Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2021
ReviewReview article: Topical antibiotic treatments for acute otitis externa: Emergency care guidelines from an ear, nose and throat perspective.
Acute otitis externa (AOE), also known as 'swimmer's ear', is a common acute problem. It is one of the most common ED presentations. ⋯ There are a number of red flags associated with AOE which require consideration when treating patients with AOE. We discuss an evidence-based approach to management of AOE in the emergency setting, with indications for specialist referral.
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2021
Observational StudyUnintentional paediatric iron poisoning: A retrospective case series.
Iron poisoning is a historically important cause of paediatric morbidity and mortality. In recent decades, public health measures have considerably reduced paediatric iron exposures. We investigated unintentional paediatric iron poisoning in children with the aim of developing an assessment approach specific for this group. ⋯ Unintentional paediatric iron poisoning is uncommon and largely benign. Suspected dose ingested is a poor predictor of toxicity. Targeting investigations and interventions to symptomatic children should reduce unnecessary assessment and management while still safely managing the exposure.
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2021
ReviewArtificial intelligence-enhanced echocardiography in the emergency department.
A focused cardiac ultrasound performed by an emergency physician is becoming part of the standard assessment of patients in a variety of clinical situations. The development of inexpensive, portable handheld devices promises to make point-of-care ultrasound even more accessible over the coming decades. ⋯ The integration of AI into focused cardiac ultrasound will have a number of implications for emergency physicians. This perspective presents an overview of the current state of AI research in echocardiography relevant to the emergency physician, as well as the future possibilities, challenges and risks of this technology.
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Emerg Med Australas · Dec 2021
Emergency department management of severely injured children in New South Wales.
Presentations to EDs for major paediatric injury are considerably lower than for adults. International studies report lower levels of critical intervention, including intubation, required in injured children. A New South Wales study demonstrated an adverse event rate of 7.6% in children with major injury. Little is known about the care and interventions received by children presenting to Australian EDs with major injury. ⋯ A small proportion of children arriving in the ED post-major trauma have deranged clinical observations and receive critical interventions. The limited exposure in the management of trauma in paediatric patients requires measures to ensure clinicians have adequate training, skills and confidence to manage these clinical presentations in all EDs.