Annals of emergency medicine
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Necessity of radiographs in the emergency department management of shoulder dislocations.
To determine the necessity of radiographs in the emergency department management of patients with suspected shoulder dislocation. ⋯ Physicians are highly accurate in the clinical determination of shoulder dislocation and relocation. Radiographs should be obtained when the physician is uncertain of dislocation or reduction. Prereduction films should be obtained for patients with a blunt traumatic mechanism of injury, and postreduction for those found to have a fracture-dislocation. However, postreduction films add little in patients without fractures, and neither prereduction nor postreduction films are likely to affect the ED management of patients with recurrent dislocation by an atraumatic mechanism. Prospective validation of the derived algorithm is suggested.
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[American College of Emergency Physicians. Domestic violence: the role of EMS personnel. Ann Emerg Med. August 2000;36:180.].