Journal of medical toxicology : official journal of the American College of Medical Toxicology
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Carbon Monoxide (CO), the third most common cause of acute poisoning death, is easily overlooked in the emergency department (ED). Nonspecific complaints such as headache, weakness, or malaise may easily result in misdiagnosis. The objectives of this study are to determine the frequency of CO poisoning in patients presenting to the ED complaining of headaches and to determine the feasibility of using noninvasive CO analyzers as a screening tool. ⋯ Noninvasive measurement of CO levels in ED patients with headaches is rapid and specific. During winter months, elevated CO levels are present in over 7% of ED patients with headaches.
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The timely and formal publication of material presented as abstracts at national meetings is critical to the dissemination of new information to the medical community. We designed a retrospective study to evaluate the publication rates of abstracts presented at a recent national toxicology conference. In addition, we attempted to determine whether readily identifiable characteristics could predict a greater likelihood of publication. ⋯ Three years after presenting abstracts at the 2001 NACCT meeting, the majority of abstracts remain unpublished. This is a lower rate than noted by other specialty medical societies.
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Clinical Trial
Resistant alcohol withdrawal: does an unexpectedly large sedative requirement identify these patients early?
While most patients with alcohol withdrawal (AW) respond to standard treatment that includes doses of benzodiazepines, nutrition and good supportive care (non resistant alcohol withdrawal-NRAW), a subgroup may resist therapy (resistant alcohol withdrawal-RAW). This study describes a distinct group of AW patients, their sedative requirements, and hospital courses. ⋯ RAW patients require large doses of benzodiazepine administration, additional sedatives, and undergo complicated hospitalizations.