Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2007
Emergency department deaths despite active management: experience from a tertiary care centre in a low-income country.
To determine the frequency and causes of ED deaths despite active management, in a tertiary care centre of a low-income country. ⋯ Sepsis is the leading cause of death in patients of all age groups in the ED of this hospital.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2007
Do family members interfere in the delivery of care when present during invasive paediatric procedures in the emergency department?
To determine whether family members interfere with patient care when present during invasive procedures performed on their children in the ED. ⋯ When family members are encouraged to stay for invasive procedures performed on their child, and careful explanation of the procedure, sedation, possible complications, choice of medication for sedation and possible side-effects is undertaken, family member interference is extremely rare.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2007
Early computerized tomography accurately determines the presence or absence of scaphoid and other fractures.
To validate the use of early CT in predicting scaphoid fracture and other fractures in patients with suspected scaphoid fracture. ⋯ Early CT scans show promise in the diagnosis of scaphoid and other fractures of the wrist and carpals. Further study is warranted to validate early CT in clinical scaphoid fracture as an alternative to other early advanced imaging, or plaster immobilization and 2 week review.
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Emerg Med Australas · Jun 2007
Frova intubating catheter position can be determined with aspirating oesophageal detection device.
Intubating catheters (e.g. gum-elastic bougie) are an invaluable adjunct in the management of a difficult airway. Traditional tactile 'click' (from tracheal rings) and 'hold up' (from carina or bronchus) techniques for confirming tracheal placement are, however, fallible, and definitive placement can only be confirmed following passage of the endotracheal tube. Ensuing delays might contribute to the development of arterial hypoxaemia. Our aim was to determine whether an aspirating oesophageal detector device might be useful for confirming placement of the Frova intubating catheter (a hollow-bore intubating catheter). ⋯ In the operating theatre setting the aspirating oesophageal detector device reliably predicts tracheal and oesophageal placement of the Frova intubating catheter.