Annals of emergency medicine
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To determine the usefulness of sequential nonoperative diagnostic studies in the evaluation and treatment of stable patients after blunt abdominal trauma. ⋯ Diagnostic peritoneal lavage and CT are complementary when evaluating blunt abdominal trauma. Diagnostic peritoneal lavage is an effective screening tool. CT may be reserved for stable patients with a positive diagnostic peritoneal lavage to specify the organs injured. Bleeding often may be treated by embolization, limiting the rate of surgery.
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To determine the frequency of radiopaque items found in radiologic screening of Halloween candy and to determine the possibility of missing a small item. ⋯ The routine radiologic screening of Halloween candy has an extremely low yield in detecting radiopaque items.
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Elderly patients with undiagnosed polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis are not uncommon, and they may present to the emergency department with nonspecific physical complaints. We describe the cases of two patients who had the "typical" constellation of symptoms. It is important that emergency physicians consider the diagnosis and provide appropriate testing, therapy, and follow-up.
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To determine if there is a significant prevalence of drug or alcohol use among adolescents evaluated for significant acute trauma. ⋯ A significant number of adolescents admitted to the hospital for trauma-related injuries have a toxicology screen positive for alcohol or drugs of abuse. A toxicology screen should be a standard laboratory test in adolescents involved in significant trauma, especially if the mechanism was intentional.