Emergency medicine clinics of North America
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Complaints of abdominal and pelvic pain account for a large number of Emergency Department presentations. Unfortunately, the subjective, often ambiguous, complaint of pain may represent a broad spectrum of pathology ranging from relatively benign disorders to acute, life-threatening illness. It is the duty of the Emergency Department physician to separate the potentially lethal disorders from the less acute illnesses, a task that this article aims to make easier.
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · May 1987
ReviewAn approach to throat complaints. Foreign body sensation, difficulty swallowing, and hoarseness.
There is a great deal of clinical overlap in patients with throat complaints. Foreign body sensation, difficulty in swallowing, and hoarseness may all stem from one entity or may be totally unrelated. ⋯ Thereafter, a thorough history, combined with a directed physical examination and radiologic studies, will provide a concise differential diagnosis. Once the diagnosis is formulated, treatment may take place in the Emergency Department or the patient may be referred to the appropriate specialist for definitive diagnosis or treatment.
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Epistaxis is a problem that is commonly seen by emergency physicians. Its complete evaluation requires an understanding of the anatomy in addition to the various etiologies, including mechanical, traumatic, hematologic, cardiovascular, inflammatory, and congenital causes. Although the management of epistaxis will vary according to the cause, the basic principles of hemostasis and packing are emphasized. In cases in which the bleeding cannot be controlled.
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This article has presented an overview of the duties, responsibilities, and management roles of the emergency department Medical Director, a position that can be among the most challenging, stimulating, and exciting in medicine. However, prior to accepting a position as an Emergency Department medical director, one should have a clear understanding of what the job entails. ⋯ Once the job has been accepted, using the roles, responsibilities, and duties detailed herein may be of benefit--but should always be applied with good judgment, tactful cooperation, and common sense. Finally, it should not be surprising to a medical director to find, as Spinoza did many years ago, that the excellent thing he aspires to are as difficult as they are rare.
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This article discusses current applications of computers in the Emergency Department. Different approaches for computerization are compared, and difficulties and problems of computerization are discussed.