Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2011
Randomized Controlled TrialTropisetron versus metoclopramide for the treatment of nausea and vomiting in the emergency department: A randomized, double-blinded, clinical trial.
We aimed to compare the relative efficacy of tropisetron and metoclopramide in treating nausea/vomiting in undifferentiated ED patients. ⋯ Tropisetron was associated with a significantly lower vomiting rate and shows promise as an alternative anti-emetic in the ED.
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2011
Involuntary psychiatric attendances at an Australasian emergency department: A comparison of police and health-care worker initiated presentations.
To identify any significant differences in the population of patients brought in to a hospital ED under involuntary mental health orders, based on whether the orders are initiated by police or health professionals. ⋯ Patients on police and medical orders differ considerably, but the impact of these differences on ED workload is small.
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Injury is a major global health problem. India suffers more deaths from vehicle collisions than any other country. Since 2004 The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia has established strong linkages with Christian Medical College (CMC) in Ludhiana, the Punjab, India and Teaching Hospital Karapitiya (THK) in Galle, Sri Lanka, supporting trauma care capacity-building. ⋯ Observed programme challenges included the variety of health systems from which the participants were sourced. The Trauma Team Training Program allowed Australian emergency clinicians to impart some skills towards improving the level of trauma reception and resuscitation by 26 participants from nine sites. The team-based systematic approach to the delivery of emergency trauma care was valued by the participants.
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2011
Case ReportsSubclavian artery laceration: A serious complication of needle decompression.
A 31-year-old woman presented with spontaneous tension pneumothorax. This was initially treated with needle decompression, which led to massive haemothorax. Treatment and methods to reduce the likelihood of this complication are discussed.
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Emerg Med Australas · Oct 2011
ReviewReview article: People who present on multiple occasions to emergency departments.
Research about people who present on multiple occasions to the ED began in the 1980s. Despite this, little is known of their journey as patients. Understanding ED use as a journey can help clinicians improve how they meet the needs of this patient group. ⋯ This patient group often have high and complex health needs, engage extensively with other health services and have poor long-term health outcomes. The issue of multiple presentations to the ED is complex and ongoing because of the morbidity of the people concerned, the preference of patients to attend, the purpose of the ED and preparation and role of the personnel and the difficulties with continuity of care. The provision of care for people who present on multiple occasions can be improved within the ED and health services generally through a better understanding of presentations.