Annals of emergency medicine
-
To develop a diagnosis-based case mix classification system for emergency department patient visits based on direct costs of care designed for an outpatient setting. ⋯ We have developed a diagnosis-based case mix classification system for ED patient visits based on direct costs of care designed for an outpatient setting which, unlike diagnosis-related groups, includes the measurement of time-based cost for physician and nonphysician services. This classification system helps to define direct costs of hospital and physician emergency services by type of patient.
-
A previously healthy 47-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with septic shock five days after a small dog bite on the dorsum of her hand. Capnocytophaga canimorsus was isolated from blood cultures. ⋯ Characteristics of Capnocytophaga (formerly CDC group Dysgonic Fermenter-2) infection are briefly discussed. This unusual outcome in a previously healthy patient and the need for careful management of dog bite wounds, even if initially very small, is emphasized.
-
Comparative Study
Comparison of rectal, axillary, and tympanic membrane temperatures in infants and young children.
To evaluate the reliability of a tympanic membrane thermometer in detecting fever in young children presenting to the emergency department. ⋯ Tympanic membrane and axillary temperatures should be viewed with caution in children less than 3 years old as neither can detect fever reliably.