Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2021
Providing emergency medical care without consent: How the 'emergency principle' in Australian law protects against claims of trespass.
In a medical emergency, the usual requirement to obtain consent before giving treatment does not apply. This exception to the general rule on consent to medical treatment is known as the 'emergency principle'. ⋯ For example, whether a practitioner would ever be obliged to seek consent from a substitute decision-maker before providing emergency treatment is not clearly or consistently explained. We suggest the law should be clarified.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2021
Emergency Department presentations in the Southern District of New Zealand during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
To assess changes in presentations to EDs during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in the Southern Region of New Zealand. ⋯ Within the SDHB, patient volumes reduced during levels 4 and 3 of our lockdown, with reduced low-acuity presentations. High-acuity patient numbers also declined. Trauma, mental health, alcohol-related, infectious respiratory and acute coronary syndrome presentations declined while cerebrovascular accident and appendicitis numbers showed little to no change.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2021
Assessment of the availability and utility of the paramedic record in the emergency department.
Clinical handover between pre-hospital ambulance service and the ED is important for patient safety and quality care. This study assessed the availability and utility of the paramedic record to ED clinicians in their patient assessment. ⋯ The information in the paramedic record was found to be useful to ED clinicians when it was available. Increasing the availability of the paramedic record for ED clinical assessment may be an opportunity to improve patient safety and flow.
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This article reviews the pathophysiology of acute ischaemic priapism, as well as the role of medications as an adjunct to definitive treatment. A clear procedure for aspiration is described.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2021
Case series and review of emergency front-of-neck surgical airways from The Australian and New Zealand Emergency Department Airway Registry.
An emergency front-of-neck access (eFONA), also called can't intubate, can't oxygenate (CICO) rescue, is a rare event. Little is known about the performance of surgical or percutaneous airways in EDs across Australia and New Zealand. ⋯ Most cases demonstrated deviations from standard difficult airway practice, which may have increased the likelihood of performance of a surgical airway, and its increased likelihood out of hours. Our findings may inform training strategies to improve care for ED patients requiring this critical intervention. We recommend further discussion of proposed standard terminology for emergency surgical or percutaneous airways, to facilitate clear crisis communication.