Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2011
ReviewHow useful are laboratory investigations in the emergency department evaluation of possible osteomyelitis?
We conducted a literature review to determine which laboratory investigations are useful for the ED evaluation of osteomyelitis. Thirty-six relevant papers were identified. ⋯ In patients with any suspicion of osteomyelitis and otherwise unexplained ESR >30 mm/h and/or CRP >10-30 mg/L further definitive investigation is required. The white blood count is not helpful in the evaluation of osteomyelitis.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2011
Case ReportsMassive pericardial effusion with diastolic right ventricular compression secondary to hypothyroidism in a 73-year-old woman.
Pericardial effusion is commonly seen in patients with hypothyroidism, but a massive pericardial effusion with obvious diastolic right ventricular compression is uncommon. We herein report a case of 73-year-old woman seen in the ED with generalized weakness and hypotension. ⋯ The pericardial effusion resolved after the administration of thyroid replacement therapy. This case reveals the importance of including hypothyroidism in the differential diagnosis of pericardia effusion.
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Löfgren's syndrome is an acute-onset presentation of sarcoidosis that can be easily missed in an ED setting. A case is reported of Löfgren's syndrome presenting as erythema nodosum with bilateral ankle oedema. Although rare, this diagnosis should be considered when examining a patient with erythema nodosum and articular symptoms.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2011
Medical student/student doctor access to patients in an emergency department.
To determine the proportion of patients in a teaching hospital ED who are available to medical students; identify barriers to student access to patients; and determine whether patients are more likely to be accessible if the term student doctor is used rather than medical student. ⋯ A minimum 40% of patients in a tertiary ED are accessible for student learning, with high proportions of patients accepting of students practising supervised history-taking, physical examination, and most less-invasive procedural skills.