Emergency medicine clinics of North America
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This article presents an overview of facial wound management, beginning with a brief review of basic anatomy of the head and face as it relates to wound care. Basic wound management is discussed, and techniques for repairing specific cosmetically high-risk areas of the face, particularly the eyes, lips, and ears, are reviewed. Also described are the proper techniques for the management of an auricular hematoma.
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This article presents up-to-date information for the emergency medicine community on several patterns of facial fractures and their associated injuries. The article contains information about the anatomic structure and pathologic injuries that occur in the setting of facial trauma and guides the emergency medicine community in the thorough physical and diagnostic evaluation, emergent treatment, and proper surgical or outpatient treatment.
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Earache, a common emergency department presentation, may be caused by a variety of conditions, some distant from the ear. This article discusses the diagnosis and treatment of acute otitis media, otitis media with effusion, otitis externa, otitis media with ruptured tympanic membrane or tympanostomy tubes, malignant otitis externa, mastoiditis and petrositis, traumatic ruptured tympanic membrane, cerumen impactions, and foreign bodies in the ears.
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Appropriate and timely management of traumatic injury to the teeth and their supporting structures plays an important role in determining long-term outcome. This article reviews the relevant anatomy and describes the initial diagnosis and treatment approach to dentoalveolar traumatic injury and fractures of the mandible. Procedures for initial stabilization and appropriate referral are also discussed.
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Regional nerve blocks of the face are important skills every emergency physician ought to know. Facial anesthesia improves cosmetic outcomes, reduces pain, and improves patient satisfaction. Understanding the anatomy of the head and face is essential to the application of regional anesthesia, and this anatomy will be reviewed in depth. By completion of this article, physicians should appreciate the basics of the various nerve blocks of the head and face to repair any laceration.