Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2010
Use of sterile saline as a conduction agent for ultrasound visualization of central venous structures.
To determine whether sterile saline as a conduction agent provides adequate visualization of anatomic structures to attempt ultrasound-guided vascular access. ⋯ The use of sterile saline as a conduction agent allows adequate visualization of anatomic structures to attempt ultrasound-guided vascular access.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2010
Review article: Emergency department assessment and management of stab wounds to the neck.
A stab wound to neck is an infrequent but highly important presentation to the ED in Australasia. Injuries to the two large neurovascular bundles that are vital to life might occur with associated injuries to midline aerodigestive structures. A literature review was undertaken to discuss the assessment and management of this injury in the emergency medicine setting.
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Suprapubic catheters provide a durable form of long-term bladder drainage. Few cases of catheter displacement have been reported. We report a series of three patients with suprapubic catheter displacement following catheter changes, with varying clinical presentations and sequelae. Early suspicion of catheter displacement in patients with suprapubic catheters presenting with undiagnosed sepsis or abdominal pain, can lead to timely radiological diagnosis and treatment.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2010
Risk factors and associations for the diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections in Aboriginal women presenting to the Alice Springs Hospital emergency department.
To identify risk factors and associations for sexually transmitted infections (STI) in young Aboriginal women presenting to an ED for non-genitourinary reasons, in order to better target opportunistic screening in this group. To determine the prevalence of chlamydia and gonorrhoea in women presenting to the Alice Springs Hospital ED. ⋯ The prevalence of STI is high in young Aboriginal women presenting to Alice Springs Hospital ED. Screening is acceptable to these patients using low vaginal swabs, and may be targeted at those women with the identified associations. The results of the present study may have relevance to other hospital ED in areas with a high prevalence of STI. A prospective study is needed to confirm these findings.