Annals of emergency medicine
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To describe the development of an injury-surveillance system based on the emergency department log. ⋯ With minimal training and cost, the ED log can be adapted for collection of injury data on all patients seen in the ED.
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Meta Analysis
Effect of out-of-hospital defibrillation by basic life support providers on cardiac arrest mortality: a metaanalysis.
Although some studies demonstrate otherwise, we hypothesized that metaanalysis would demonstrate a reduction in the relative risk of mortality when basic life support (BLS) providers can defibrillate out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients. ⋯ BLS defibrillation can reduce the relative risk of death for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims in ventricular fibrillation. Weaknesses in individual study designs and regional clustering limit the strength of this metaanalysis and conclusion.
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Comparative Study
A comparison of adenosine and verapamil for the treatment of supraventricular tachycardia in the prehospital setting.
To compare the efficacy and base hospital physician use of adenosine with that of verapamil in the prehospital treatment of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). ⋯ Our study showed no difference in conversion rates between verapamil and adenosine. Base hospital physicians were more likely to order adenosine than verapamil. Paramedics and base hospital physicians often misinterpret tachydysrhythmias.
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"Hunan hand" is a contact dermatitis resulting from the direct handling of chili peppers containing capsaicin. Capsaicin also is found in an over-the-counter topical agent for treatment of postherpetic neuralgia, diabetic neuropathy, and arthritis. We present the case of a patient with capsaicin-induced dermatitis and discuss the pathophysiology, therapy, and current uses of capsaicin.