Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
-
Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2021
ReviewReview article: Paramedic pain management of femur fractures in the prehospital setting: A systematic review.
Femur shaft and neck of femur (NOF) fractures are often undertreated in the prehospital setting. These injuries can present unique clinical and logistical concerns in the prehospital setting. This systematic review aimed to investigate paramedic prehospital pain management of patients who had suffered NOF or femur fractures, and to investigate which interventions are effective. ⋯ Alternative analgesics such as auricular acupressure, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and fascia iliaca compartment block were found to be effective techniques that could be safely and competently employed by paramedics, reducing pain for patients with limited adverse events. NOF and femur shaft fractures are an undertreated injury in the prehospital setting. Traction splinting and IV analgesia remain the traditional methodologies of treatment for these injuries; however, there are alternatives such as TENS, auricular acupressure and fascia iliaca compartment block that appear to be emerging as safe and effective options for the prehospital setting.
-
Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2021
Observational StudyAlcohol and acute traumatic brain injury in the emergency department.
There is limited research from Australasian EDs describing the demographic make-up, injury severity and impact of alcohol in patients requiring computed tomography (CT) for suspected traumatic brain injury (TBI). The present study aims to review the frequency and presenting patterns of patients who consume alcohol prior to presenting with suspected TBI. ⋯ One quarter of patients with suspected TBI had consumed alcohol prior to their injury. Predominantly, those affected were young males who reported higher rates of assault; however, alcohol use was recorded in all age groups and sex. Alcohol-affected patients presented later, potentially delaying time to diagnosis. The present study supports the call for public health interventions that aim to reduce alcohol misuse.