Emergency medicine clinics of North America
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · Nov 2014
ReviewEarly Identification and Management of Patients with Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock in the Emergency Department.
Severe sepsis and septic shock have great relevance to Emergency Medicine physicians because of their high prevalence, morbidity, and mortality. Treatment is time-sensitive, depends on early identification risk stratification, and has the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes. In this article, we review the pathophysiology of, and evidence basis for, the emergency department management of severe sepsis and septic shock.
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · Nov 2014
ReviewLung-protective Ventilation Strategies and Adjunctive Treatments for the Emergency Medicine Patient with Acute Respiratory Failure.
Respiratory failure is a frequent disease process encountered in the emergency department. There is significant need for improvement in the care of patients on mechanical ventilation. If not contraindicated, lung-protective ventilation strategies should be used. It is important to consider pathophysiology (shunting, dead space ventilation, and low venous admixture) when formulating treatment strategies in patients who are difficult to oxygenate or ventilate or when Pao2, Paco2, and pH can only be maintained at unsafe ventilator settings.
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Bleeding is the second leading cause of death after trauma. Initial care of the patient with hemorrhage focuses on restoring circulating blood volume and reversing coagulopathy. Trauma and injury can initiate the coagulation cascade. ⋯ Hemostatic resuscitation in conjunction with ratio-based transfusion and massive transfusion protocols should be utilized while awaiting hemorrhage control. The military initiated massive transfusion protocols in the battlefield. We discuss the coagulation cascade, recent recommendations of goal-directed therapy, massive transfusion protocols, fixed ratios, and the future of transfusion medicine.
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Shock is a physiologic state associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. The clinician has several tools available to evaluate volume status. ⋯ Although the search for the Holy Grail of a perfect intravascular monitor continues, we must remember the importance of early, aggressive, and goal-directed interventions for patients in shock. Finally, there is no substitute for the most important intervention-the frequent presence of the physician at the patient's bedside.
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Care of the ill and injured child requires knowledge of unique pediatric anatomic and physiologic differences. Subtleties in presentation and pathophysiologic differences impact management. This article discusses pediatric resuscitation, the presentation and management of common childhood illness, pediatric trauma, and common procedures required in the critically ill child.