Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Caustic ingestion is a frequent presentation to EDs and encompasses a wide range of injury to the gastrointestinal tract. Endoscopy has long been considered the gold standard of investigation, even in patients with low likelihood of severe injury, and informs the decision for emergency surgery. ⋯ CT scan also accurately predicts risk of stricture formation. We propose an algorithm for the use of CT scan, rather than endoscopy, as the first-line investigation in the assessment of caustic ingestion.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2019
Impacts on in-event, ambulance and emergency department services from patients presenting from a mass gathering event: A retrospective analysis.
The aim of this study was to describe the in-event, ambulance and ED impacts of patient presentations from an Australian mass gathering event (MGE) including patient demographics, provision of care, length of stay and discharge disposition. ⋯ There was an impact on in-event, ambulance and ED services from this MGE but the in-event model of care may have limited ambulance usage and ED visits. The ED length of stay was greater than the national median, perhaps reflecting the appropriateness of transport and nature of care requirements while in the ED.
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There is growing recognition of the vital roles that Emergency Physicians can play in public health. Accordingly, there is a need for emergency medicine trainees to have opportunities to acquire relevant public health skillsets. This article provides an example of such a possibility. ⋯ The example illustrates the feasibility and benefits of a public health rotation for interested trainees, and offers recommendations for establishing such rotations. There are challenges, including eligibility requirements and funding. However, possible approaches exist at the individual and college levels to facilitate such training opportunities so that emergency medicine trainees can acquire necessary and valuable public health skills.