Annals of emergency medicine
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Case Reports
Lung carcinoma presenting with pathologic femur fracture and false-positive pregnancy test result.
β-Human chorionic gonadotropin (βhCG) assays are routinely used to test for pregnancy. However, βhCG may be elevated in conditions other than pregnancy. ⋯ Lung cancer is the most common nongestational malignancy that produces βhCG among reproductive-age women. Emergency physicians should consider this rare cause of a positive pregnancy test result in women who deny recent sexual intercourse, especially if the patient is older than 40 years, has a history of tobacco use, or presents with respiratory complaints.
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We evaluate trauma undertriage by age group, the association between age and serious injury after accounting for other field triage criteria and confounders, and the potential effect of a mandatory age triage criterion for field triage. ⋯ Trauma undertriage increases in patients older than 60 years. Although the probability of serious injury increases among triage-negative patients with increasing age, the use of a mandatory age triage criterion appears inefficient for improving field triage.
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We investigate the performance characteristics of bedside emergency department (ED) ultrasonography by nonradiologist physician sonographers in the diagnosis of ileocolic intussusception in children. ⋯ With limited and focused training, pediatric emergency physicians can accurately diagnose ileocolic intussusception in children by using bedside ultrasonography.