Emergency medicine clinics of North America
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In this article, we discuss the major nonobstetric surgical complications that may occur in pregnancy. We highlight specific diagnostic challenges particularly with imaging modalities and radiation considerations for the fetus. Topics covered in this article include appendicitis, intestinal obstruction, gallstone disease, hepatic rupture, perforated peptic ulcer, mesenteric venous thrombosis, splenic artery aneurysm rupture, and aortic dissection.
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Intimate partner violence and sexual violence represent significant public health challenges that carry many individual and societal costs. More than 1 in 3 women (35.6%) and more than 1 in 4 men (28.5%) in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Clinicians play an integral role on the screening, identification, and management of these sensitive issues.
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Shock is a life-threatening condition of circulatory failure leading to inadequate organ perfusion and tissue oxygenation. In a trauma patient, shock may be due to hypovolemia, cardiogenic, obstructive or distributive causes individually or in combination. The physiological response to major hemorrhage is dependent on a variety of autonomic reflexes, mechanism of injury, bleeding source, and baseline physiology of the patient. This article discusses the common causes of shock and the accompanying physiology, how clinical assessment can support the diagnosis and effective treatment of shock, and the common pitfalls in trauma patients.
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · Feb 2023
ReviewResuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta: A Practical Review.
Hemorrhage, in particular, noncompressible torso hemorrhage, remains a significant contributor to mortality in trauma cases. Despite many advances in resuscitation, noncompressible sites of bleeding have presented a particular challenge. ⋯ Although the technique is relatively straight-forward, it carries significant risk, in particular, from ischemia due to aortic occlusion. This article describes the role and considerations for the use of REBOA in the critically injured patient.