinical effects are variable because of the potential of these drugs to increase the proportion of different biogenic amines in the central nervous system (CNS). The substances affected are adrenaline, noradrenaline, serotonin and dopamine. Movement disorders represent one of the less common presentations of amphetamine toxicity but one that health care workers should be aware of nonetheless.