Annals of emergency medicine
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To determine characteristics motivating physicians to choose careers in academic and nonacademic emergency medicine. ⋯ Factors influencing career decisions can be used to plan strategies to meet the future needs of academic emergency medicine.
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To study the prevalence, risk factors, and consequences of ambulance diversion. ⋯ Ambulance diversion is a common and increasing event that delays emergency medical care.
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The efficacy of an ACLS training program for resuscitation from cardiac arrest in a rural community.
To determine whether an advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) course in a rural hospital will improve resuscitation success from cardiac arrest. ⋯ The institution of an ACLS-provider course in a rural community hospital was associated with improvement in initial resuscitation for patients with ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia and out-of-hospital arrest.
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Case Reports
Pneumocephalus following an epidural blood patch procedure: an unusual cause of severe headache.
Pneumocephalus is a rare complication of anesthetic procedures involving the epidural space. We report the case of a 36-year-old woman who developed a severe headache due to pneumocephalus that occurred during an epidural blood patching procedure. This report reviews the blood patch procedure and its attendant complications. Emergency physicians should be aware of the potential complications of this commonly performed procedure and include iatrogenic pneumocephalus in the differential diagnosis of severe headache in the proper clinical scenario.
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To determine the effects of standard spinal immobilization on a group of healthy volunteers with respect to induced pain and discomfort. ⋯ Standard spinal immobilization may be a cause of pain in an otherwise healthy subject.