Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2012
Case ReportsVascular hyperpermeability in pulmonary decompression illness: 'the chokes'.
Decompression illness (DCI) develops during or after diving. Pulmonary decompression illness ('Chokes') is rarely seen because the affected individual usually dies in the water. We encountered a rare and interesting case. ⋯ Despite large-volume fluid therapy, severe intravascular dehydration and shock status remained. We assume that the injured endothelial cells induced vascular hyperpermeability and increased levels of inflammatory cytokines leading to the high serum PCT level. PCT might be a useful stress marker of endothelial damage and severity in DCI, including Chokes.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2012
Case ReportsAcute paraspinal compartment syndrome as an unusual cause of severe low back pain.
This report describes a case of acute paraspinal compartment syndrome in a 25-year-old man. The diagnosis was significantly delayed, perhaps to some extent because of the rarity of the condition. ⋯ The discussion addresses an unusual site for compartment syndrome and a diagnosis not commonly considered in the differential of low back pain. Treatment options are discussed and we review previous published case reports.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2012
Case ReportsTerson's syndrome: subarachnoid haemorrhage presenting as sudden visual loss.
Subarachnoid haemorrhage is a condition that usually presents with headache and altered mental state. We report the case of a 50-year-old man with subarachnoid haemorrhage who presented with Terson's syndrome. This is a condition where there is retinal or vitreous haemorrhage secondary to subarachnoid or subdural haemorrhage.
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Emerg Med Australas · Aug 2012
ReviewReview article: A primer for clinical researchers in the emergency department: Part III: How to write a scientific paper.
In this series we address key topics for clinicians who conduct research as part of their work in the ED. Analysis of research data does not represent the completion of a project as the findings need to be communicated to clinicians and other researchers in the field. In this section, we describe how to write up clinical research data for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. We also describe the editorial and peer-review process.
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Appendicitis is the most common paediatric surgical emergency. In our institution, the majority of inter-hospital transfers are for suspected appendicitis. We undertook an audit to assess the accuracy of the provisional diagnosis of the transferred cases. ⋯ Of the surgical referrals for appendicectomy, 60% did not have appendicitis. An improved assessment protocol is required to reduce the margin of diagnostic error and transfer cost, while maintaining clinical safety.